Going Edwardian in the Hair Dresses!
Hello every-one I’m back at my desk after a busy weekend of filming. If you have been following me you will know these last few weeks have been taken up with endless dress fittings as Judi my dressmaker has been working especially hard to get all my costumes ready for camera. I was pleased everything came together for Sundays shoot as an awful lot of work goes into the preparation of these things. Not only with the costumes but with the colour combinations too. On Sunday I was filming my forth showreel in the series as I get ever closer to making that final cut
Angela Hard at Work on My Hair!
which will show the whole spectrum of music I sing from Opera to Rock and Roll in one film.
Getting ready for camera takes a lot of thought and work. On Friday I called in for a spray tan to make sure I would be an even colour all over. I’m naturally very white so on camera even when I have a spray tan my colour looks normal, I also spent all day Saturday in the hairdressers with Angela having my hair put up in an Edwardian style which makes such a difference.
I was lucky that this weekend Paul was able to join me on set as my sound engineer and I worked really hard and sung my way through a variety of tunes from Opera to Music Hall. It’s a big sing as on this occasion I was singing in both Italian and English while performing in Victorian/Edwardian costume. This showreel is going to take a little longer to film and I’ve allowed myself three
Backstage at the Limelight Theater!
On Set with Film Maker David!
recording sessions at the Limelight Theater in Aylesbury to complete it.
Some of the costumes take a little longer for me to get into with all the petticoats and buttons I have to wear and do up. Sunday’s session was a little more exhausting than the periods I had filmed before as I was wearing a corset and although only a light one it does restrict the breathing when you are singing and jumping about the stage. I also wore three different bustles. Most of my costumes I was able to pull from stock as I have quite a collection. Some of these costumes date back to the late 80s and early 90s which I had made during my am dram days and I’m pleased to say I can still wear them with a little help from Judi. For example my red Edwardian swim suit and white evening gown which were made for me when I played Gigi in 1989 and my white leg-of- mutton sleeved day dress with the Tartan trim which was made in 1990 when I played Eliza Doolittle in “Pygmalion”.
The Pygmalion dress has been a good working costume as I choose my fabrics very carefully and it’s one of those gowns I can just
Backstage in my Pink Bustle Gown!
through in the washing machine as and when needed. However on this occasion I was short of one costume and I asked Judi to make me a new day outfit for the song “Honeysuckle and the Bee”. You may have caught in my last blog I took my inspiration from some of the costumes Nicole Kidman wore in the film Moulin Rouge. For Honeysucke I asked Judi to make me a new floral brocade jacket to go over the gown. This dress will also double up and be the base to my Lakme’ costume which will have interchangeable Indian boleros.
When I design a costume I often like it to have interchangeable features although sadly I’m not sure how often
I will have the opportunity of wearing these costumes again. Music Hall has rather fallen from favor in recent years and although I think we are going to have lots of
My New Costume for Honeysuckle and the Bee!
enquirers in 2018 with the commemoration of the end of WW1 after that I think the moment will have passed. The general public don’t seem to connect with Victorian and Edwardian music unless it’s Opera and even then only in small doses.
So I guess you might be wondering why I would go to all this trouble to make an Operatic Music Hall showreel when I don’t see a future in it. I supose the answers simple. I want to leave behind a legacy and a documented visual and audio record of my work before I get too much older. Also it will makes up a very important part to my finished major showreel which needs to show all my musical styles. I’ve also enjoyed bringing out some of my old costumes which as bustled evening gowns haven’t been suitable for me to wear at day time events in the past. For my next filming session on the 5th Feb I shall be moving things forward to WW1, swapping my bustle and
I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside!
replacing it with a hobble skirt as I sing “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” and more.
On that note that’s all my news for now as I carry on with my paperwork and contracts while planning the year. So far I’ve sold 84 shows and I’m looking forward to sharing with you my new 1940s & 50s showreel which will be coming out very soon. Keep Watching and I will keep you posted.
Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉
Getting Ready to Film Vilia!