It was great to see the cast again together with a new member who has joined us, Jamie, he will be covering for Ian Oswald who is sadly, currently unwell, we all wish him a very speedy recovery and look forward to having him back soon. Jamie had the enormous task of learning the show in 3 days ! Yes 3 days. A huge challenge for anyone but he's a real pro and it's brilliant to have him on board.
Tuesday was a 9:30 AM start at the cliffs pavilions in Southend. I absolutely love being by the sea so I'm very happy that this was our first venue. It was a long morning and afternoon of marking through the show, checking the lighting queues and fitting all of the numbers back in the world that is our Stage. 8 PM arrived very quickly and it was time to start our first performance. The hardest thing is controlling the pressure and the nerves that you put on yourself, it's the little man that sits in your head and starts to say "will you be able to get through it"? "will the audience enjoy it?" "will everything go well?" He's normally fighting with the other little man that sits in your head telling you "everything will be fine relax and enjoy it" lol. It's a little bit like the film 'inside out' for those of you who have seen it you'll know what I mean, I absolutely love this film and can so easily relate to it, I would love to see the little people in mine and Vincent's head, can you imagine! They would be absolutely bonkers, mine would probably all be dogs and Vincent's would all be called 'bello'.
Luckily the audience in Southend were amazing and up on their feet at the end of the show so we could all breathe a big sigh of relief. Wednesday and Thursday was a mix of more rehearsal time as we were still adding Jamie into some of the numbers and 2 shows on both days. Friday was more rehearsal time and one show and we finished off the week with two performances on Saturday. It's been a very busy start as it always is, there are never any short cuts but the important thing is that the show is the best it can be and it is once again up and running for our audiences to come and enjoy.
Hahah just like Vincent!
We look forward to next week at the Bristol Hippodrome which will also be busy as we have eight performances over six days plus more rehearsal time, Bristol also is officially the busiest week on the tour so far. In fact it means that we will be performing to over 10,000 people this week which is mind-boggling. AHHHHH!
Hope to see some of you there. come say hello if you are.
We had a real mix of weather as I'm sure everyone has been experiencing around the UK due to the storm from America, however on Thursday I woke up to a beautiful cold day with the sun shining down on the sea, my hotel was right opposite the sea front so the view was beautiful. I was a little nostalgic as it was the perfect day to go for a long walk on the beach with Pablo and Jimi, not long till the weekend when I get to see them both, missing my cuddles from both.
For those of you who have not yet seen 'The last tango' and want to find out a little more about the show here is a review from our first week back.
from
http://mytownsouthendtheatre.weebly.com/the-last-tango.html
"Twenty odd years ago, ballroom dancing was deemed as very old fashioned and dance classes would be mainly dominated by middle aged women, sadly being forced to dance with each other due to lack of gentlemen subscribers. However, these days, thanks to the revival and reformatting of tv’s 'Come Dancing' which was given a new lease of life by adding the word Strictly, (an allusion to the cult 1992 movie Strictly Ballroom) teachers running dance classes now say they are welcoming everyone from teenagers to 80 year olds, with male partners now no longer reluctant to sign up. ​Such is the appeal of the popular Saturday night show!
Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace signed up to Strictly Come Dancing for its fourth series. During their time in the show Vincent reached the finals with actress Dani Harmer, whilst Flavia and gymnast, Louis Smith won the title and took home the much prized glitter ball. Simone and Cacace have been performing together from the time they were paired up as youngsters at dancing classes in Guildford and have remained partners ever since, winning countless dance titles and championships throughout their dancing career. Their passion is for the Tango and in particular the Argentine Tango for which they were crowned the UK Argentine Tango Champions in 2006 and the World Argentine Tango Show champions 2005/6.
The Last Tango, as the title suggests, will be their final touring production having previously completed successful tours with Midnight Tango and Dance Til Dawn. With the emotionally charged nature of the dance, The Last Tango takes you along a wonderful journey through the eyes of the elderly George, played by Teddy Kempner, who we see in the loft of his house in a fabulous set designed by Morgan Large. George reminisces as he rediscovers old items that have been stored in the loft, which evoke the memories of his meeting the girl of his dreams and their subsequent life together. For George it is present day but we see the couple as they meet in the late 1930s pre-war Britain.
Vincent and Flavia play the part of the couple who beautifully dance their way through their courtship from meeting at the beach, getting engaged and married, going on their honeymoon plus all the other milestones that couples create throughout married life.
They are joined on stage by a marvellous dance ensemble with Matthew Gent providing some fabulous vocals, in particular with “When I Fall In Love’†as well as a wonderful version of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skiesâ€. The dance ensemble in the “Jump, Jive an’ Wail†number really got the audience going and then in contrast, ultimately the most moving version of ‘Autumn Leaves’ that you are ever likely to hear or see.
Whether you are a fan of dancing or not you cannot fail to be impressed with these two talents. I don’t think I’ve ever seen legs move so quickly and yet so elegantly; and for someone like me, whose dance partner would have to wear shin-pads to avoid getting bruises, this was jaw dropping to behold and in particular during the finale which left a delighted but teary eyed audience on their feet with a well deserved standing ovation.
The Last Tango takes you on a simple but hugely effective journey through the emotive and passionate power of dance with Vincent and Flavia proving exactly why they are World champions and one of Strictly Come Dancing's most popular couples "
Dave Day
Both Vincent and I were both happy to support "Dave day". Its too raise awareness of Pancreatic cancer. Dave is referring to the iconic character that Roger Lloyd Pack played on Only Fools & Horses. Sadly Roger died of pancreatic cancer in 2014. #DaveDay aims to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer and honour Roger. In aid of @pancreaticcanuk
You can see our Tour Schedule, Buy Tickets and meet the New Cast for "The Last Tango" here
|
|
Hi there, saw the show on Friday night in Bristol and shared a lift ride down to breakfast this morning with you in the hotel. Show was incredible! Thank you so much for an amazing night's entertainment.
ReplyDelete