Lazy snorers

We had the workshop showing of our new musical at Mountview this afternoon. We spent the day doing last-minute rehearsals, which included a full run of the piece this morning. We’ve achieved so much in two weeks. We walked into rehearsals with almost no material prepared and, this afternoon, presented 45 minutes of material, which the students had learned by heart. Everyone bought lots of imaginative bits of costume from home, and they all looked utterly tremendous.

There’s some real talent in that room, including, I’m proud to say, three Midlanders (one from Leicester and two from Northamptonshire). Emily in the cast actually comes from Irthlingborough which was just over the Nene from Higham Ferrers. She went to Huxlow School, where I was taught A-level Geography. Her accent is so familiar to me. There’s a moment in the piece when she calls Mr Gum a “lazy snorer” and the way she said it took me right back to my childhood. She doesn’t even think she has an accent!

The audience consisted of the students on the foundation course at Mountview who had been working on an altogether different piece of musical theatre, written, in part, by this year’s British Eurovision hopeful (which I still haven’t heard.) Their piece was very dark and emotional and was the absolute antithesis to the profound silliness and subversiveness of ours.

It feels a little bit odd that it’s now all over. I shall miss my little walks to Mountview every morning, and the feeling of camaraderie in the rehearsal room. It is, I realise, when I’m in a space like that, inspiring young people, that I’m at my happiest.