Morning Shows Come to an End!

A.H: WOOP! THEY’RE OVER! Ring the bells and deck the halls because as of 12 o’clock today we officially finished all of our early morning shows. No more the early rise, no more the dark frosty walk to the theatre and plenty more lie-in’s. Not that the morning shows were ever a chore it’s just that early hour exertion has never been a friend of mine. For the two members of the cast who commute every day from Edinburgh it must be an absolute joy.

But what a show it was! The schools in this morning got every penny of their ticket price and were given the show of a life time. I know in my last blog I talked about the importance of ensuring every audience experiences the same show but due to a number of reasons the cast this morning all ended up in various states of frivolity (which can only aid a show).

Notable instances include:

1.      my fellow blogger Lucy and Ros being unable to hold eye contact for fear of bursting out in laughter;

2.      the Thorns, who have become steadily more mischievous, continually subjecting the Prince to a number of unplanned abuses

3.      The newly added Thorn chorus of slurps, gnashing and malicious laughter at any character they end up killing...IT’S GREAT!

However, the icing on the cake of today’s strange show came when my trap broke after I fall down it as Table Slave in the second act making it officially out of use. Within 5 seconds Barry (the techie under the stage with me) had radioed Stage Manager Nat who then told Barry to tell me to quickly double up in ensemble member Lucy Thaxter’s trap ahead of the two upcoming final songs which we all have to pop up and sing. Needless to say, when the cue light went green and Lucy.T and I popped out of the same trap a collective “That’s a bit odd!” spread through the onstage cast while Lucy.T and I embarked upon some ad hoc Table Slave/Thorn choreography, all of which contributed to a rather hilarious and giggly last ten minutes and final Morning show. As we lined up to take our bow I saw that the hinge on the trap I was meant to use had come free and the trap was actually rather dangerously askew. Fortunately, thanks to Barry and Nat, Stage Management had managed to warn all of the off stage cast to avoid the down-stage left trap and all was safe.

So, now I’m back at my flat taking some much needed rest time, blogging and listening to Christmas songs on the radio. We have a 7pm show tonight and then the Citz Christmas Party which, if it’s anything like the Workshop party, should be an absolute blast and the perfect opportunity to take advantage of my newly free Friday morning.

Finally, it is my pleasure to announce that our second ‘A Season at the Citz’ Interview will be up in the next few days just in time for Christmas and will be all about the Theatre’s workshop where all the beautiful sets are made. Stay tuned!

‘Sleeping Beauty’ is on at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, until  6 January. For all tickets please contact the box office on: 0141 429 0022, or book online at www.citz.co.uk.