Testimonials With A Difference!
Remember that time when Jan turned into a racecar driver and took out 4 cars? Or when Sian nearly went home for dinner at half time during the show? Or numerous times when scenery has gone wrong and wouldn't work or nearly collasped? Everyone has a funny story to tell about the happenings that go on during the putting together of a production, be it from rehearsals or the week of a show, about previous members or current members. Please contact me with your funny stories and share them with other members and put a smile on someone's face!
From David Middleton about Bullseye aka Conan, during Oliver.
It was 2000 and the production was Oliver. I was playing the part of Bill Sykes and my wife's brother's dog, Conan, was playing the part of Bullseye! He had been great during rehearsals and had charmed the cast into accepting him as part of the team, wanting to play with him, fuss him or take him for walks up to the viewpoint - attention which he lapped up with relish! Come the week of the show with dress and technical rehearsals, a lesson was learnt not to let him too near the front of the stage due to fear of him licking the band members to death with his giant tongue! First night of the show and we don't appear until the beginning of the second half when we have to make this grand entrance into the pub scene and proceed to terrorise the locals. So we're waiting backstage for our cue behind the backboard which doesn't have much room at the best of times. I get Conan onto the step ready for our entrance and bent down to give him a bit of fuss and ask him if he was ready, when this almighty stench reached my nose! Now dog farts smell at the best of times but in a small enclosed space? It was lethal! I heard our cue line and burst through the doors with my eyes melting and streaming to watch those closest of the chorus members move in the general direction of away as the smell reached them! He did it to me every night!
From Ernest (Nobby) Fuller - The Presidents Favourite Story
We were performing the Pirates of Penzance on a sunny spring evening. During the interval, the bass section of the chorus became the Penzance Police Force. When the lads had changed into police uniforms, they went through the hall side door to join the pirates, who were getting a breath of the fresh evening air. They spotted a man snatch a ladies handbag outside the Greyhound Inn. With batons drawn and no thought for their personal safety, they sped across the road and made a citizens arrest, they then summoned the Gwent Police for assistance. One of our pirates, all of 6ft tall, scarf on head, grease paint scar on cheek, cutlass thrust in his belt, looked the arrested mugger in the face and said; “I am the Vicar of Christchurch”. The mugger was even more confused than ever. Time was going on and our audience were getting restless. I went on stage and explained to them why there was a delay in starting act two, they applauded my explanation thinking it a joke, until they heard the siren on the panda car. The Gwent Police soon sorted things out. It seemed the lady was the mugger’s wife and she actually gave him her handbag to take some money out, because they were going into the Greyhound Pub to have a quiet refreshing drink. The man fortunately saw the funny side of the situation and did not press charges against the Society for wrongful arrest. The police were lenient and did not charge us for wasting police time and the pirate who said he was the Vicar of Christchurch was not done for impersonation. Even if they had had, it wouldn’t have stuck, because, he was the Vicar of Christchurch!
From Ernest (Nobby) Fuller - You're Doing Fine Oklahoma
We had reached the ‘books down’ stage in our rehearsals of the popular musical Oklahoma and were rehearsing in full swing that lively number "The Farmer and the Cowhand should be Friends". We had a few props, including pistols but no holsters. In the absence of a holster, Curly decided to put a loaded pistol in his trousers pocket. In the number, we had reached the stage where fighting broke out between the Farmers and the Cowhands and quite rightly, to bring matters to order, Aunt Eller grabbed the pistol out of Curly's pocket. The only problem was, she grabbed the pistol by the trigger and it went off, still in his trousers pocket. I was playing Andrew Carnes and quite un-moved by happenings, Aunt Eller pointed the pistol at me and said "sing up Andrew", which I could not do for laughing at Curly, who, still on stage was carrying out an inspection of his privates, to check that all was in tact. Gladly he hadn't lost any thing and we never rehearsed with out a holster again. I could understand Curly's concern, but I never knew what at that point, caused Aunt Eller's false teeth to fall out. With Curly seeing if he had lost any thing and with Aunt Eller looking for her top plate, it was hilarious. When this very successful show, produced by Colin Lewis was being performed, each night when we got to the Farmer and the Cowhand, we had a little giggle and even years after; some of us still have a titter!