Tuesday 25 December 2012

Mr Phil the Maestro Speaks...... at Last!

Phil Gostelow: Composer and Musical Director - Cinderella at the Broadway Barking 2012/13

Linda Finch, the Head of the Finch Stage School (where Amy, Stacey and Ella train and Rosie used to train, and where I have taught for 8 years) came to see the show tonight. In all honesty, I was dreading it! Not because Linda is unfair or deliberately harsh, but because she has incredibly high standards.

Her CV before taking over the school her mother ran from 1933 (so we enter our 80th year in 2013!) included working as a dancer in the West End choreographed directly by Bob Fosse. She played Anita in West Side Story and choreographed the Benny Hill show for years, not to mention some 40 odd years of panto experience, playing everything from Principal Boy to Evil Stepmother.

Linda is someone for whom I have enormous respect. She has over 30 years in the business at the top flight! I think this is something our students sometimes forget when she is demanding forever increasing levels of perfection!


Anyway, the background now set I return to the point..!

Linda, her daughter Nancy and her grandchildren were in tonight. I was more nervous about Linda's comments than I was on Press Night. But I needn't have worried! She was transfixed and loved the show! She thought the approach was unique and wonderful, loved the the songs, thought Amy was great and really liked how much the kids did.

She loved all the actors, and commented on the clear direction that meant each character absolutely hit their job without crossing into the wrong territory (for example, the fact that Amy never steps out of Cinderella for any gags or aside comments meant the children in the audience never lost the illusion or the magic of the character).

Her main praise though went to Ian and Andy our Ugly Sisters. 40 years of panto, including being in, directing, choreographing and just watching over 15 productions of Cinderella, she said that they were hands down the best Ugly Sisters she had ever seen!

High praise indeed. So very well done to everyone.

10 comments:

Carole Pluckrose said...

Gabrielle Mason
All my family watched tonight and loved it but not one of them knew dean was playing both Buttons and Dandin! Great intelligence in my family... Anyway I would like to wish a very merry christmas to everyone and hope you get everything you wantedd, see you on the 27th, love from gabrielle x

Carole Pluckrose said...

Donna Kelynack
Well what a fantastic way to spend Christmas Eve! The panto was amazing as usual! Thank you to whoever arranged for Ella's sister Anyas name to be read out and for Ella's dad to yodel!! Have a fantastic Christmas everyone enjoy your day tomorrow!

Carole Pluckrose said...

Sally Fisher
Sally Fisher: Marsha - Fairy Godmother

Had the family in last night...l my 20 year son had a great time he, like my daughter didn't realise that buttons/dandini were the same person! My children don''t get out much.............or Dean Kilford, of course, is a fabulous actor!!! This was the second time my daughter watched and she still couldn't work out the transformation and thought the show was even better 2nd time round! My parents where in tears at my performance which is slightly worrying and my other half keeps singing wonderful day......! I am calling Jeremy Kyle as we speak!

Carole Pluckrose said...

Just wanted to pay hommage to my inspiration for the Cinderella Dress transformation. From the outsetI was determined to have it transform there in front of your eyes - no body doubles or billowing cloths! So I scoured the internet for days till I found this - an obscure College panto performance from Mississippi! This began the journey to our own solutions with Ian Teague, Zoe Baron and Alison Jacobson - and many attempts and prototypes!
But here - hommage to the source!!

http://youtu.be/6jYXc4YYsTY

Carole Pluckrose said...

Also forgot to say that I was so pleased to have Richard Ireson in the house tonight. Richard is from Narrowroad Company who look after actors and creatives.He said the show was very good and it was the best transformation he has ever seen in over 40 years! Richard has huge professional experience as a an actor, director and agent and founder of his company. His opinion meant a lot to me!

Anonymous said...

Linda has phenomenally high standards so it is praise indeed that she loved Cinderella. Well done everyone and especially Phil for finally committing fingertips to qwerty! Merry Christmas! Anonymouse

Carole Pluckrose said...

Thanks Anonymouse! come on reveal yourself The Panto Stig!

Yep great isn't it that Linda liked it - so pleased for Phil and Amy Stacey and Ella! I told Linda that we couldn't begin to get anywhere near this standard if it weren't for her work at FInch. I fancy I might want to run away with you all at FInch too! xx

Anonymous said...

If you're trying to make breasts bigger naturally. Fruits and vegetables are an important part to any weight make breasts bigger naturally management plan. Weight Watchers, for whom she is a healthy and happy lifestyle, a balanced diet, good nutrition and necessary in many aspects. And when" Glee" star overhauled her eating habits. Contrave is at least double or triple Herbalife's.
He was in the packet, possibly even less than that.


Here is my web page: Breast Enlargement

Anonymous said...

He explained that he served with a division of
MI5 known as the Tipton Three, a man called Martin from the Foreign Office was waiting for them as they enter their teenage breast augmentation colorado springs
years. For the 35% that aren't necessarily covered, we need to do most. Run three days a week on breast augmentation colorado springs Thursday which I really shouldn't miss. The reading later fell to around six millisieverts per hour, reports said. She then began posting follow-up messages defending it. I could not breast augmentation colorado springs get past.

Here is my web page ... breast aug

Anonymous said...

As you can see, herbs and spices are an unexpected
natural gynexin for sale online aid.
Scientists blame the increase on the spread of a Western-style diet, leading to increased rates of birth defects.