The Wicker Husband - Thanks a bunch!

I'm writing because I can't bring myself to go to sleep yet. I've just gotten home from the showcase presentation of The Wicker Husband at The Other Palace and I must admit I may be slightly inebriated, although not so much that I can't still bash out an innaproppriate blog on the internet. It's been an extraordinary day, after an extraordinary week with an extraordinary bunch of dudes and dudettes working on The Wicker Husband.

It seemed almost a mad proposition. Rehearse the full 2 and a half hour show (including 32 musical numbers) in four days and then present it to the industry, friends and family and supporters. Our mentors George Stiles & Anthony Drewe pushed us hard to finish the show and I'm so glad they did. Mainly because I feel like now I can stop thinking about it for the next week or so. No scoring. No playing the guitar. No writing. No nothing....

Oh dear, I've just made myself a little depressed. No, not really. After an intense year of work on the show filled with progress labs, rewrites, late night calls to writing partners and directors, I'll be glad to put the lovely Wicker Husband aside for a little bit and do an Easter Egg hunt with my God Daughter this weekend.

We did it, and it was done in the most remarkably stress free manner for me. I thought this week was going to be one of the most challenging of my life, but thanks to the incredible skill and talent of Charlie Westenra and Mark Aspinall, together with the dedication and hard work of an absolutely outstanding cast of performers, I found myself just sitting back and enjoying myself. Playing along with the marvellous musicians, listening to the cast, the director and MD bring the score and story to life.

I'm not going to say too much more here as I'm suddenly extremely tired. Except to say a huge thank you to our wonderful cast: Tyrone Huntley, Anne Marie Piazza, Clive Rowe, Sebastian Torkia, Rebecca Trehearn, Jamal Andreas, Loren O'Dair, Roger Evans and Elexi Walker. They brought the characters to life with such vivid imagination and I can't thank them enough for their dedication to the show. To Charlie and Mark for their incredible skill in putting the whole thing together. To Lettie,Victoria, Martin and Sarah for putting the whole event together. To George and Ants for their wonderful mentorship. To Ursula Wills Jones for writing such a wonderful short story. 

Also to David Gregory for making everyone sound so great and to the whole team at the Other Palace.

Most of all though my ultimate thanks goes to Rhys Jennings. A man who has become more than a friend and a writing partner. A person whose talent and skill I have watched grow and thrive over the last four years. Thank you for entrusting me with this story, thank goodness you decided to tell me about it in that pub in Oxford all those years ago. It's been a ride my friend. And after our partners have gotten us back for a while, let's keep on. You're a fricking legend.