Ah those deadly theatrical terms! Now you may think that I’m making them up, and to the most part I am, but things like ‘Twirly’, ‘Double-Bubble’ can indeed be found in the dictionary of show. So can ‘Show to Show’. Now this term is quite self explanatory, it means that you are in the very lucky situation of finishing one show only to start (or to have already started) rehearsals for the next one. When the term is used it is followed by the jammy fecker’s name. For example;
‘Look at the go of ‘show to show’ Beamish.’
Who me? Oh you’re very kind. Well in fairness this summer it was true. I was on me way to Bath for the last week of rehearsals for Much Ado and once that had opened I was off back to London to rehearse Wind in the Willows. Now if that’s not show to show I don’t know what is! The great thing of course was that I was coming to the end of rehearsals and there wasn’t a sign of the Jitter. Thank Jesus! I wish this show to show would happen all the time, but sure wishes never come true.
Or do they?
Well there was still the first show to open before I even thought about any other shows. The entire cast of Much Ado had relocated themselves to Bath and we lashed into the last few rehearsals. Bath is a lovely place, but because all of the buildings have to be made of sandstone it has to be the yellowest city ever. I had played Bath before in Pirates but that was in Winter and the place seemed a bit dull. This time it was summer, and it was the business. How bad. The digs were grand, although they were a bit pink and I couldn’t stand up in the bedroom. But hey, I’ve stopped the moaning now haven’t I? The first day’s rehearsals went well, we were all in good form and I was relishing me new-found role as dance captain. Power going to me head maybe? Nah not a sign, but I was determined to do it as well as I possibly could. Here was a chance to show that I was more than a two song spear carrier. We finished a bit early and I met up with my man in Bath, Neil Ditt, for a scoop. The Ditt, as he is known, is a fine fellow actor and good buddy, we were about embark on our 3rd year in a row at Regent’s Park. He was up in Bath (where he was born and bred) working in his secret identity as an architect, and he was the bearer of very interesting news;
‘I saw Laura last weekend and she was telling me she’s just landed a job assisting Ed Hall on the big Christmas play at the National.’
Like I said very interesting. The Laura in question was the director of Wind in the Willows so that was a good in and an even better in was Ed Hall, sure didn’t he direct Calico last year. Ho ho ho, could it be the Royal National Theatre for Christmas for Beamish? Well there was two brilliant contacts. I was on the phone to the agent in an act. With her on the case I knew I’d be ok. Now that would be a lovely gig to have after Willows and while it wouldn’t be a show to show situation (it would start rehearsals later) it would still be very very cool indeed. Right, time to put that right at the back of me head and get on with the job in hand. Much Ado ... about lots of things. The dancing was going ok but not as well as I would have liked but I wasn’t too worried as the choreographer was coming up that week to do more work on it. Good stuff, and hopefully now he’d be around until we opened and I’d just be assisting. Oh yeah, like I’d be that lucky. That day, the Thursday of the last week of rehearsals, was nearly a full day devoted to just the dancing and while he was doing new steps with new people (five extras had arrived to join the show) I was going over stuff and earning me £28.50. I also thought it might be wise to learn the second dance. As I wasn’t in it I didn’t know it and in fairness it was now me job to know it. But sure its ok we’ll have a few days with the lord of the dance himself. Emmmm ........ no. At the end of the day’s rehearsals, which had gone well although there was still work to do, he turned to me, wished me good luck and said he’d see me at the party on press night. WHAAAAATTTT!?!?!?! Oh yes, he was leaving and wouldn’t be back until we had already done 5 previews, leaving the state of the dancing in the show squarely on my shoulders.
Oh shit.
£28.50 was suddenly not enough. Thank Christ I had learned the 2nd dance. Now the fear descended on me and I lashed into trying to make sure that everyone at least knew the steps before we got on stage on Monday and everything went to shit in the tech. Jesus boy, I was beginning to think I had bitten off more than I could chew. A sleepless night was had and I was lying in bed the next morning with one-two-three/wait-two-three/girls-boys-together going over and over in me head when the phone went. Hark, ‘tis the agent.
‘I’ve just had an availability check for you,’
Oh yes? What for? (Please be the Ed Hall show at the National)
‘It’s for Ed Hall’s production of...’
Yesssss!!!!
‘....The Winter’s Tale.’
Whoa!! Now that I didn’t expect. Ed had put on Shakespeare’s the Winter’s Tale earlier this year with his all-male Shakespeare ensemble called Propeller. These guys were the business, critically acclaimed, highly regarded and I had seen their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the West End 2 years ago and it was stunning. This production had gotten unreal reviews as well. Its also impossible to even get an audition. When you do a Propeller show you are automatically offered a part in the next production and a lot of them stay, even if they don’t stay there’s still the people who have previously worked with them to consider and all the actors that Ed had worked with over the years. When I didn’t hear anything about the Winter’s Tale when it was first casting I really didn’t think anything of it. That said I’d still give me left Bollock to work with them. Now there was a possibility that I wouldn’t have to castrate meself. This had come completely out of nowhere. The agent went on;
‘They wanted to check you for the 2nd leg of their tour. I told them you were available. And you are....sort of.’
Whatchu talkin’ about ‘Sort of’?
‘They start rehearsals for two weeks on the 22nd of August.’
Ah fuck!!!! Its never fecking easy is it? Why I hear you ask? Well Willows runs until the 27th of August and it wasn’t like I had all day to rehearse before the show, because I had matinees every day, it was a daytime show! If there was only 2 weeks rehearsals there’s no way they would let me just do mornings for the first week. I could see it slip away already and all I had had was an availability check. Now there were a lot of factors to consider. What was the part? If it was to understudy I wouldn’t do it, I was sure of that. It was touring as well, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be on the road again so soon after being away with Much Ado. I hopped on to the Watermill Newbury’s website (for that’s where the company is based) to see if they had the tour list up and indeed they did.
Oh sweet Jesus.
Apart from some English dates this tour was going to Madrid, Girona, San Francisco, Washington and, wait for it, New York and .... wait even longer for it ..... The Abbey in Dublin!!! I nearly wet meself with excitement. But I HAD to calm down, sure this was just an availibility check, it wasn’t even a date for an audition, it certainly wasn’t an offer. I was still as far away from making my Irish professional debut as I had been for the past 5 years! Well maybe I was a tiny bit closer. But only a tiny bit, and anyway I still had a certain little Shakespeare for Ed Hall’s daddy to concern meself with. Prioritise Beamish, you are after all the dance captain!
The run at the end of the week went well, although Sir Peter had said to me that he felt that the Watch shouldn’t be Irish as he was afraid of confusing the audience, so I had to wheel out me best cockney guv’nah. It was grand and I certainly wasn’t disappointed with the change, sure I was flattered enough in the first place. I was fighting to get time to go over the dances though. They needed rehearsals and it was on my head be it, I was grabbing minutes here and there to go over the steps with the cast whenever I could. The following week at the tech it fell around me a bit and I begged for more time. It didn’t happen. I got half an hour. Oh well, at least I knew the steps. Then the ugly spectre of facial hair loomed again. I went in to a fitting to find that my beard and moustache were a different colour to my hair and made me look like a Hobbit. Also I felt that all of the little comedy looks and expressions I had worked out in rehearsals were as dead as a dodo. This itchy heap of shit they glued to my face was killing me performance. I wasn’t the only one who felt like that let me tell you, but the response from Sir Peter was;
‘Well actors have been using false beards for hundreds of years.’
That’s a fair point to which there is no comeback, but I’m sure actors have been pissed off with false beards for hundreds of years too. Richard Stacey was delighted because he’d grown his own. Mine was cat and I betcha the fucker will fall off some night. Whatever about that the show was in good shape and I was starting to have a bit of fun with the part of the tailor that I was so pissed off with before. Camp it up? I nearly grew a moustache! But through all this there was still that thing in the back of me head about the Winter’s Tale. It had been a week since they called and there was still no news. I hate that, sitting by the fecking phone again. The first previews of Much Ado were going down very very well and we had the Sunday and the Monday off before we came back to do the press night so I headed back to London for the lash. The Monday evening I was on me way back to county Kilburn on the tube and when we came out of the tunnel me phone goes. Its a voice message.
‘Jamie Beamish, it’s Ed Hall, how are you squire?’
I wet meself.
No not literally. In this fateful message he tells me that some of the actors in The Winter’s Tale had left and offers me a part in it, saying that its a nice plot and that I’d also have to sing and play the piano, so it would be a good showcase. I nearly wet meself again. I listened to the message over and over. There it was, no audition needed just a straight offer and a personal phonecall as well. Nice o....
But.
Aw fuck sake, of course there’s a but. Sure he wasn’t aware of me availability in the first week of rehearsals. If he knew I could only do mornings maybe he wouldn’t have offered me a part in the show. Another but was this thing he said about playing the piano. Now I’m not the best of piano players so that put the shits up me as well as everything else. So I’d just gotten this brilliant news and I couldn’t celebrate because it was still up in the air. I decided not to call him back as it was a bit late and I wasn’t sure what to say, but I did call the agent. Its never too late for her. We decide that she’d ring the producer of the tour the following day and I’d ring Ed Hall and we’d both explain the situation that I was still performing at the Park that first week. There was nothing else I could do, they would either be cool with that or say no.
The next day I went to Bath and tried to get in contact with Ed. No answer. Shite. The agent got through to the Watermill and the Producer there seemed to think there’d be no problem but the man from Del Monte still had to say yes. I was sure he’d be reasonable, he’s a top head, but if it was unworkable...well. I was at me wit’s end. I mean this wasn’t just any normal job I was waiting to hear about. This was one of the best companies in England, with one of the best directors who I was dying to work with again, and would bring me home. That was the big thing. You might call me a fool for saying that The Abbey meant more to me than New York, but it did. It would be a huge deal for me to play my national theatre. For five years I’d been trying to get work back home and here it was, just within me reach. But still far away. All this runs inducing stress was of course happening the day before the press night of Much Ado.
And then I finally got through to Ed. He explained all about the gig to me and then I explained my predicament.
‘I’m sure we can work around that.’
Nice one.
‘I’ll just have to discuss it with my producer and then I’ll get back to you.’
Grand I thought, sure the producer has already told my agent that there wouldn’t be a problem. Time to break out the champagne cider methinks. Well I’ll just wait till he calls back to make sure. Yeah wait, and wait, and wait. He never calls back. Now I’m not thinking the worst here because I would still get the news from the agent whether it be good or bad but its still excruciating having to wait. No wonder me nerves are shattered. I could feel it in me water that it was going to happen but you really can’t do anything till you get the definite yes.
The following day there was still no news on The Winter’s Tale, but I had other things on me mind that day. The press night of Much Ado was upon us. The buzz was good among the players, London had just won the olympic bid, and we, like olympians launched into the bard (well it wasn’t really an olympic feat for me as I didn’t have much to do but I wasn’t complaining any more). It went down like a bomb!! And the dances were pretty good too. Nice one. The session was hopping afterwards and we all ended up in ribbons in a hotel bar and we fell home as the birds were singing and the sun was coming up.
The following day there was still no news on The Winter’s Tale, but I had other things on me mind that day. I was woken up after about 3 hours sleep to a text message on me phone; -Hope ur ok have just been watching about the bombs in London on Sky News- Come again? Bombs? What the fuck? Then the phone starts hopping, people asking me am I ok, am I anywhere near the explosions, tell me you’re not in London. I switch on the news to see that the inevitable had happened. London had had a terrorist attack. Three bombs on the underground and one on a bus. Carnage. I watched in horror and disbelief and a a little bit of me was thankful that I was in Bath rather than London. I started texting back; -I’m fine, I’m nowhere near London, I’m doing a show in Bath. Thank God for the drama- A crap little joke, trying to make light of a very serious situation. I was also getting nervous about the fact that I was about to start rehearsals in London. How would it be? Would it be safe? Well feck me to be honest, there were people with a lot more troubles in their life all of a sudden. God help them.
The following day the call came.
‘They’ve officially offered you Winter’s Tale. They’ll work around your availibility.’
Sound. Funny, it wasn’t a jump up in the air moment but just a relief that all the waiting was over, and a bit of a relief that I was going on tour again and getting away from London. Now that was a stupid line of thought but I’m sure I wasn’t the only one thinking it. Then it started sinking in. I had always said that before I was 30 I wanted to have done a show at the Abbey and a show in New York, I was nearly 29 and this one gig was fulfilling both those ambitions. Also it meant that there was another week of Double Bubble coming to me at the end of August and without stopping I had work until the 3rd of December. Straight from Much Ado to Willows and now straight from Willows to Winter’s Tale. Show to show Beamish?
Nah boy.
Show to show to show Beamish.
Oh jammy me.
