I'm sitting in the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny at the back of the stage at the moment. The theatre is quiet for now. Pretty soon the brilliant cast from this musical will arrive and the place will come to life. Show time is a couple of hours away. For now though I relish the opportunity to blog my experiences so far.
People always scoff at me when I tell them that I'm actually quite a shy, private person in real life. They point to my blog, to things like this and to my prediction for taking on a variety of challenges as evidence to the contrary. Truth be told though I constantly push myself out of my comfort zone, away from the security of what I know and to the joy of finding out what a challenge can bring. That in essence is why I chose to play Corey Palmer (snr) in this production in Kilkenny - to see if I could do it.
Could I step out onto a stage and be believable as a 30 year old American looking back on his high school days? Would I make a holy show of myself and be an embarrassment to myself and the kids around me? Could I positively contribute to a medium that I have no experience in but a fascination about and attraction to? Based on my experience of the past two nights, the answers are yes, not totally and yes. That's not bad, not bad at all.
From my first rehearsal a week ago in a school hall outside of Kilkenny to the closing of the curtains last night, I cannot help but feel a huge amount of respect to the young actors and actresses that I've been sharing a space with this week. Their dedication, enthusiasm and above all talent is inspiring and exciting and it gives me huge energy. 
To watch these young people transform from local kids chatting about bebo profiles, girls, boys and all that sort of stuff into American High School students in the 80s, to hear the power of their voices, the fervour and exuberance to put into their repeat practises and performances and to know that they enjoy it enough to come back time and again is a wonderful vindication of my involvement here.
Opening night was daunting. Yes, I forgot lines, yes, I relied too much on my script and yes I thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite the initial come down from the energy rush, I went home and proceeded to dream about the show, something that Jason Ryan, the director assures me is common. How could I make it better? What else could I say? How would I manage it?
Other than a voice transplant there was nothing much I could do about my singing, but I came back yesterday and attacked the script with renewed vigour. Little things chopped and changed, and, as I tweeted, it's a bit like "serious" blogging (whatever that is) in that it needs plenty of preparation, improvisation and the ability to get it right first time. It's a skill I'm trying to cultivate and have certainly been learning in the last few days.
It's the young actors though that make this show a wonderful experience for both the audience and the adults working with them alike. Jason, Sharon, Ailish and I have all been side stage watching their antics and in knots of laughter at their honing and spontaneity, wondering just where they get their extraordinary nerve from. There are a couple of scenes - a Proclaimers tribute, Rick Astley fan Billy trying to chat up a girl, a fight scene and two girls simply running to tell teachers about a fight that have had me in stitches since rehearsal.
Their extraordinary personalities as well means that each encounter with them is unique, each conversation hilarious and that their enthusiasm is infectious. It's almost impossible not to enjoy this, despite the daunting prospect of someone I know being in the audience.
I'm having fun. There's no other way to describe this. The amount of work put in by the children, the reaction of the audience and, to be (even more) horrendously clichéd and sentimental for a minute, the smiles on the cast's faces, whether they're the lead roles, background dancers or the juniors who dance to fame is something I'd highly recommend as an experience.
I'll miss not being Corey Palmer after Saturday. I'll miss Amy Mullholland's wonderful voice and star portrayal as the younger Corey, Claire Funchion's splendid portrayal as Tiffany, Corey's love interest, Mairéad Doheny's eerily accurate transformation into Michael Feldman, Terrence Christle's hilarious portrayal as the class geek, the great stage presence of people like Laura Doyle, Pat O Halloran, Sean Lennon, Amy Cooke and Tina Fitzgearld, the delicious mania of Michaela Reilly and Jane Walker as the hilarious Laura and Debbie and the constant entertainment of messers supremo and cool dudes extraordinaire Chris Brennan, Niall O' Riordan and Colum Fulbrook.
One young actress, Emily Mullaly Trotman has a spine tingle inducing voice especially in a soulful rendition of Walking on Sunshine (seriously!) and I look forward to her first album. In fact, the girls should consider performing together more often. 
People are downstairs now. Someone's singing "Let's hear it for the boy", actors are rehearsing dialogue once again and the backstage team will soon be hear to ensure everything's ready for the performance. I'm about to take out my script and biro and see what else I can do to make my turn even better.
I'm really looking forward to tonight and tomorrow. The folks will be in the audience. I'm looking forward to hearing what they think. Regardless, it's been a blast. More? Yes please!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Back to the 80s - the opening nights
Why am I single?
Dear Frank,
I am a thirty five year old single girl who has not had a boyfriend in over seven years and I don't know why? I would consider myself a very good looking girl in a highly paid job with good career prospects and a lot better looking than a lot of my friends but no matter how hard I try I cannot find a man who wants to settle down with me.
Anytime I meet a guy and we go on a date I find myself opening my heart to him and telling him that I want to settle down and start a family and suggest that on the second date that he comes over to my home and maybe bring over some of his clothes and stays a few days to see if he likes living with me. When he doesn't call me the next day I try and call him on his phone which he does not answer for some strange reason.
There was one guy I dated last week who arranged to meet me the following night for a drink. After spending an hour in the bar waiting for him and he didn't show I went around to his house to see if he was there and his mother answered the door and said he wasn't in but I knew he was there as his car was in the driveway. If he wasn't interested in me why didn't he say so or are all men like this and are there no decent guys who want the same in life as me?
Clodagh
Frank's reply to her?
Dear Clodagh,
Sounds to me like you are a bit of a "bunny boiler" and what guy in his right mind would consider spending anytime with a girl who starts talking about settling down on their first date let alone turning up at his home because he failed to show up for a second date.
In answer to the other questions in your letter, yes I am married and no I don't want to meet you for a drink and no you can't have my home address so you can send me a thank you card.
I'm sure if you start off by actually listening to what a guy has to say when you first date him and find out if you have anything in common to meet for a second date, it would be a start. Guys are human too and like to be talked to instead of being talked at. Remember that beauty is only skin deep. Remember if you get into a serious relationship with a guy that he will spend more time talking to you than looking at you so learn to communicate and don't depend on your looks to get a guy.
You'll find more of Frank's excellent advice here, here and in the latest issue (pdf). It's a pity the Informer website isn't a bit easier to navigate. That's advice worth paying for, that is!
What's your take on it? Clodagh, you know, if you're out there, get in touch... Not for me you understand, but, er, my friend...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Blogosfear
Intro | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8.
"It was a dark and stormy night.
The wind howled through stark leafless trees as cold, fat raindrops hurled themselves against the window pane. I stood shivering as around me the old house creaked in the storm. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the old farmhouse while the lights of passing cars threw strange shadows on a wall where no shadows should be. All of a sudden
- "No, Darragh. Just, no."
- "Sorry, honey?"
-" You shouldn't be reading that sort of thing to him. You know it might give him a bad dream. Besides, it's awful writing. It's typical, contrite and forced narrative with no creativity, hyperbolic overtones and with the worst opening line ever. "It was a dark and stormy night?" Please!"
Daddy turns to me and says "Sorry buddy, but maybe she's right. Besides, it won't be long 'till we're there."
I didn't mind. I was happy with Wupet in the back seat looking out at the road. I'd been playing i spy with him and so far we'd spotted 8 red caws, 3 scarecwows, 2 black baa lambs and loads of moo cows. If I can see just one amblense I'll win and Wupet will be a big silly billy poo face again. He never wins, but he is a bayo with only one eye so that might have something to do with it.
I smile at Daddy who is still looking at me. I like being in the car with Daddy and Mammy. We are taking a trip to a hotel, Daddy says, so we can have some fambley time. He's been working really hard on his pooter and I only see him when he reads me my bedtime story. Mammy got him this weekend as a present even though it's not his birthday or chrissmas. I like presents and mammy says if I'm good, she'll get me and Wupet a new toy soon.
- "I'm okay Daddy. Awe we nealy day yet?"
I'm tired now. We've been driving forever.
- "Nearly, honey" says Mammy in the front. "And what have I told you about pronouncing your r's?"
- "Ah leave him" says Daddy, "He's tired and he's been very good".
He winks at me and turns back to the puter on his knees. I look out the window again. It's getting night.
Mammy showed me pictures of the hotel we're going to on the pooter. It looks nice, but there's no pool. I like to swim. I don't wear my arm wings any more cept in the sea but this isn't at the sea, it's in the country and it's near mountains so mammy said we might go for a big walk except we can't tell daddy, it's his surprise.
it's raining outside. I'm tired. I go sleepy now.
- "C'mon son, we're here. Wherever here is..."
Daddy sounds surprised. "Supwise Daddy!" I say as I wake up. "Do you like it?"
He doesn't say anything but when I see where we are, I know why not.
- "Mammy is wong" I say, "This isn't your supwise!" I don't like it here.
"Oh I'm sure it will be fine, d", daddy says, calling me my favourite nick name cos it's like uncle darr calls daddy. He lifts me out of the car and I look at a place that doesn't look like the photos on the pooter at all at all. It scary and it looks worse in the nighttime. I put my head into Daddy's shoulder and close my eyes as we follow Mammy into the place. She's at a desk talking with a strange man.
"I'm sorry Missus" he says "But I don't know about no photos on any auld inter neh now. I just got your name here from the telephone. You'd have to speak to the boss about that. We only look after the place, meself and me wife and me childer. The boss is the wan you need to see."
She turns to Daddy with a sad look on her face.
"I'm sorry honey" she says "I can't believe this is where we ended up after all that driving. What do we do?"
Daddy let me down on the floor and I looked around. It was dark in this hall. I could hear people in the place. Someone was singing but they weren't very good - even worser than daddy. There was a noise like an evelator. The carpet looked like playdoh burgers. Mammy told Daddy his surprise, that we were meeting Daddy's friends here tomorrow and we could go after that. Daddy gave mammy a hug and turned to the man behind the desk who was using his pencil to pick his nose. He was gross. A big snot face. I don't like him.
Daddy got the key and we walked to the evelator. I don't like evelators - they make funny noises. I was carrying my own bag because I'm a big boy now. It's a special bag. It's got the boy from uncle David's book on it.
We're waiting for the evelator when all of a sudden I hear a sound.
Wap wap wap wap wap
It's so loud! It gave me a big fwight. I turn around looking for it. What's making that noise? Is it the evelator?
WAP wap wap wap WAP
"What's wrong, Darr?", mammy says, "are you okay?"
I want to cwy but I won't. I got a fwight fwom the scawy evelator noise I say.
"What noise?" she asks. "The singing?"
"No" I say, "the big wap noise!"
"The what, honey?" she says. Daddy turns and says the evelator's not working so we walk all the way up the stairs to our rooms on the very top floor. I look at the number on the door. It's like granny's house - 33.
We go in. Mammy uses her phone light to find the switch. The room is smelly. It smells like a nappy but I don't wear a nappy or pull ups any more because I'm a big boy now. There's 5 beds in the room and they all look stinky. I don't like it here. There's no toys like in the other place we were in. There's one light with no cover and a big lamp and a rope in the ceiling that daddy said must be to the attic.
"No TV, no minibar, no towels. Lucky we bought our own toilet trees" says mammy. I'm tired and she puts my blanket down on the bed and pulls out my sleeping bag and I get Wupet and I go sleepy again. Since I got out of the hopsadiddle I have been very tired but I'm getting better the doctor says. I got a medal from the nurse for running the fastest.
WAP WAP wap wap wap
I wake up suddenly. That noise was in bed with me! I look around but it's sooo dark and I can only hear nothing and mammy and daddy aren't there!
"Daddy?" I say. He wakes up and comes over. "What's wrong Darr?", he says. The noise woke me up! I say. The big WAP noise.
"I didn't hear any noise, son" he says. "You must have had a bad dream."
"No daddy, I head it when we got here. It sounds like wap wap wap."
He smiles at me. He thinks I'm being funny. He puts his hand on my head where the hair is starting to grow back. I need to go wee wee. I tell him.
He says there's no light in the bathwoom so we have to go to the one outside the door. Daddy is with me so I don't mind. We leave the woom quietly so we don't wake mammy and we go into the hallway. We go down to the steps and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
I jump up and now I don't need to go wee wee in the bathwoom any more. I start to cwy even though only babies do that and I'm not a baby.
When daddy asks what's wrong I tell him about the big WAP noise again. But he says he didn't hear it. He brings me back to 33 and he has to switch on the light in the woom and mammy wakes up and asks what's wong and I have to get baby wipes all over and then new peejay bottoms and they ask me about the WAP noise and they say it must be my medsin but it's NOT my medsin I can hear it!
They put me back in my bed. I ask Wupet if he hears noise but Wupet says he was asleep. Silly billy bayo.
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
I scream. "I don't like the wap noise. Make it go away. Make it go away. I don't want it any more!"
Mammy and Daddy both come over. They give me big hugs and tell me there's no sound but I hear it and they bring me back to their bed and I can't go asleep because my eyes are putting water out and they wonder if they should give me medsin and mammy says but Darr he's been okay for such a long time maybe we should wait until morning and we'll ring the doctor and daddy says okay. I lie down in the middle and they go sleepy too.
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
I run and turn on the light. "Did you hee wit?" I shout at them even though I know shouting is bold and only for babies "Did you hee wit now?"
The big ugly tefelone in the room rings. Daddy answers it and talks to the person shouting. "Yes, no, just a bad dream. Yes we'll try. Sorry."
"You'll have to come back to bed, Darragh" he says. "That was the front desk. They've had some complaints about your shouting."
I start to cwy just as the WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP noise starts again. I run to the bed and I pull the covers over my head and I don't mind seeing that mammy and daddy forgot their peejays I just do not want to hear the noise again.
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
I hold on to my daddy so so tightly. He asks me if I keep hearing the noise. I say yes and he and mammy talk and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
they want to give me medsin and I say no and I say to daddy he should ring the snot man at the desk and he should ask about the wapping noise and daddy looks at mammy and he picks up the tefelone and he rings the desk and I hear the man talking and he says he doesn't know what the sound is but he'll send someone up and Daddy hangs up and tells me and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
right in the room, right in the bed and now I see that Daddy and Mammy can hear it too.
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
"What the feck is that?" says mammy sounding scared. She used the bad word. The eff word.
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
it's the loudest ever and Mammy and Daddy and me have to put their hands over their ears because it's even louder than fireworks and I don't like fireworks noise and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
Daddy picks up the tefelone and says now he can hear it too and the man says that he doesn't know but he'll send up his wife and she'll be there once she wakes up and Daddy puts the phone down and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
Mammy has put all the lights on now and is using the torch on her mobile and she's now wearing daddy's jeans and he's wearing his trackie bottoms and I'm scawed and they are looking and they go to the door
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
and into the hall and say they can only hear the noise in our room so they come back in and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
they open the wardrobes and look under the bed and they can't see anything!
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
I'm holding Daddy's hand and I say that the noise is coming from the roof and he looks and he says that I'm right and I'm a good boy and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
he and mammy talk and they decide they'll have to go up and they get the chair and they put it on the ground and daddy reaches up for the rope and pulls but the door only opens a little and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
comes the noise from the attic and Daddy and mammy try to pull the door open but it's stuck and the noise is definitely coming from there and mammy says maybe we should wait for the lady but daddy says the man probley hasn't told her and that we'd leave soon but we needed to show me there was nothing to be scared of even though I can see that mammy is very scared now but they couldn't get in the attic and
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
I decide that I'm bwave and I say to them "I'll go into there and see" and mammy says no but every time we hear
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
I can see she wants to cwy and mammy did a lot of that in the hopsital and I don't like seeing it so I say to daddy "Daddy I'll go. I can fit, like under my bed at home. It will be my adventure. I'll go and I'll see" and daddy says "But we don't know what's up there" and I tell him I'm a big boy and I'm not afwaid and I'll go up and I'll bring mammy's phone for a light and he hugs me very close and he says he's pwoud of me for being such a fighter just like in the hopsital and mammy hugs me too and starts to cwy again. She has very leaky eyes.
WAP! WAP! WAP! WAP! WAP!
and she gives me her phone and she turns on the light and daddy puts my cool runners on my feet and he lifts me up and I climb onto the door and I bend weally low like under my bed at home when I'm playing hide and seek with Wupet and I put the phone in my jammies pocket and I go up into the attic which is much bigger and more dark than the one at home but I go for my mammy and my daddy.
WAP!! WAP!! WAP!!
There's not very much light in the attic. I can only see boxes and shapes. I think I hear mice but I'm not scared of mice cos they are of me and daddy is a little girl, he's scared of mice like a girl. I think I see a pooter but that's silly because why would a pooter be in the attic?
There's a window like a circle and I can see the light outside and it's over in the corner and I go forward with the phone like a jedi knight like luke skywalk and I use the force and I walk a bit in and then I see a big wardrobe in the corner like the ones in the books about Nawneea that daddy reads to me but don't tell mammy cos they're too big and I walk towards it and it's huge with two big doors and lots of marks on the front and one door is open slightly and it might be a Monsters Inc door into here and I might get to meet Sully and Mike Wowchowski and I walk forward and the light on the phone switches off!
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
It's definitely coming from the wardrobe and there's enough light in the window without the phone and I hear daddy asking me if I'm okay and I say yes it's coming from the wardrobe and he says don't open the wardrobe and I say
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
that I have to stop the noise and I walk forward though I'm scared and I'm glad I went wee wee earlier because I want to now. The door is moving but I can't feel any wind.
WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP
The handle looks like a big ugly anmal face but I know mammy is crying cos I can hear her and I want to be a big boy and I make myself step up to the door and I put out my hand and suddenly there's a lot more light from another place and a new woman comes through another door into the attic holding a torch and she sees me and she's big and has grey hair and is wearing a big dressing gown with a fox on it and I think the fox is real and she smiles a smile at me and says
"Well hello day young man. Who awe you and what awe you doing hee?" and she sounds like me cos she can't pwonounce r's either and I tell her and she says "Oh don't be skade by that" and she brings me to the big press and she takes out a key and she holds my hand and I'm a little scared but she has the light.
Mammy is calling at me and I say "I'm with the woman" and she says WHAT WOMAN? and she tries to open the door and bangs on it and shouts and tells me to run away and Daddy tells me to come back to where he is and I don't because I'll find out what the WAP WAP noise is and mammy will stop being scared and the woman turns the key and I can hear mammy crying and calling my name again and again and the big door swings open with a loud creak and a big
WAP WAP WAP WAP
WAP WAP WAP
WAP WAP
WAP
and then inside there only things that must be making the noise and she takes them out and she goes over to the door to where mammy and daddy are banging and she turns a handle to make the stairs go all the way down and I go down first to a big hug from mammy and the lady goes down after and says to daddy
"I am the woman of this house and I'm sowwy for you twubble this night. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. But you have a vewy bwave little boy. I'd look after him if I weh you."
And daddy says but what was the noise as she opens the door to the hallway
And I let go of my mammy and I walk over to my daddy and I tell him I want to tell him and he bends over and scoops me up and gives me a big huge hug and I whisper right into his ear
"It was big woles of wapping paper."
and the woman steps out of the woom holding them and closes the door behind her.
Investigative journalism at its best
This is my favourite news story of the last while.
While I'm sure it wasn't as funny for the residents of the apartment block whose roof blew off in strong winds, I could only laugh at the last line.
It is not clear at this stage why the roof blew off, though today's strong winds are assumed to be a factor.Do you think?
I've really been trying to think of what else it could have been. Lazy roof tiles? Iron Man bursting from the roof on his way to save the world? Someone played AC/DC's new album very very loud?
Can you come up with an alternative, plausible explanation?
Fame
It may just be me but I find this incredibly cute. It's the four to six year old juniors from the Starlight Stage School rehearsing Fame for the interval act of the musical we're doing at the moment.
Standing on stage is a daunting thing at any age, and to see the delight of these children as they do their best to remember complicated dance moves, the words of a song, to smile and to enjoy it is just a tonic. When they walked out on stage for their live performance last night, the collective awwww from the audience was better than any applause before. They also got a huge cheer at the end.
It's a pity the video quality is so poor. I'd love you to hear Eilish Fitzgearld, the young singer who does an amazing job of the song. You can get a sense from the clip, I hope, but she's a young girl with a fantastic voice. Truth be told I've been so impressed with the quality of acting and singing on this show, it makes me wish I'd kept at it when young.
Well done to all the juniors and to Jason Paul Ryan and Sharon Molloy for all their hard work. The only way is up!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
My nomination for Blog Post of the Month
I'm late to the party and haven't brought a bottle but there you go.
I'm a believer in the power of stories and in people having a voice and I love to see people use blogs to do so.
K8 the Gr8 has done so with this post about St Catherine's in Wicklow. If you haven't, please read it. There are so many ways you can help, including telling other people who may help. Reading the comments and feedback is another clear display of how supportive other bloggers can be and I hope it goes some way towards helping.
Even though she's already a very worthy winner, I'm nominating her again for Blog Post of the Month.
I'll be back to blogging stuff again meself soon. Well, soonish. Hopefully.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday Tune - Endless Art - Dave Couse, Duke Special and Divine Comedy
It's been a week since I was at the Amnesty International Divine Comedy vs Duke Special gig and I'm still thinking about certain versions of songs they performed. One, as covered by Darren was this updated version of A House's Endless Art:
Dave Couse, who performed on the night with Fergal Bunbury and Rike Soeller, seemed to enjoy doing this.
Thanks to a lovely email from someone who reads the blog, I spent some time updating any of the videos I'd shot on the night. The visual quality's not great but the sound is fairly alright. I don't have Andrew's favourite (sorry dude!) but what I do have are the following:
- Our Love Goes Deeper Than This - a fantastic version performed by both
- What becomes of the broken hearted - again, duet by both. This is possibly my favourite ever version of this song
- National Express - Neil Hannon with Duke Special on piano
- Drink to me only with thine eyes - lovely version performed by the two
- Down at the old Bull and Bush - Duke Special. Video is followed by footage from a rather silly duel
- Everybody wants to be a cat - duet of the two
- You're so vain - performed by both artists with Thomas from Pugwash
- Because I couldn't let Anthony have the only copy, here's their lightsaber duel in glorious technicolour
- Songs of Love - performed by Neil Hannon. Unfortunately a bouncer saw me about 60 seconds before the end, hence the premature cut off...
Brilliant concert and great memories from an unforgettable evening.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Ryanair are looking for younger fans with Mr Superfly
Ryanair are trying to "rescue the pop charts" and are now backing the single above to reach number one in the charts.
" 'Mr. Superfly' is a fly with superpowers living in the parallel fly universe of 'Flyspace'.The fly-in-question's name is Ryan (geddit?), and there's quite a detailed back story to him, including his work as an Air Traffic Controller, his trip to the Buzzney theme park in Paris and his secret super powers. Perfect kid material and a great memory prompt for Ryanair. Wait for the merchandise, toys, t-shirts and figures free with every kids meal on board a flight...
He came into being when one of Ryanair’s 58 million passengers heard the in-flight music and liked it so much they decided to make a single based on the tune."
You've got to hand it to the marketing people. There's his website selling his single (79p) and mobile realtones (£3 a download), you can download his tracks, he's got profiles on Bebo and Facebook and he's got his own MySpace page. The song is being released on November 10th and can be pre-ordered on ryanair.com/superfly which is linking through to the main site. The site itself is well designed and fair play, it's an interesting concept that could - pardon the pun - really take off.
It looks like it could be the next crazyfrog, but sponsored. No doubt we'll be hearing "He's fly, he's fly, he's Mr Superfly" on every Ryanair flight for quite a while to come.
God help our ears.
