MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Share your memories and stories from your days at school, and find out the truth behind the rumours....Remember the teachers and pupils, tell us who you remember and why...

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CHAZ
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MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by CHAZ »

Time for a new CH thread...what were your most memorable theatre or musical events at CH?

I recall many "Funky Duncy" blockusters and indeed did act in some but "Oh What a Lovely War" probably fits the bill along with Dr Newsome's farewell theatre romp.

On the music side I would say the Barnes Wallis memorial service in St Paul's followed by an entertaining evening from the Kings Singers in the theatre
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Post by Kim2s70-77 »

I remember a WONDERFUL concert of guitar playing by John Williams in the 70s. Absolutely exquisite.
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Post by mvgrogan »

loved Harvey & the Wallbangers and "Every Woman is a Science"

EWIAS was the first school production (funky dunky strikes again!) which featured the girls. A couple of us got in before hand getting involved with a production of Ross which started rehearsals before the merger although the performances (including female stage hands) were after the merger....
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Post by Mid A 15 »

I pre dated the theatre.

However I have happy memories of watching both House and School plays in Big School.

One that has always stuck in my mind was Agatha Christie's 10 Little N****** which was a Barnes A house play and featured a quite brilliant performance from Michael Roberts.

Michael sadly passed away about 10 years ago and, from his obituary in The Blue, spent some time earning his living as a performer.
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Post by Kim2s70-77 »

I believe the PC title is now "Ten Little Indians"
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by J.R. »

William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.

The very cold spring term of 1958, when we marched up to Big School in the dark from the Prep block.
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by Vièr Bliu »

CHAZ wrote: I recall many "Funky Duncy" blockusters and indeed did act in some
My photos from "The Seagull" will be released unless you cough up the hush money, Chaz :wink:

Stuff I appeared in:

One of my regrets in life is not having taken the early opportunity when it was offered to have a non-speaking, non-speaking, physical part in "Princess Ida". Much later in my CH experience, I made up for it by inflicting my singing voice on the public in blink-and-you-miss-them solos in "La Traviata" (I have of course ever since shamelessly milked my infinitesimal operatic career for more than it's worth...)

On the subject of my voice, in the Barnes B house play "Christopher Columbus" I played Queen Isabella of Spain (those photos are, I believe, safely under lock and key). Unfortunately my voice started breaking during rehearsals. On the other hand, my voice didn't so much break as glide gently downwards over the course of a term. I had to try to keep the queen's voice pitched up a bit, but the audience did notice on the night that her maj started as a treble but by the end of the evening had tired a bit and was issuing her proclamations in rather more of a light but husky tenor.

I remember being in the chorus in the "Golden Mask of Agamemnon", which was fine - but slightly terrifying the night that Clytemnestra (I think it was) came too close to the front which meant that the chorus which was supposed to be writhing in front of her (his) feet, was actually hanging off the edge of the stage, practically in the laps of the front row. I therefore have a clear memory of screaming "Oh God! The Furies! See their pus-laden eyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!" mere centimetres from the face of one youthful but traumatised member of the audience.

I did the Soldan of Egypt in "Tamburlaine the Great" (would have been a good part if most of lines hadn't been cut; had to learn to act tearful weeping too, but the tears got cut somewhere around the dress rehearsal).

"The Quare Fellow" - I had to learn to do a passable Irish accent, but it obviously wasn't passable enough as I ended up as the only character not to do the accent. As the prison visitor (or whatever I was), I was supposed to dish out "holy pictures" to the inmates. Now, you might imagine that what I'd be doing was handing out postcard-sized pictures of saints, but Props had different ideas. When it came to the distribution of the holy pictures, I had to summon two stagehands to carry on an enormous framed reproduction of Holman Hunt's "The Light of the World". Begorrah!

Among other highlights, I took part in the controversial student-led production of "Another Country" in the Court Room (the part I played, one of the prefects, was one of the characters cut out of the film version). The overt critique of the boarding school system was considered so daring at the time that we had to have a dress rehearsal vetted personally by Derek Baker (the Headmaster's veto threatening to shut down the production at a moment's notice). As it was, he said he didn't like the play or agree with it, but he let us go ahead.

Another episode of "My Life in the Limelight" to follow in due course... (out to dinner with the Deputy Mayor of Rennes and select dignitaries this evening :wine: , and up early tomorrow morning to be interviewed on the radio about my new book which is launched tomorrow - it's just a red-carpet life for those of us who've survived the CH fame academy :supz: )
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by cstegerlewis »

I remember Trav, one and only DNP Opera I did,

stand out for me will always be Jungle Book

Most other memories obliterated by Cast parties - Maria, seem to remember you were fond of a few sherbets at those evernts as well :oops:
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by Fjgrogan »

Craig, are you sure it was Maria? Far more likely to have been Kirri! (Mind you, Maria has been breast-feeding for so long that it must be years since she had a drink!)
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by englishangel »

I have only just noticed the typo in the name of this thread
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by CHAZ »

englishangel wrote:I have only just noticed the typo in the name of this thread

Yes I am a little lost on my Swiss German/French keyboard and typed too fast
Possible to correct?

Thanks...
Last edited by CHAZ on Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by CHAZ »

Vièr Bliu wrote:
CHAZ wrote: I recall many "Funky Duncy" blockusters and indeed did act in some
My photos from "The Seagull" will be released unless you cough up the hush money, Chaz :wink:

Gosh Geraint...I shall find a few euros then...That was my last play in Spring of 1984...an odd and somewhat quieter DNP
production compared to the other ones you have mentioned here...


"The Quare Fellow" - I had to learn to do a passable Irish accent, but it obviously wasn't passable enough as I ended up as the only character not to do the accent. As the prison visitor (or whatever I was), I was supposed to dish out "holy pictures" to the inmates. Now, you might imagine that what I'd be doing was handing out postcard-sized pictures of saints, but Props had different ideas. When it came to the distribution of the holy pictures, I had to summon two stagehands to carry on an enormous framed reproduction of Holman Hunt's "The Light of the World". Begorrah!

Another great memory as I was in this one too. If I remember rightly it was Giles Wilson who directed it and I was a prison guard. I think Giles directed it as the school play that year was Play Extinct which was a semi-pro affair...Great memory and thanks

Among other highlights, I took part in the controversial student-led production of "Another Country" in the Court Room (the part I played, one of the prefects, was one of the characters cut out of the film version). The overt critique of the boarding school system was considered so daring at the time that we had to have a dress rehearsal vetted personally by Derek Baker (the Headmaster's veto threatening to shut down the production at a moment's notice). As it was, he said he didn't like the play or agree with it, but he let us go ahead.

Paul Engleheart had a role here if I remember.

Mais je vois que tu as d'autres chats à fouetter et passer une soirée avec M. le député maire doit être bcp plus intéressant!
:P
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by mvgrogan »

cstegerlewis wrote:Most other memories obliterated by Cast parties - Maria, seem to remember you were fond of a few sherbets at those evernts as well :oops:


Sorry to disappoint you Craig, but you must have mistaken my natural exuberance for "sherbetness"! :lol:
Fjgrogan wrote:Craig, are you sure it was Maria? Far more likely to have been Kirri! (Mind you, Maria has been breast-feeding for so long that it must be years since she had a drink!)


True - I can't remember the last time I had an alcoholic beverage.....
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Post by Fjgrogan »

........... d'autres chats a fouetter ............. I protest - cruelty to cats!!
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Re: MEMORABLE THEATRE OR MUSIC CONCERT AT CH

Post by CHAZ »

Fjgrogan wrote:........... d'autres chats a fouetter ............. I protest - cruelty to cats!!

Hélas the French do whip their cats when they have nothing better to do!?
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