Alphonso - 2018/2019 Tour · Phipps in 1883. Billy Merson had played there in Variety during 1938...
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Alphonso - 2018/2019 Tour We always said it would be an uphill task promo5ng a show about someone most people had forgo8en, played by someone no one had heard of. So it was. We opened at the Lamb Theatre in the Old Town, Eastbourne – an ancient inn with a thriving pub theatre that claimed Charles Dickens as one of its earliest performers. With capacity a li8le in excess of forty, we ran for five performances and bedded the show in. Shortly aCerwards, we played ‘for one night only’ at the Brighton Fringe. We had chosen a venue adjacent to the Theatre Royal, where Billy Merson had performed ‘Alphonso’ for the first 5me in 1910. The nearby Unitarian Church, with its high columned façade, was reminiscent of the Lyceum and we mustered a 75% capacity house. The strains of a jazz band at a pub across the street were audible during the final scenes, adding to the sense of a vibrant fes5val around us. Fringereview rated us ‘Highly recommended’. Our next foray was to the NoCngham Arts Theatre in Billy Merson’s home town. An invita5on to promote the show in a charity concert at the nearby Malt Cross Music Hall pub, where he had played in his early career, floundered when it went into receivership a week before we were due to perform. Worse than that, it appeared that NoZngham residents had long forgo8en their very own comedian.
Transcript of Alphonso - 2018/2019 Tour · Phipps in 1883. Billy Merson had played there in Variety during 1938...
Alphonso-2018/2019TourWealwayssaiditwouldbeanuphilltaskpromo5ngashowaboutsomeonemostpeoplehadforgo8en,playedbysomeonenoonehadheardof.
Soitwas.WeopenedattheLambTheatreintheOldTown,Eastbourne–anancientinnwithathrivingpubtheatrethat
claimedCharlesDickensasoneofitsearliestperformers.Withcapacityali8leinexcessofforty,weranforfiveperformancesandbeddedtheshowin.
ShortlyaCerwards,weplayed‘foronenightonly’attheBrightonFringe.WehadchosenavenueadjacenttotheTheatreRoyal,whereBillyMersonhadperformed‘Alphonso’forthefirst5mein1910.ThenearbyUnitarianChurch,withitshighcolumned
façade,wasreminiscentoftheLyceumandwemustereda75%capacityhouse.Thestrainsofajazzbandatapubacrossthestreetwereaudibleduringthefinalscenes,addingtothesenseofavibrantfes5valaroundus.Fringereviewratedus‘Highlyrecommended’.
OurnextforaywastotheNoCnghamArtsTheatreinBillyMerson’shometown.Aninvita5ontopromotetheshowinacharityconcertatthenearbyMaltCrossMusicHallpub,wherehehadplayedinhisearlycareer,flounderedwhenitwentintoreceivershipaweekbeforewewereduetoperform.Worsethanthat,itappearedthatNoZnghamresidentshadlongforgo8entheirveryowncomedian.
Followingfran5cflyerplacements,aBBCNo5sRadiointerviewandaNo5sTVappearancewemanagedtofillthestudiotheatreandreceivedgoodfeedbackintheNo;nghamLe>LionArtsReview.
Fringefes5valshadbeentargetedaspoten5allyfer5levenuesandthePavilionTheatreprovedasplendidseZngduringtheHailshamFesJval.Ithadbeenbuiltinthe1920’sasadecocinema,
lookedlikeamusichall–bothinternallyandexternally–andprovidedaperfectbackdropforastorythatreflectedtheimpactcinemahadineclipsingvariety.OursubsequentcharityperformanceinthecryptofStGeorgetheMartyr,BoroughHighStreet,
London,a8ractedacapacityhousewithmanymembersofthePlayers’Theatrea8ending.Versedinthisgenreoftheatre,therecep5onthroughoutwasakintorollingbacktheyears.Bycoincidence,therewerefurtherDickensianconnec5ons.AsurvivingwalloftheMarshalseaPrison,wherehisfatherhadbeenimprisonedfordebt,formsthenorthernboundaryoftheChurchyardandthechurchfeaturesprominentlyinLi5leDorrit.
ThreefurthercharityperformancesfollowedinandaroundLewes.Allsoldoutandthefinalperformanceof2018,attheLewesLiQleTheatre,wasgivenafourstarreviewbytheBrightonEveningArgus.
WetookabreakforChristmasandpreparedfortheyearahead.Despiteourapparentabilitytoa8ractaudiences,wekeptouroriginalmisgivingsinmind.
PerformancesattheBuryStEdmundsFringeFesJvalinSuffolkandBenenden,inKent,requiredaninordinateamountofpublicitytogenerateinterest.WeworkedhardandwerefortunatetosecureaninterviewwithRadioSuffolkandathreeminutetelevisionfeatureonBBCSouthEastToday.
WesubsequentlyplayedattheAssemblyRoomsinChichester–abeau5fulRegencybuildingwherebothLisztandPaganinihadperformed.ThenextdayweappearedattheKinoTeatr,StLeonardsonSea–adelighculvenueboas5ngawell-tunedgrandpianoand,inkeepingwithmusichalltradi5on,abarintheauditorium.
Wehadbeenadvisedthat,ifthesunshone,peoplewenttothebeachbut,ifitrained,ma5nee
audiencesswelled.Itwasaglorioushotdaybutweneverthelessenjoyedanapprecia5ve,ifdiminished,house.
TheEastbourneRoyalHippodromeisabeau5fultheatre,designedbyCharlesPhippsin1883.BillyMerson
hadplayedthereinVarietyduring1938andhaddeclaredinhiscurtainspeechthathewouldhavedonesobeforehadheknownhowwarm-heartedEastbourneaudienceswere.
TheEastbourneHeraldhadfeaturedusonthefrontoftheirentertainmentguideandprintedafulsomepreview.Itfeltstrangetofinallyperformonastagethathehad
occupiedand,althoughwewereplayingsolelytothestallsareaofthetheatre,therewasanelementofexcitementandan5cipa5onfromanenthusias5chouse.
Awell-receivedperformanceattheRyeArtsFesJvalwasfollowedbyafinal,sellout,charityperformanceatFolkingtonManorinSussex.
OfthefiUeenvenuesweplayedduring2018/19,fivewerecharityperformancesandall5cketsalesweredonatedtothe
respec5vecauses.Wees5matethattheseraised£9,500intotalandthatsubsequentdona5ons,fromanonymousdonorswhohada8endedaperformance,increasedthisfigurebyafurther£7,000.Asaproduc5oncompany,wejustaboutcoveredourcosts–aidedbythefactthatwewereallunpaidandheavilysubsidisedourtravelsinthesureknowledgethatthesewerethenearestthingtoaholidaythatwewouldget.
Wehavereachedtheendofourtwoyeartourandsimplydonothavethe5meorfundingtoextendit.Weare,however,happytostagecharityperformancesinaidofgoodcauseswhereorganisersareabletogenerateanaudienceatasuitablevenue.Pleasecontactusviaourwebsitepageifthisisofinterest.Intheinterim,weareabouttomake
afilmversionoftheshowtoensurethat‘TheBillyMersonStory’survives.ItwillbeproducedbyRobReinerofGilreiVideo.Iwouldliketosignoffbyrecordingmygra5tudetothemanypeoplewhogavetheir5meandexperience,freelyandenthusias5cally,torealisealongstandingambi5ontoresearchandstageatributetoBillyMerson.Inpar5cular,RogerRoserwhotranscribedsongsfromvintagerecordingswhensheetmusicwasunobtainableandembellishedthemwithhisownarrangements.Aswellasbeinganintui5veaccompanist,heisanaccomplishedmusicaldirector.Therewouldhavebeennoshowwithouthim.IamalsoindebtedtotheprofessionalactorsanddirectorswhoreadthescriptindraCformand/ora8endedtheshowinrehearsalandperformance.Inpar5cularLloydJohnston,whohadplayedBillyMersonin“MeetMrMerson”,stagedbyEmmaTouringCompanyinthe1980’s,andgreetedmytenta5veenquirieswithagenerosityofspiritthatspurredmeon.Thesupport,construc5vecommentsandencouragementthatIreceivedfromthosemanyfriendscannotbeunderes5mated.Neithercanthepa5enceofmydancetutor,LorraineDavis,whoins5lledinmetheminimalrou5nesrequiredandtheconfidencetoperformthem.Alltheproduc5onteamarelistedintheprogrammeonourwebsite.EachandeveryonewasfundamentaltothesuccessoftheprojectandIcannotthankthemenoughfortheirenthusiasmandcommitment.Iamalsoindebtedtomyson,friendsandcolleagueswhotransportedtheset,propsandcostumestoourvariousvenues.Finally,Iwouldliketorecordmyhearceltthankstomywife,Sally,wholivedandbreathedtheprojectwithmeandwasthere–erec5ngandstrikingtheset,feedingusintransitandgluedtothescriptbackstage-ateachandeveryperformance.Herhonestappraisalsthroughoutwereinvaluable.Everyoneworkedsohardandwesharedsuchhappy5mestogether-thatwillbemyabidingmemory.MilesJenner
TheVenuesoftheTour2018/2019
IfICatchAlphonso,Tonight!PremieredMay2018atLambTheatre,EastbourneThentouredatthefollowingvenues:BrightonFringeFesJvalArtsTheatre,NoCnghamHailshamFesJvalStGeorge,Borough,LondonSelmeston,SussexCliffe,LewesLewesLiQleTheatreBuryStEdmundsFringeFesJvalBenenden,KentAssemblyRooms,ChichesterKinoTheatre,St.Leonards-on-SeaRoyalHippodrome,EastbourneRyeArtsFesJvalFolkingtonManor,PolegateNofurthervenuesarependingatpresent.
