Sharing the limelight

When I see energy and passion in a performer it fills my heart with joy.  Sadly it happens only rarely and then more often than not I’m sitting in the cinema or the theatre.  There are very few performers I see in the street or at open air events who excite much more than a passing academic interest.  There are very few who I would watch to the end of their shows. There are even fewer who I would welcome to join with me on my stage to explore working together.

Of course there are exceptions.  I wrote last week about being drawn into the performance of Martin Orbidans at the piano in Ilfracombe and how his wonderful talent made me invite him to become my accompanist this year.  I also want to tell you about the wonderful talent of another performer who I meet with occasionally and whose passion for his work, whose skill and expertise in its presentation is remarkable, inspirational and rare. In 2011, juggler, comedy performer, escapologist, unicyclist and writer Greg Chapman (www.condensedhistories.com) was looking for a subject for his next show. While sorting kit, he came across an envelope containing his History Degree. The idea of combining variety performance and history was instantaneous, and the shows expanded to become Greg’s main form of event performance. Beyond the shows themselves Condensed Histories has moved into books and a podcast hosted by Greg with many special guests.  Greg is now directing and shooting a steampunk film series. I love his enthusiasm and performance style.  A style very, very different from mine but I think the two are compatible on the same stage and it has been great fun exploring this compatibility.

Greg and I meet up from time to time and at the Isle of Wight Steam Show in August perform alongside each other in a daily finale to the shows on my stage.  That we only rarely rehearse but seem always to be able to pick up from where we left off the previous year is testament to the faith I have in his ability and enthusiasm.

This year I also met a young couple who have the same passion and dedication to their art as Greg does.  The Old Time Rags (https://en-gb.facebook.com/theoldtimerags) comprise of Laurence and Phoebe.  Laurence is a one man band and has a remarkable and captivating style.  His partner Phoebe is a tap dancer in the Appalachian flatfoot style (Google it) and shows such energy, passion and big-hearted enthusiasm in every tap that I just had to invite them to join me at some of my events this year.  They performed with me on the stage at Wallingford BunkFest and at York Vintage Fair.  Together their infectious love for performance make for a wonderful time-stopping experience for everyone (including me).

It is a very different experience having others onstage with me.  The reactions from the audience are very different.  Instead of being part of the relationship with me as solo performer, the audience is, in addition, an observer of the relationship I have with those other performers, and that they have with each other.  A subtle yet key difference. 

It is a difference which I have played with previously but have, more recently, avoided.  Working with others has implications as well as rewards.  You have to agree.  You have to share the artistic vision and at a very basic level, you have to get on with each other.  In the past I have found this has often been challenging.  But at least for the present I am very happy to continue to explore an occasional liaison with these talented and exceptional people. For 2018 I am planning a show which commemorates the end of the Great War and will include some of these performers in a Variety Show with music, dance and physical theatre.  It is still at the ideas stage and I will keep you informed as it grows.

All the best from a road near you,

Mr Alexander

Back to Blog

Well it’s been a long while since I last wrote so some explanations are required.  Just over a year ago when I stopped writing this blog I was going through some personal challenges and felt the blog had been acting as a kind of therapy.  I then, almost overnight, found it all too much and just stopped along with participation in all social media.  So I apologise to anyone who thought I had died, or far worse, retired.  I have done neither and don’t intend to, at least for the foreseeable future.

So the news is that I am now back to normal (whatever that is) and I have been asked over the summer by a number of friends and erstwhile blog readers to start again.  It’s taken a while but I have decided to listen and to restart the blog so this first one will try and sum up some of summer 2017. I will then try to keep you all informed weekly about the strange and wonderful life I live and the adventures of a travelling showman and two little dogs caught up in the twenty-first century.

Summing up a year in one page is totally impossible so this will probably have to be spread over a few episodes.  I couldn’t sum up the year without mentioning Martin Orbidans who became a close friend and collaborator during the year so let’s begin with him.

To set the story properly we have to go back to June of 2015 and what I had hoped to be a wonderful new chapter in the history of Mr Alexander as artistic director of Ilfracombe Victorian Celebration.  Of course those who have read the story will know that liaison ended abruptly in antagonism and antipathy, but the one good thing to come out of it was my meeting Martin.

Ilfracombe has a sweet little High Street, or perhaps what was once a sweet little High Street, having succumbed like many to the decline brought about by the out of town shopping spaces where most of us now buy our stuff. It has a little walk through arcade; a Victorian-style market which has a number of people occupying booths and doing their small scale trading.  I happened to be walking through it during the Celebration and heard a piano being played.  There was something about the quality of the playing that attracted me so I followed my ears and found a man in a striped blazer paying songs from some of my favourite musical shows.  There was no-one there so I stopped to chat to him and that’s how it all began.

Martin had learned piano from his mother and was one of those children who was musically gifted and had the good fortune to have that gift recognised and encouraged.  Like me he had experienced an unhappy time at school and took refuge in music.  Later he joined the Royal Marines as a musician and travelled the world and was commissioned to be the cocktail pianist aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, including the time when the yacht was used by Charles and Diana for their honeymoon base. 

How he ended up in the little tatty Victorian market is a long story but we got on well from the start and a winter of emailing saw him out on the road with me for some of the key summer events playing a range of music on a range of keyboards sitting in a red gazebo alongside my stage.

Those who have heard him with me will testify as to how brilliant he is at improvising as well as playing from medleys of marches (reflecting his military heritage) to tunes from shows and musicals.  Having a live accompanist at those gigs has changed the style of my performance and the audiences have enjoyed the performance relationship between us as we have rehearsed and performed new shows through the summer.

I have worked with many people in performance over the years and although I had reached a point where I felt I wanted only to be a solo performer, working with Martin opened my eyes again to the potential of working with others and meant that when I met the Old Time Rags, a dance/one man band combo from Leeds I immediately saw the potential of expanding Mr Alexander’s Travelling Show even further.  More about them next time.

It’s good to be back on a road near you,

Mr Alexander

Bournemouth and beyond

If I’m in Queen’s Park I know it must be autumn.  Kilburn is now my only annual sojourn into the smoke of the metropolis, but it is always a pleasurable one.  It is quite easy to access from the end of the M1 so I don’t spend hours snailing through the slow streets, and the park itself is a delight as are many such in London.  Very well maintained by park keepers with ‘Good Morning’s and whistles and a terraced café where the big house used to be.  They have an ambitious programme of events including theatre and open air cinema and of course the lovely Queen’s Park Day which is where I have my September Sunday spot.

This year I arrived a few days early as I had been tempted to a gig in Bournemouth on the day before with the offer of transport, a hotel and a fee into the bargain.  I am very grateful to Helen who kindly agreed to babysit my lorry overnight. I had met Chris of the superb 'Just Shutters' Company at Shrewsbury Flower Show and he invited me to perform at the company's 10^th Anniversary in Southbourne, the posh end of Bournemouth.  Bournemouth has changed unrecognisably since I was there in the 1970s (but then probably everywhere has).  No longer the playground of the retired, the town is vibrant, young and colourful.  My wonderful Libyan driver gave me a whistestop tour of the town before leaving me at a great hotel.  Very nice with bath ensuite so I could wallow in a hot tub which I had not had the joy of experiencing for some while.  Hamick (or I hope that was his name) was Libyan and we had some great conversations about the life and times of being in and seeing this country from his perspective.  It made for a fascinating journey. as we travelled south through the autumn countryside. As was the next day meeting and performing for Just Shutters staff and friends.  Chris is one of those rare businessmen whose warmth and generosity of spirit makes everyone adore him and consequently his business is thriving. 

The hoverboard and steam punk costume was probably overused that day but it made the day much less tiring for me drifting up and down, performing close up magic in the High Street, entertaining and advertising free cake at Chris’ shop.  I slept most of the way back to Kilburn.

Next day’s shows at Queen’s Park were well attended and the hats were generous.  (I am aware that new readers of this blog might find that sentence peculiar as if the residents of Kilburn had a penchant for magnificent millinery).  In fact one striking audience member did have and she and her boyfriend came over as I was packing up.  They had missed the shows but were fascinated by the lorry and trailer set up.  Laura looked amazing – her costume (though her boyfriend Oscar was quick to let me know she always dressed like that) is best described as 1920’s meets steampunk, complete with headdress, jacket and waistcoat of many colours.   It probably could only happen in London. They wanted to see inside the lorry so had the grand tour.  Laura is a costume designer so I was quick to take her contact details and yes of course she is to design and make me a new costume for next year.  Farewell the austere black and white…. Well, watch out, the new Mr Alexander shall be sartorially sensational in 2017.  I can’t wait. It’s been coming for a while, with the third show and the street work, including Verity, moving in that direction.

It was also wonderful to meet up with Tim Francis again.  Tim was my first apprentice. I met him when he was 6, his mum bringing him to my every show at his insistence.  He learned to juggle and unicycle almost without trying and soon accompanied me in the 1980s up onto the chairs as well as in a number of great routines I have only in memory.  Tim is now a commercial film producer in London and is expecting his first baby (a girl) with his lovely partner Jen.  How life paces on…

All the best from a road near you,

Mr Alexander

Malpas Yesteryear Rally

I love hearing and reading well-written reviews.  Please do let me have them. I will even share them if they are critical.  Here’s a lovely one from George who was at Malpas last weekend.

‘Good to see Mr Alexander again at Malpas on Sunday. I really liked the new tall hat and greatcoat in the opening scene, overtones of "Steam Punk" I thought. A great show as usual of course but Mr A. suffering a little from wind and unpredictable children. Wind yes, but not the after effects of some Indian takeaway but a hot afternoon with the warm wind gusting a little from the south. If juggling an umbrella, ball and a feather duster wasn't difficult enough, factor in the variable wind gusting across the stage, I have to take my hat off to him. And yes the unpredictability of children too. Mr Alexander moved on to his finger guillotine illusion and his initially enthusiastic participant, a young lad called Charlie was becoming less so by the minute at the thought of losing one of his fingers, the build up to the climax was pure magic as usual but by the time a little girl had been briefed on her role as finger catcher complete with huge red rubber gloves poor Charlie was convinced the little guillotine was about to slice off his finger and so at the 11th hour, 59th minute and 59th second Charlie simply withdrew his finger from the device! A new boy stepped in and the guillotine was triggered, everybody sighed with relief as the blade some how appeared to but didn't remove the boys finger. I really enjoyed the show, some new material and scenarios, new atmospheric back ground music, excellent!’

Oh dear poor Charlie.  (Actually I think it was Corrie but I had to ask his name a couple of times.)

There have been a few ‘Charlies’ in the history of my presentation of this routine, and a few who have copped out at the very last minute.  By far the worst several years ago now was the one who wet himself in fear half way through the routine. I often worry about that little boy, now a young adult nursing an abject fear and anger directed towards all live performers and me in particular. Perhaps one day I shall be on top of the chairs and there he will be raising his sights on me…

It is part of the whole process of choosing the right child.  Too blasé and confident and the effect loses vulnerability and tension. Too nervous and the audience and the child become worried, too worried.  It ties neatly and beautifully into the ‘Benign..violation’ theory of comedy which was explained and demonstrated in the recent Horizon on Comedy hosted by Jimmy Carr (and really well worth a look, despite some slightly simplistic pseudo science from time to time). Pick the right boy (somehow never works quite as well with a girl – any clues as to why?) and the knife-edge balance of hopeful and assumed benignity and possible dreadful violation produces huge laughter reaction in the audience.  The sharper I can hone that knife edge in the process the better but it does risk the kind of last-minute cop out described above.

I haven’t done that routine so much this year. It was lovely to meet up with it again.  Like Ken Dodd’s jokes, my routines are my best friends and it’s great to meet and re-meet them again, sometimes after some years of hiding in some case or box in bowels of my trailer.

There have been a few of those revivals this year and the third show of the day has become their home. Another such was the Zombie routine.  But more about that another time.

Meanwhile all the best from a very autumnal road near you,

Mr Alexander