Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Playing for a Play

It's always a bit of a surprise to find I haven't mentioned something in here that's actually taking up a reasonable amount of my time, but it appears I haven't.
A few weeks ago Natalie Ellis, the woman who produced When We Are Married last year, asked me if I'd play the piano for a short play she would be putting on in May. Turns out that I'm not just playing the piano but have had the chance to write some original music for it as well: four interludes that go between the various scenes.
The play isn't particularly long - the cast keep debating how short it is - so the music gives it a bit more length, along with an introduction that one of the other cast members is doing. I'm also playing an 'overture' and 'play-out' both consisting of Aussie tunes that I've strung together. Of course Waltzing Matilda is there, and the national anthem - and the Neighbours theme.
It's been fun putting the music together - wrote the four interludes over a weekend...! - and I'm having to practice my scales, as it were. Not that I was particularly rusty, but when you're performing you need to bring the fingers up to a better level than just plain ordinary.
Anyway, the play is called Love - or Nearest Offer, and it's by an Aussie playwright, Hugh O'Brien. The humour isn't crude, though it skates a little close at times. Car lovers will enjoy it, as there are plenty of jokes about various cars and the people who drive them.

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