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Christopher Hampson,
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Here is a link to the previous column in the series.
Link to later column.
Hampson diary index
This arrived in early November. I've also been asked to point out by Hampy that his diary arrived before Ms Marston's!
Double Concerto I heard a theme, which I call “Castanets”, and waited for its’ development at the end of the first movement so that I could do the same with my choreography. Well, I was waiting a long time. It never returned. I’ve finished choreographing the score of this Concerto and I’m left in limbo. It’s always a strange time. I now must
One of the difficulties I’ve found in choreographing with a large group of dancers is seeing what I have created with some distance. In the studio the dancers are quite literally dancing millimetres away from my nose. Add on to the 38 dancers dancing at once, there are another 28 dancers that constitute the second and third casts, and they’re all up marking and learning what I’ve just done. For some it may be the only chance to try the steps with the music at full speed. Because of this I requested a rehearsal while the company were on tour in Southampton, just to see the work 50 feet away. By the time I arrived at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, the company had performed 4 performances of Corder’s Cinderella (for many it was their first time) plus full dress rehearsals each day for the different casts. I was surprised to find that the company was willing to do my rehearsal full out. My worry had been that I was going to see a watered down version of my work, due to exhaustion. No fear. I came away liking some parts that I’d hated in the studio, and vice versa. It was an essential trip. In a studio there is no way of going further back than the wall allows, and totally impossible to see what it looks like from the Dress Circle.
I feel like I know Paddington station backwards. In fact on one occasion I was standing like a disciple waiting for a sign from God (the platform indicator) with a black waterproof jacket and my black satchel over my shoulder when I lady came to ask me why her train to Penzance hadn’t been allocated a platform. I politely told her that I didn’t know and she should just wait on the concourse. Kevin Richmond (Scrooge) was with me, and he kindly pointed out that my attire was the same as that of a “Customer Service Representative”. Well, to be honest, I think she would have got the same reply from one of them as she did from me. I’ve been doing jaunts to Cardiff for some weeks now with Caroline Palmer. We’ve been going to rehearse the children for Christmas Carol, which opens at St. David’s Hall, Cardiff on December 20th (done the plug!). I didn’t know how much they’d remember since our last visit three weeks ago. The answer was easy. Everything! I couldn’t believe it. On another occasion (the one where Railtrack employed me) I was with Kevin. We were going to film a TV advert. I’ve never done one of them. The whole procedure took only two hours, I guess time is money. We’d booked a train back in the evening, so we had time to kill. I can strongly recommend going to the new area of Cardiff Bay and a restaurant called Valentino’s . A good Italian with spectacular views. I look at afternoons like this as part of the job. I need to get a good knowledge of the area as the cast will want to know where to eat, drink and be festive, and I shall be able to tell them!
Double Concerto: Opera House, Manchester
Double Concerto: Hippodrome, Bristol
A Christmas Carol: St. David’s Hall, Cardiff
Double Concerto: Coliseum, London
Cheerio!
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