We did it! Hi-de-Hi is now all done and dusted. The show went very smoothly and, by all accounts, was a great success. The audiences each night cheered, laughed, joined in with shouting ‘Ho-de-Ho’ at regular intervals and the cast were relieved and delighted at the response.
It was a nice easy run for me. I wasn’t on much in the first Act so sat in the dressing room devouring Maltesers and fruit pastilles, listening to the performance which was relayed through the speakers in our dressing rooms. The second act required more of me and was over in a flash. Unlike our musicals which tend to go on until after 10pm, this show finished by 9.30pm so I was back home with a cuppa not long after 10pm.
I’m so proud to have been part of such a great cast. One of the main comments has been that everyone suited their role. We had a brilliant Jeffrey, Gladys, Peggy and Ted plus all the supporting cast matched people’s expectations. It can be difficult to take on a very familiar sitcom in this way – audiences have a clear recollection of the actors playing each character. I think we managed to do each character justice which, for a small amateur dramatic group, is quite an achievement. With appropriate costumes, slick scene changes with apt 50s music, good lighting, sound, set and props, I think we brought Maplins Holiday Camp to life.
Here are a few photos taken during dress rehearsal night to give you a little flavour of the production.
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| Ted Bovis (Martin Tyrrell) and Spike Dixon (Zack Colam) |
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| Jeffrey Fairbrother (Daran Bland) and Peggy (Daisy Ivatt) |
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| Staff Meeting with me perched on arm of chair. |
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| The Sand Dance – Egyptian night entertainment with Fred Quilley and Mr Partridge (Brett Moore and Ben White)
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| Sylvia Garnsey (me) and Gladys Pugh (Colette Coleman) |
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| Hilary Bovis (Anita Heaton), Jeffrey Fairbrother and Ted Bovis |
It looks like so much fun!
It was, Toni. A great atmosphere in the theatre – you could feel waves of warm support and big smiles!
Well done! :o) And you look great in these white shorts, no need to take them down again, I would say! xx
Ha! Thank you. The legs benefitted from tights!
Oooh being blonde suits you Trish!
Do you think so? My mum agrees though Dougie thought I looked a bit weird.
Blimey you look hot there mrs! I'm pleased it went well. I think I would have enjoyed that one.
Hotter than in my last role, that's for sure!
It sounds and looks completely brilliant! I do love the likenesses, so clever! 🙂
We are quite a small company so at auditions the director didn't have a huge amount of choice, so to get people who were spot on for each character was amazing really.
Love the blonde wig! Sounds like loads of fun!
I bought the wig myself so that will come in useful for any fancy dress dos!
Just from the facial expressions of the actors I can see that you all caught the show perfectly!
So pleased you can appreciate this from the photos. Yes, the cast worked hard to replicate the show as best as we could. Amazing how you can tweak things to get it just right – a head twist, a sneer etc.
It looked very realistic if you see what I mean. The right pout from Gladys, the right weight on one leg from you. You obviously worked hard to get things right. No wonder the audience loved it!
Nice one! 🙂
Colette, who played the part of Gladys, went to great lengths to get mannerisms etc just right. She was very particular and it paid off. In that photo she has just told me to take my hands out of my pockets, which was the usual Sylvia stance!
How fun! Looking good in those short shorts lady!