Journey to the Motherland: December 2006

About Me

Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

From Brisbane to Canberra, from Canberra to Oxford... the temperature is on a downhill run. I hope to be a visiting fellow in Mawson Ice Base next. The programme wouldn’t let me use the Interest categories – what a character. Interests: Cricket(I look forward to seeing the Ashes [from England] in November and [in England] in 2008); writing the great Australian play - the antipodean pinnacle... take that Barry Dickins; Music J.S. Bach - 'Mass in B Minor' without a doubt. Certainly the organ works and concertos for harpsichord form fond favourites. I finally managed to convert all of my Bach CDs to MP3s on my external hardrive (rather than lug the 170 disc set around Oxford - I'll get that money to you later Ross... when Hilary Clinton becomes President and I get a mobile phone.) Anyway, anything by Haydn (I think he cops the rough end of the stick - good symphony times.) Books Hornblower and Captain Blood (there's nothing like adventure on the high seas), Certainly anything by Matthew Riley (7 Ancient Wonders... what a rip snorter), Oh and that book by Dan Brown: Digital Fortress... I will keep people posted as to whether I meet brilliant, young, sexy female code breakers.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Ruddigore - with Moustache

Right, so then I asked for a bushy Mervyn Hughes bowling from the Randwick end moustache:

This is my grand entrance at the end of Act I where I stop the wedding of the two people to my right (Rose and Robin [Robin is actually my brother Ruthven in disguise]), by announcing that that particular chap is my elder brother, and that I am from Barcelona and speak english from a book.

Note the cowering in the corner, that is what I bring to the table.

This is where I annouce that this chap is Sir Ruthven, my elder brother... note in the dramatic intensity of the scene my moustache almost fell off on my right side.

So I bust up the wedding of Rose and Robin, and Rose decides to marry me. Well I didn't have a bar of that.

The Ol' Cast Photo: in the neighbouring squash court. Note the masculine umbrella I am sporting. Ah good times.

PHOTOS - Ruddigore

Well it came and went in a flash. The 2006 Oxford University Gilbert and Sullivan Society's production of Ruddigore was in the works for 7 weeks, rehearsing, singing, dancing, line learning with a sprinkle of whisky drinking.

We had a small run of only 3 shows on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of November.

So without going into all the particulars (which can be found here: http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/ruddigore/html/rudi_home.html ) the brief plot is this: I play Sir Despard Murgatroyd, who is a the current Baronet of Ruddigore. On each of the baronets, a curse has been placed - he must commit a daily crime, or die. It turns out that my elder brother, who should have got the title (and with it the curse) faked his death years ago, I track him down, and wackiness ensues. And in the end we all sing about how wonderful things are, in true Gilbert and Sullivan style. Oh yes, and I got to wear a moustache. It was Manuel esque.

So here we go:

This is one of the Balliol Crew: Left - Guy Westwood, a classicist who played Sir Roderic (and sported his own beard. Right - Nic Ramsden, an historian who played Richard 'Dick' Dauntless with Flasheart woof references abounding. Both good blokes with whom much whisky was drunk.Bit of the old warm up in costume gambit. Note the floor of the theatre... looks a little suspect doesn't it? I got a closer look:

Yep, it was a Badminton Court. That is to say, it was a badminton court by day, but by night it was transmuted into the best rocking theatre this side of West end.