Adam Pearce’s blog

Well, as Miss Fleck (aka Niamh Perry) has reported, yesterday was the Meet and Greet.

This is where almost every single person involved with the production from around the world all get together in one room and introduce themselves. There were cast, creative, wigs, wardrobe, casting, production, design, chaperones, marketing,  digital…the list goes on and on! So, we all sat down with tea, coffee, pastries, biscuits, everything you can imagine. Up steps the Lord to welcome us and he gives us the inside story on how he came up with the idea for the new piece.  He had been collaborating with a number of writers, but they just didn’t seem to work. Then he found a great team in – amongst others – Jack O’Brien, Jerry Mitchell, Bob Crowley, Ben Elton and Glenn Slater. Then Jack stood up and said a few words of inspiration. No matter what Jack talks about, you can’t help but be enthralled by his voice. I’m sure if he was even describing on how he opened a packet of crisps, your jaw would drop open and you would end up marvelling at the man!!

So we are making our way round the group, introducing ourselves. The Lord starts, then Jack, and we go round. I’m watching and trying to remember all the names and jobs, low and behold, it has come to my line. This is where I start to panic. I am 5 people away and I have stupidly just taken a giant mouthful of pecan Danish!!! So I’m chewing and chewing… Now 3 away… 2 away… chewing chewing chewing!!!  1 away… I swallow just as I start to stand. Thank goodness!!!…. But then realise I have not put the rest of the Danish down and am now holding it out in full view of everyone (including the Lord) Stupidly, I say ‘Hello, I’m Adam Pearce, and I play Squelch’ and find myself holding the pastry like a glass and am doing a kind of toasting gesture with it!! And to make matters worse, I look around and nobody else is eating, nor even holding any food what so ever!!  How embarrassing!! The curse of the ‘chubby funster’!

With week 1 of rehearsals over, the cast have been put through their paces!! For this show, for most of the cast, strength is a big factor. So every morning they have been in 10am -12.30pm doing an intense physical warm up and work out, increasing lower body and upper body strength, core strength and stability, just immense!!! God bless them, and all their blood sweat and tears, but it will hopefully all be worth it!!

We are extremely blessed to have such an amazing group of people here who are going to become family for the next year ahead. Cast, company manager, stage management, music team, creative team, wardrobe, wigs, it’s going to be a great year! Good times!!