Local lad makes good?

I've been asked to write a blog about our show this coming Saturday (22nd August) at The Mercury Theatre, Colchester. This particular gig is quite a big deal for me, as Colchester is about as close as I get to a 'home town'. Yes, my parents and most of my immediate family have already seen the show in other venues, but this will be the first time I've had most of my closest friends there and the first time I've had any more than a handful of people in any one audience who I know. It's also worth bearing in mind that all these first times are not simply the first time that my family & friends have seen me in this show, but rather the first time they've seen me in any professional production. In fact, the last time most of my friends saw me perform would either have been in my last 'am dram' production, playing Danny Zuko in Grease at the age of 18, or possibly even as part of my own Blues Brothers duo, playing a grotty little pub in Tiptree on Christmas Eve, probably aged around 19 or 20. Either way, I'd like to think I've come a long way since then!

When it was first booked, I was really quite nervous about the show, as I had no idea how it would sell - even if I brought along 50 friends and family, that still leaves 450 seats to fill! A half-empty theatre, struggling for atmosphere, is NOT the way I wanted my oldest & closest friends to experience the show for the first time. But all these worries were proved to be misguided when I went in to the theatre a few ago to pick up some posters for the show. I spoke to the marketing chap there, who was surprised to say the least, when he saw how many tickets had been sold in the first week of release. "Wow, you've already shifted 250 tickets! That's unbelieveable for a show with no 'star names'" he said. Little did he realise!

But now that my fears over ticket sales have been laid to rest, I find myself looking forward to much different aspects of the show than I expected. There will be a lot of people there that night who, while maybe not professionals, certainly know their way around a live band and theatre production. So obviously I've been concerned with my own performance. I want to hit every note perfectly, be on the spot for every dance move, and have my every joke and quip find their mark. Not because I fear the odd flat note or missed step will be noticed or scrutinised, but because I suppose I want to make them all proud of me, friends and family. It sounds soppy and sentimental, I know, but I can I think of no better way of expressing it. This however, is all secondary to the thing I'm really looking forward to them seeing - the band! I feel so privileged to be on stage with the calibre of musicians and performers we have in this show, and I know there will be members of that audience who are simply blown away by them. Guitarists will sit awe-stuck by Leigh's solos, brass players will wonder at the tone, fluency (and panache) of Dave & Richard, bass players will live every note with John as he stands proud; loving every single moment of every single song. I don't want this to sound like an advert or a quote for a poster, it is genuinely how I feel about being lucky enough to perform with these guys. So in summary, I suppose how I feel about the upcoming Colchester show is, as I would have predicted, a mixture of nerves and excitement... but not for the reasons I would have predicted. But I'll be sure to post something up here once the show has passed, to let you all know how I think it went and how I feel afterwards.

Bless you for reading. I hope to see you at one of our shows soon - maybe even Colchester?! Until then, all the best. Mike 'Elwood' Hyde

We've just learned that the show is sold out! Hurrah! -L.H.