Who Could Ask For Anything More?
Yesterday, New Year’s Eve 2023, saw the final performance of Crazy For You after 218 performances. I had the pleasure of conducting 117 of those shows and we were sent off beaming with incredible audiences in our final days. This company (pictured above, including cast and crew) were a shining example of the calibre expected in London’s West End at the moment, and I can’t wait to work with them again on future endeavours. A special mention to my fellow musicians in the orchestra, with whom it was almost illegally too much fun to work with. A massive thank you to Alan Williams & Andy Barnwell for getting me on board with this production in the first place!
I have enjoyed being back in London with a show, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Yes, it gets busy with tourists and festive drinkers, but the West End is decorated beautifully and there’s always a great buzz each evening. I also managed to complete my walk of London around the 150 mile Loop, ending rather unflatteringly at Purfleet’s train station on the northern banks of the Thames estuary. Walking in December proved tricky at times, with mud seeping through my boots and under my toenails at times, but so happy to have completed it.
The beauty of finishing a contract on the 31st of December is the clean break it gives you going into the New Year. Following the final performance, I packed my things and headed straight back to my parents in Cheshire, where I spent Christmas Day, to carry on the festivities into 2024. Attention very much turns to my next show, Come From Away, and the change to being back on the road. Time to get some digs booked! Before that, I have much of January off. While I’ll do some prep for the show (including more time with Erica, the accordion), this is also a chance to chill out in Cheshire, visit my sister in Hamburg, catch some other shows in London and, later in the month, take my parents on the 70th birthday treat to Prague & Rome. This certainly feels like well-earned R&R!
Happy New Year!