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Showing posts from 2019

Running Away with the Circus

  Brace yourself...   I'll be girding my gargouillards for 9pm: tonight, tomorrow and ongoing: The Travelling Circus, Mercato Metropolitano. Lush stuff in the way of food and drink, music and turns.   Nicely... @mercatometropolitano #cabaret #varietyshow #circus
 Chuffed...

Leap of Faith...

...but having leaped, maybe don't piss off that Royal Marine in Basra so he stops play when you've barely landed your gargouillards!   See My Tutu Went AWOL for more. #monday #mondaymotivation #mondaythoughts #lgbtqia #leapoffaith

Imposter Syndrome

   The Christmas corporate bookings are coming in. As Madame Galina, I'll perform the Sugar Plum Fairy; then when I've told the story of the Royal Marine taking umbrage at me onstage in Iraq and running out of the venue with me over his shoulder to dump me on a tank turret, I'll sing a big operatic number.   Over the years, as my voice has gone up and down in range, the sung pieces for corporate bookings have changed. In the past, I've sung "Bill", "Auld Lang Syne", "Fly Home Little Heart", and others. Most recently, in Aldeburgh, I sang Wolfram's "Song to the Evening Star".   In June this year, I sang Hunding in Die Walkure with the Mahler Players, conducted by Tomas Leakey. Claire Rutter was Sieglinde, Peter Wedd Siegfried.  Both were wonderful.   I'm studying now with Peter.  He teaches me to sing in as relaxed and natural a way as possible, and has anchored my voice in its true bass-baritone range.  Unhinged ...

Getting My Filmic On

  Looming without zoom...   Listen to me with the film speak. Sonder Films have chosen me as their next documentary project.  We'll be covering run-ins with a Royal Marine in Iraq, yodelling as a four-year-old with a strip-a-gram giraffe, being late onstage for Tesco Clubcard because the marquee erector forgot precisely which bit of garden wall he'd hoiked Humpty Dumpty onto. Usual.   WTS.... www.sonderfilms.com @SonderFilms #SonderFilms #documentary #amwritingmemoir

Peligoni

                                                                         The view...                                    The 'phew...'                                       The one...

Make Someone Happy...

   #tbt to the most important thing in life - making others happy. #tbt #tbthursday #amwriting #memoir

Siren Festival

                          At this first Siren Festival of conservation, centred on the seas, I briefly held off the ballet, drag and Wagner to relay a Royal Marine's thoughts. 'People rape the planet to get 'stuff' far beyond what they need because they think it makes them happy or gives them status. Like in the "Tale of the Fairy in tje Vinegar Bottle".'

'I took a Pill at Eleven...'

  The 'pill' comment is one I wouldn't ever want to hear from my audience participant. He, Alex, also asked if he added value?   Oh, and told me to put both my legs round him properly, please...   Wonderful weekend at Wilderness Festival.

My #gayface on Sunset Boulevard

  Thank you Magnus Hastings...this will be shown in June on three billboards along Sunset Boulevard. I am chuffed - CHUFFED!   The Royal Marine says he's buying shares in LA car insurance...   Full galleries and print info: magnushastings.com #tututuesday#photography#@magnushastings#gayface#truecoloursunited#albertkennedytrust#affordableart#givingback#lgbtqia#queerart#art#photography#magnushsstingsphotography#queer#queervisibility#strengthinnumbers#solidarity

Five Stars from the Book of the Year's Adam Kay

Does my undertaking look big in this?    'A book unlike any other, of a story unlike any other. Totally mad, very funny and highly recommended.' ***** Adam Kay.   Author of runaway international bestseller,  This is Going to Hurt . The Nation's Favourite Book. #Monday #MondayMotivation #book #bookreview #bookoftheyear #adamkay

Countdown to Derby Book Festival

  Two audience members recently asked my favourite ever questions: 'Would you please come and repeat this talk at the Two Rivers Festival' and 'I know it would make it the third time, but please bring the tutu talk back to Wilderness?  I like watching you walk new punters into your jokes...'   And, punter two added, watch them wonder from the off, How on earth? Why on earth? Who on earth? What on earth? Falling in love with Stacks, the Royal Marine, as they go.   'Because it is, when all is said and done, the most out there Brom-Com. Two inter-hating polar opposites - front line, browbeating Royal Marine, gabby variety turn - getting to be the best of friends.'   Question to be answered in Derby: Why does Stacks call me the Daisy Ashford of war-reportage?   https://www.lovederby.com/whats-on/derby-book-festival- ies tyn-edwards-my-tutu-went-awol/   @derbylive @derbybookfestival #book #books #amwriting #memoir #comedy #opera

Easter Saturday at Henham Barns

Thrilled to be hosting this event in the Henham Barns in aid of Suffolk charities.  A bill of headliners, bill of fare to include woodfired pizzas and local booze.  https://henhampark.com/events/  #variety #cabaret #events #event #henhampark #suffolk #charity #best 

Wagner Nights

    In June, I'm going to be in an opera for the first time in over half my lifespan.  In three concert performances of Valkyrie , I'm singing Hunding. I'm trying to keep the Anna Russell's Guide to the Ring out of it.  And any thoughts of my parents and their inter-competitive singing careers.  After she sang along once too often at one of his Country and Western gigs, he held her head underwater in the sink in among the after Sunday roast crockery soak.   We'd had lamb.  I'd been sent round as usual to ask Welsh Lil for some fresh mint from her plant out on the balcony.   #opera #singing #baritone #family #memoir #amwriting #attemptedmurder #childhood #Wagner  

"He Was Exactly the Right Size for the Venue" and Other Audience Reactions

  These have been collected at theatres and forwarded on:   He was exactly the right size for the venue.      I forgot to ask how the goats delayed his tutu beading.      He does like his carrots!      His writing is like very dark Jilly Cooper.      I suppose at his age he has no choice.     I was going to tell him there is actually a direct bus here from Abergavenny, but thought better of it.      What an interesting racial mix he is - half Maori, half Jewish.      Does the Virgin Mary really wear espadrilles?      I think I might have seen something a bit like him once.      He'll either have to sort the accent, or move that Marine from Manchester.   I'm so pleased we stuck to our guns and wouldn't give him the keys to the CD player.   He coped very well against the sounds of Margaret in the kitchen with her doings.   ...