SISTER ACT: Eddie

Dear internet. Hi! It's me, Stuart! The fact I'm here to write a blog post at all is something else because originally I wasn't intending to be a part of Sister Act, however when Tracy (playing Mary Robert) convinced me to audition, even though I wasn't recruited until end of November/start of December (nearly 3 months after the rest of the group had already been working hard at it) I thought "meh, why not" not thinking that I would end up walking away with the part of Eddie! Clearly, I had a LOT of catching up to do . . . I must confess that doing this show has really thrown me outside of my comfort zone in a number of aspects. I'm more used to playing the comic relief parts of a play or musical because I seem to have a comedians almost natural sense of timing, bringing in the laughs with my range of voices/accents and animated approach to acting (taking inspiration from the late Robin Williams), however this more serious type of acting is a good change and gives me a chance to show everyone I'm more than just a fluffy, funny-looking weirdo. The singing has also been challenging. When I was first given the characters audition piece, it sounded fine, right up until the ridiculously high note in the middle and being a Baritone/Bass, my first thought was "oh, heeeeeell nah!", But with time, practice and encouragement (not to mention a lot of patience and bleeding ears) from the Director (Roger) and MD (Anthea) I eventually learned to reach it and gained new confidence in my own singing ability in the process. The show itself is coming together nicely, however this marks the 3rd stage appearance in a row that sees me using a revolver on stage! I hope it's not becoming a habit because something tells me it wouldn't look quite right while playing the Cowardly Lion in April! But with all that being said, if you have read this and are coming to see the show, be sure to stop me afterwards and tell me how utterly rubbish I was over a nice cold drink . . . but you're buying because I'm tight. Sincerely, Stuart.