THE PROFESSIONAL YEARS
1980 - 2010
The '80s
My first professional theatre job was at the Liverpool Playhouse in November 1979. Bill Gaunt gave me the job of Musical Director for 3 consectutive shows:
'The Fantasticks', 'Chish and Fips' and Tom Macgrath's 'Laurel and Hardy'
After a Summer Season in Folkstone and a Pantomime in Tonbridge Wells with Peter Davidson and the Dr Who cast, I worked in London where my West End credits as Musical Director/Conductor/On-Stage Pianist/Pianist include:
'Guys & Dolls' at the National Theatre - 'Kiss Me Kate' at both the Old Vic and the Savoy Theatres - 'Me and My Girl' at the Adelphi Theatre - 'Follies' at the Shaftsbury Theatre - 'Nymph Errant' and 'Miss Saigon' at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane - 'Cats' at the New London Theatre - 'Twelfth Night', 'The Duenna' and Willy Russell's 'Our Day Out' at the Young Vic - Numerous 'Old Time Musichall' bills at the famous Players Theatre - 'Pickwick' with Harry Secombe at Sadlers Wells
I have conducted many Pantomimes both in London and around the country including:
Aladdin - Cinderella - Sleeping Beauty - Babes in the wood - Jack and the Beanstalk
tours of Britain include:
'Oh Calcutta' - 'Joseph and the Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat' - 'Kings Rapsody'- 'Pickwick' - as well as shows like: 'Postman Pat' - 'An evening with Dame Hilda Bracket', 'Songs from the Shows' and The Complete Guide to Sex
In the Far and Middle East I conducted 'Oh Coward' (directed by Wendy Toye) for Derrick Nimmo, taking me to HongKong - Malaysia - Dubai - Jordan and Bahrain.
I have worked with many of the theatre 'Greats' including: Sir Peter Hall - Sir Richard Ayre - Stephen Sondhein - Willy Russell - Marvin Hamlish - Danny La Rue - to name but six!
The '90s
For 4 months each year during the '90s I worked at the English Theatre in Frankfurt where I musically directed 'A Slice of Saturday Night' - and 'Blood Brothers' amongst other shows.
Around Germany, Austria and Switzerland I conducted the tour of a 'Leonard Bernstein Gala' and yet another production of 'A Slice of Saturday Night'.
I have composed the music for several shows, one of which - 'Stand and Deliver', with words by Wilfred Harrison - had its World Premier in Kuala Lumpa, Malaysia in 1991 where we had the honour of having an Audience with and taking tea with the King and Queen.
I have entertained by both singing and playing the piano on several cruise ships which have taken me all over the world. I worked for the 'Royal Viking Line' through Airtours and Thompson cruises to being the featured pianist on the elite 'Siversea Cruise line'.
The '00s
For several years I have lived in the South of France where I play for private parties both in Villas and on Private yachts. I have even played for - and with - local and British Royalty. I have been a resident pianist for the last 4 years at the world famous Hotel du Cap, Eden Roc on Cap d'Antibes and its sister Hotel, Le Chateau du Domain St Martin de Vence. I have entertained at some of the celebrity parties at the Cannes Film Festival. I organise concerts, I teach piano and am organist for the Anglican Church in Beaulieu-sur-Mer for which I have edited their magazine for the last 5 years.
Since being in France I have managed to keep visiting England where I worked for Middlesex University and now Essex University, in conjunction with 'East 15' Theatre School, being MD for modules on British Musical Theatre where the students are all theatre directors from around the world. Recently I have worked at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea conducting 'Bugsy Malone' and 'Honk'.
At the end of 2009 I collaborated on 'The Two Most Perfect Things' - a show about the parallel lives and careers of Noel Coward and Ivor Novello that we performed as a dinner theatre production for the British Association in Monaco at the Hotel Hermitage, Monte Carlo.
At the beginning of 2010 it was a pleasure playing for 'Old Time Musichall' reuniting with Johnny Dennis, a chairman of the Players Theatre, London, at the Antibea Theatre, Antibes. I I rehearsed and played piano at the International School in Nice with their production of 'Into the Woods'. In 2008 I played in their production of 'Chicago'.In 2009 I conducted their production of 'Beauty and the Beast'. I also help out at the International School of Monaco for their concerts and shows.
