After what I can only describe as two of the most juxtaposing professional experiences I've had in all my 12 years as a professional entertainer, I feel nothing short of compelled to write again and tell you all about it. If you want to hear.
Clearly so much can occur in two nights.
Wednesdy night was my second show for the Tobin James wine charter group on board the yacht and after the musical pitch invasion and subsequent merriment of Monday evenings show I had decided to subsitute formality for joviality, donned my best Tina Turner-esque shimmery knee-length number back combed my crown and set out to smack them between the eyes with a repertoire of soul, disco and rock and roll.
What awaited me in the venue was definately a somewhat more subdued set of vino lovers who actually wanted to listen and pay attention to what I was doing, and much to my apparent surprise, were incredibly encouraging. In telling the audience directly that I hadn't really been expecting this muted sobriety from them I inadvertedly opened the comedy flood gates by inviting anyone who chose to to join me on the floor for a dance to the pointer sisters classic "Raining Men" .Two ladies took me up on my offer and sprinted for the dance space with fervour and vigour. One such lady was clearly incredibly excited to be there and possibly unbeknownst to her was about to instill exactly the same feeling in about half of the male members of the growing crowd. Unaware as to whether she'd forgotten her knickers when dressing that evening or possibly forgotten her lack of them whilst dancing she treated the entire lounge to an eye-level display of all her femininity.Bounding around in celebratory abandonment the other crew members watching the show to my right sponatenously gasped and laughed in equal measure as i tried desperately to keep my face straight and my voice intune. Stifling a laugh with a cough whilst singing at a previous humourous employment had induced only "Tommy Cooper-style" comparisons so i just went with it and let the audience do the laughing for me. After further musical festivities, a spot of line dancing, an Axle Rose impersonation and three men in 80's mullet adorned sweatbands I finished the show with a positive reaction from my crowd and a huge sigh of comedy relief from myself.
Yesterday I hot footed it across to the sister yacht the "windspirit" for a 6.30pm show before our own yacht departed the berth in St barths at 9. Captain Bond (I mean John...) came to collect me in the speedboat again and with my fancy frock tucked up the inside of my lifejacket (i insisted on one this time) we bobbed and bounced over to prepare for the show.
They don't have cabarets on the Windspirit as the yacht only holds approx 140 guests at capacity but as a special billing for the repeat passengers party I took myself and my backing tracks to the intimate and well laid out lounge bar and into the unknown really.
I enjoy my job... pretty much 100% of the time these days but seldom have I ever enjoyed a show like last nights. The audience were warm and receptive, appreciative and participatory. Never before have i been given standing ovations mid show and similarly such a hugely warm response from the entire crowd on my conclusion. It gave me great pleasure to perform for this awesome crowd infront of Captain John who had managed to secure me my employment with Windstar cruises by recommending me initially to the company. I still feel like I cant thank him enough but he seemed more than pleased with the outcome of our mutual arrangement and I came back to the Windsurf on the tender boat full of the joys of my profession and with a restored belief in my ability to target a show correctly on occasion.
The two shows couldn't have been more different, I couldn't have been more different and I think I learned equally from both. There is no such thing as being prepared in this industry. You never know what an audience has the ability to throw at you. But my tact I guess is just to roll with it... go with it... embrace it... then blog about it!
Friday, 18 February 2011
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
... Finally... An update... Sorry
Hello strangers. Apologies for my lack of updates. I'd love to say it's because I've been busy sunning myself (true) having a nice time and meeting people (true) and discovering far off lands (also true) but in reality I had forgotten the password to the account and it's taken me ages to work out how to re set it. Right now I'm typing this with one finger on my iPhone in the "Bath & Turtle" luncheon and beverage establishment in Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda which is in the British Virgin Islands waiting for the imminent delivery of my Chicken Roti. I'd promised myself I wouldn't eat out again this week but Roti's are my favourite and I've been chasing around the islands looking for one for two weeks. It's a chappati/wholemeal wrap style encasement disguising a curry style chicken and potato stew which is indigenous to the west indies. Can you tell I'm salivating while I wait???
At present the windsurf is being chartered by a food and wine group associated with the Tobin James winery in California. To say they are a lively bunch is understatement of the century. The wine is free and flowing 24/7 so as you can predict attempting to perform a "show" two nights ago was futile. Tonight I am disposing of the cocktail dress in favour of a little sparkly number I'd packed for the eventuality of a crew show, hitting them with all uptempo numbers and no chat or banter. Shame for me because it's not really playing to my strengths but I'm adamant it's important to give an audience what they want wherever possible, even if it means stretching the remit somewhat.
Tomorrow the yacht is docked alongside the sister yacht the "windspirit" again and I am popping over to perform a show for them. If you remember on my last post I told you how I was hoping for a "James Bond" style speedboat trip to visit the windspirit last week. Well, true to his word captain John came for me and whilst he almost killed me (slight exaggeration... It was kind of my own fault for insisting on wearing heels when trying to embark an inflatable boat in a cotton dress and choppy seas) I had a very lovely day and felt every inch a pasty chubby version of Ursula Andres or Halle Berry as we bounced over the waves in the bay of Gustavia, St Barts. I'm assuming tomorrow I won't repeat said journey in my purple full length cocktail dress but instead will arrive incognito like the veritable rock star I am (ahem) and surprise them with a few numbers at their repeaters party at tea time. I'm looking forward to it.
Things I have seen/done since last I "blogged"
Had a fantastic lunch in an amazing 10 room only boutique hotel on the otherside of St Bart's with friends of capatain johns and their friends who FLEW IN for lunch from Anguilla!!!
Played an impromptu jamming session on board with the in house resident band "Top Society" and a 4 piece accoustic group from Seattle, "Four".
Drank free wine. (quite a bit)
Have an excellent personal training programme written for me by the onboard fitness coach which whilst very hard and not conducive to my plight to avoid publicly sweating, is proving to be very affective. (well I FEEL thinner)
Been to airport beach in St Maarten where people literally can stand feet away from an aeroplane about to take off and get virtually sandblasted into the sea by the force of the engines. (I observed...I am not mental)
Ate ribs and chicken barbecue style at a local suburban Caribbean backstreet restaurant with the casino staff.
Continued to battle with the constant threat of being upstaged by the sweet treats of the onboard "dessert extravaganza" as I am constantly usurped by it in the scheduling.
Missed home. A lot. But realised how inordinately lucky I am to be able to make a living having such amazing life experiences.
Hope to hear from some of you soon. Has no one worked out how to comment yet???
At present the windsurf is being chartered by a food and wine group associated with the Tobin James winery in California. To say they are a lively bunch is understatement of the century. The wine is free and flowing 24/7 so as you can predict attempting to perform a "show" two nights ago was futile. Tonight I am disposing of the cocktail dress in favour of a little sparkly number I'd packed for the eventuality of a crew show, hitting them with all uptempo numbers and no chat or banter. Shame for me because it's not really playing to my strengths but I'm adamant it's important to give an audience what they want wherever possible, even if it means stretching the remit somewhat.
Tomorrow the yacht is docked alongside the sister yacht the "windspirit" again and I am popping over to perform a show for them. If you remember on my last post I told you how I was hoping for a "James Bond" style speedboat trip to visit the windspirit last week. Well, true to his word captain John came for me and whilst he almost killed me (slight exaggeration... It was kind of my own fault for insisting on wearing heels when trying to embark an inflatable boat in a cotton dress and choppy seas) I had a very lovely day and felt every inch a pasty chubby version of Ursula Andres or Halle Berry as we bounced over the waves in the bay of Gustavia, St Barts. I'm assuming tomorrow I won't repeat said journey in my purple full length cocktail dress but instead will arrive incognito like the veritable rock star I am (ahem) and surprise them with a few numbers at their repeaters party at tea time. I'm looking forward to it.
Things I have seen/done since last I "blogged"
Had a fantastic lunch in an amazing 10 room only boutique hotel on the otherside of St Bart's with friends of capatain johns and their friends who FLEW IN for lunch from Anguilla!!!
Played an impromptu jamming session on board with the in house resident band "Top Society" and a 4 piece accoustic group from Seattle, "Four".
Drank free wine. (quite a bit)
Have an excellent personal training programme written for me by the onboard fitness coach which whilst very hard and not conducive to my plight to avoid publicly sweating, is proving to be very affective. (well I FEEL thinner)
Been to airport beach in St Maarten where people literally can stand feet away from an aeroplane about to take off and get virtually sandblasted into the sea by the force of the engines. (I observed...I am not mental)
Ate ribs and chicken barbecue style at a local suburban Caribbean backstreet restaurant with the casino staff.
Continued to battle with the constant threat of being upstaged by the sweet treats of the onboard "dessert extravaganza" as I am constantly usurped by it in the scheduling.
Missed home. A lot. But realised how inordinately lucky I am to be able to make a living having such amazing life experiences.
Hope to hear from some of you soon. Has no one worked out how to comment yet???
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Greetings from St Barths in the French Antilles
In a cafe on the harbour scoffing my chicken salad and updating you all on the trip so far.
I had already written a lengthy blog on the flight down here from Miami but my silly computer wont let me copy and paste it so I have had to start again. Grrrr I joined the "Windsurf" yesterday in St Maarten and I'm all settled in now for the four and a half week stint I am about to undertake onboard.
Well, needless to say the weather here is gorgeous... just hot enough, gentle brezze an operation "Extreme Makeover" commences today (hence the chicken salad and not the house burger I wanted to order.) I intend to try and lose a few pounds whilst I'm away...get a tan and grow my hair.. hence the makeover. I'll be veritably unrecognisable on my return. That is, if I can keep off the sauvignon Blanc of which there is a spectacularly yummy example being sold on the yacht. ( I am informed I'm not to call it a ship as it is indeed a Motor Yacht)
At the weekend I performed at the "Addison Reserve Paps Corps" annual cancer fundraiser in Delray Beach Florida. Yes it was as grand as it sounds. Tens of thousands of dollars were raised on the night and through the golf tournament held in the day for this worthy cause and I felt honoured to be part of it. And after a fabulous weekend staying with Joy and Russ Leavitt, who had booked me for the occasion having seen me perform on a cruise last year, I am currently residing back on said vessel for several one week itineraries around the caribbean islands. Joy and Russ treated me to some spectacular hospitality over the weekend and after pizza and ribs, popcorn and shrimp, I am trying very hard to be sensible for the duration of my time away... though the food on board is spectacular and the baguette that came with my salad is staring at me saying "eat me eat me!!"
I have a show tomorrow night at 6pm, very unusually scheduled as I am effectively to be the warm up act for the "dessert parade" which is programmed for the prime time entertainment slot in the lounge at 10pm. Yes thats right, I've been bumped for a Meringue. The highlight of my career so far undoubtedly.. the support act for Baked Alaska! I know my place.
The next two weeks the ship has been chartered by two food and wine clubs which is excellent news (but not for my diet) as the last time this particular group travelled on the yacht they brought 4,500 bottles of wine with them for 300 passengers. Needless to say, alledgedly the staff also enjoyed their share of the free booty and whilst this could prove fundamental to the task of keeping my bar bill to a minimum this contract, it is by far not the most surprising news I have heard today.
An unofficial, yet very reliable source informs me the aforementioned food and wine group are bringing their own entertainment with them in the form of a band from Seattle and I have been "tipped off" that there is no current space in the entertainment programme for next week for my shows. So yes, without spelling it out or rubbing it in, it does appear that I am being paid to take a holiday next week. If Carlsberg did jobs... promise not to go on about it! I WILL of course be volunteering my services to do a crew show, or a band set or even to take one or to of the duo's slots off their hands in the smaller bar upstairs if they should deem this appropriate. I am not a complete freeloader and have OF COURSE brought outfits for pretty much every professional and personal situation that may arise during my time away. This miracle of micro packing being attributed solely to the fabulous vacuum bag I acquired from "Yabba Dabba Doo's" tat shop in Skegness in October. For those of you across the pond perusing this, a tat shop is a store that pretty much sells all kind of silly things you kind of didn't realise you needed till you went in... like mulit puprose inflatable tools, drain cleaner and Liverpool Football clubs 2007 collectors sticker book.The vacuum bags however are a MARVELLOUS invention. I squeezed 3 full-on bejewelled work dresses, netting and all, 15 knee length cocktail dresses, (I dont like to repeat too often!) 2 robes Joy gave me in Miami and 2 cotton shopping bags into the vacuum bag, attached the hoover and sucked the living daylights out of every inch of oxygen in that bag... so that all my swag now fits into a carrier that is designed to hold 3 suits. Granted, the handle fell off when I picked it up...BUT I GOT THEM IN!!! Its a travelling revelation.
Anyway, my good friend Captain Clark who I had the fortune to sail with on Island Cruises a couple of years ago, and who recommended me to Windstar for the contracts I now enjoy was onboard just for a night of my stay yesterday and today has rejoined the sister vessel the "Windspirit" which is berthed in St Barts with us today. I had a most enjoyable evening with him last night, drinking wine and eating lobster (its a dirty job...but someone has to) and am looking forward to next week when the yachts are berthed together againen John informs me he's sending a boat to come and get me from the Windsurf so I can have a nosey around the Windspirit and a spot of lunch with him. I like the idea of that... someone sending a boat for me. I did 84 flights last year, hundreds of taxi journeys, train connections... you name it. But no one has ever sent a boat for me before. I am holding him to it! Watch this space!
Because I am new to this blogging lark I have not yet worked out how to upload pictures etc to the page. I will work on this wherever I get wifi.. I'll be a female Bill Gates by the end of the trip just you watch.
Well folks, thanks for your time. Enjoy your day. I'm off to power walk around the harbour to burn of the end of the baguette i just snaffled (I am weak)
Wish me luck in my quest for tanned skinnyness!!
Miss you all already
xxx
In a cafe on the harbour scoffing my chicken salad and updating you all on the trip so far.
I had already written a lengthy blog on the flight down here from Miami but my silly computer wont let me copy and paste it so I have had to start again. Grrrr I joined the "Windsurf" yesterday in St Maarten and I'm all settled in now for the four and a half week stint I am about to undertake onboard.
Well, needless to say the weather here is gorgeous... just hot enough, gentle brezze an operation "Extreme Makeover" commences today (hence the chicken salad and not the house burger I wanted to order.) I intend to try and lose a few pounds whilst I'm away...get a tan and grow my hair.. hence the makeover. I'll be veritably unrecognisable on my return. That is, if I can keep off the sauvignon Blanc of which there is a spectacularly yummy example being sold on the yacht. ( I am informed I'm not to call it a ship as it is indeed a Motor Yacht)
At the weekend I performed at the "Addison Reserve Paps Corps" annual cancer fundraiser in Delray Beach Florida. Yes it was as grand as it sounds. Tens of thousands of dollars were raised on the night and through the golf tournament held in the day for this worthy cause and I felt honoured to be part of it. And after a fabulous weekend staying with Joy and Russ Leavitt, who had booked me for the occasion having seen me perform on a cruise last year, I am currently residing back on said vessel for several one week itineraries around the caribbean islands. Joy and Russ treated me to some spectacular hospitality over the weekend and after pizza and ribs, popcorn and shrimp, I am trying very hard to be sensible for the duration of my time away... though the food on board is spectacular and the baguette that came with my salad is staring at me saying "eat me eat me!!"
I have a show tomorrow night at 6pm, very unusually scheduled as I am effectively to be the warm up act for the "dessert parade" which is programmed for the prime time entertainment slot in the lounge at 10pm. Yes thats right, I've been bumped for a Meringue. The highlight of my career so far undoubtedly.. the support act for Baked Alaska! I know my place.
The next two weeks the ship has been chartered by two food and wine clubs which is excellent news (but not for my diet) as the last time this particular group travelled on the yacht they brought 4,500 bottles of wine with them for 300 passengers. Needless to say, alledgedly the staff also enjoyed their share of the free booty and whilst this could prove fundamental to the task of keeping my bar bill to a minimum this contract, it is by far not the most surprising news I have heard today.
An unofficial, yet very reliable source informs me the aforementioned food and wine group are bringing their own entertainment with them in the form of a band from Seattle and I have been "tipped off" that there is no current space in the entertainment programme for next week for my shows. So yes, without spelling it out or rubbing it in, it does appear that I am being paid to take a holiday next week. If Carlsberg did jobs... promise not to go on about it! I WILL of course be volunteering my services to do a crew show, or a band set or even to take one or to of the duo's slots off their hands in the smaller bar upstairs if they should deem this appropriate. I am not a complete freeloader and have OF COURSE brought outfits for pretty much every professional and personal situation that may arise during my time away. This miracle of micro packing being attributed solely to the fabulous vacuum bag I acquired from "Yabba Dabba Doo's" tat shop in Skegness in October. For those of you across the pond perusing this, a tat shop is a store that pretty much sells all kind of silly things you kind of didn't realise you needed till you went in... like mulit puprose inflatable tools, drain cleaner and Liverpool Football clubs 2007 collectors sticker book.The vacuum bags however are a MARVELLOUS invention. I squeezed 3 full-on bejewelled work dresses, netting and all, 15 knee length cocktail dresses, (I dont like to repeat too often!) 2 robes Joy gave me in Miami and 2 cotton shopping bags into the vacuum bag, attached the hoover and sucked the living daylights out of every inch of oxygen in that bag... so that all my swag now fits into a carrier that is designed to hold 3 suits. Granted, the handle fell off when I picked it up...BUT I GOT THEM IN!!! Its a travelling revelation.
Anyway, my good friend Captain Clark who I had the fortune to sail with on Island Cruises a couple of years ago, and who recommended me to Windstar for the contracts I now enjoy was onboard just for a night of my stay yesterday and today has rejoined the sister vessel the "Windspirit" which is berthed in St Barts with us today. I had a most enjoyable evening with him last night, drinking wine and eating lobster (its a dirty job...but someone has to) and am looking forward to next week when the yachts are berthed together againen John informs me he's sending a boat to come and get me from the Windsurf so I can have a nosey around the Windspirit and a spot of lunch with him. I like the idea of that... someone sending a boat for me. I did 84 flights last year, hundreds of taxi journeys, train connections... you name it. But no one has ever sent a boat for me before. I am holding him to it! Watch this space!
Because I am new to this blogging lark I have not yet worked out how to upload pictures etc to the page. I will work on this wherever I get wifi.. I'll be a female Bill Gates by the end of the trip just you watch.
Well folks, thanks for your time. Enjoy your day. I'm off to power walk around the harbour to burn of the end of the baguette i just snaffled (I am weak)
Wish me luck in my quest for tanned skinnyness!!
Miss you all already
xxx
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