This is the End

Wow,

I can not believe it's all over. A painless tech, a suitably dreary dress, four scintillating performances, one all-nighter of a party and the quickest and most efficient get out I've ever seen. And then, that was it. Gone from our lives.

But what a memory! I'm so proud to have been involved with all of you, with such a magnificent production - at times while I was watching I was truly impressed by what we'd done, this was a first-rate show with, as one viewer put it, "moments of pure genius". Be proud.

Some final reflections:
BIIIIIIIIIIG BOOTY, Jog on, contrast, Briz warning ('bris' is actually the circumcision ceremony in Judaism, so I've got a T-shirt that's very frightening to Jewish boys), hasn't Sue got a great singing voice? how many pizzas can one cast not consume in an evening? join the campaign to get DJ Duffy his own slot at Joe Publics, when shall we 18 meet again? ...

RJT

Updates

Fri, 18th May (third night)

O-M-G!

I had no idea it could get better than the opening night, and then, it did. Such incredible performances from all. A little bit of fluff and bluster (Macbeth seeing 'glouts of blood' which were not there before) only proved how fired up you all were. Play with those lines guys, you all know your parts better than I could ever know them by now, so use that intelligence and let them live those lines.

Only one command left: go forth and put even more energy into it - it's a winner. See you later.

Yours struttingly,

Photos

All photos courtesy of official court photographer, Pat 'don't like Shakespeare anyway' Croughan and Raychel medicine woman Pills Hills

The set fairies visited the QEH this weekend, and started work. Very quickly it went from this...
... to this
Here's one of the little sprites now, doing the Hand Jam

And another, doing the Macca-rena
Here's a drinking sprite, drinking wine and sprite, with the hand of a sprite invading her pseronal space
This is the chief sprite with a lion

Here're sprites proving they're not just pretty faces
Sprite magic, feel the force
Ok, not a sprite, but a Shorrock

Spritey goodness
Sound sprite
Meanwhile, the actors checked themselves out in the paper, you should do it too

James Bond?
Cait two-drinks Davies

Earlier photos

Props gurus Annike and The Warren
Witchey witchey wicthey
'Prithee, peace'

But Anna fears it does funny things to your tum

John, practicing for the long loo session, oh, and, by the way, PICK OF THE WEEK
The play's double act I, Mac and Banq

and II, Men in Pants
Blood, glorious blood
Tim's fully prepared to prove his new-found Scottishness

And Neil tries to look like a mafioso, well done.
See, I know how to have fun too
Is it me, or does that a little like yours truly?

Flaggy goodness
"Geese villain?"
BANG!

Mored blood, sir?
Alex develops a crick in the neckHere proving she's an artiste John wonders whether the director wears a push-up bra
The Macbeth mafia Some serious acting's starting to come out in the wash

Richard's seen something he shouldn't as Alex takes wearing a kilt to its limits
and then shaves a bit
This is almost the whole cast
And these are Lady and Mr Macbeth
Nice jacket Alex
Andy proves that, at 25, he's a man not a boy
Alistair even got in on the acting malarky
Mac & Banq
more shaving
King of the hippies
Again, ALMOST the whole cast!
Get in!
Alex helps Rick unwind
While the director doesn't need any help
The boys wonder who's line it is anyway
Father & Son, it's like Cat Stevens is in the room
See boys, I said it looked damn good The brothers Grim Some more good acting
Another good moment, watch and see why

Alex tries out his chat up lines, 'How now you black and midnight hag?'
Knife fetish anyone?
This is a horrid sight

The Vulcan death grip in action
Dunc and the lady
If we corall him, he wont be able to run away again...
This is Alex getting freaked out by our witches
And here's John practising his station in life

John gets miffed when Alex sneers at his saluting style

But the unsung heroes are still backstage: Annike

Andy Cotton's our military adviser
Charlotte's thinking of a new line of storybooks: Charlie and the lion?
And Pat's preparing some mug shots of our murderers

Hang on, how'd he get in here? and him

Omigod! It's Patrick McGoohan... I am not a number, I'm a member of the Macbeth cast
Appearing all over Bristol sometime soon: Macbeth, the 1970s classic
And downstairs, Newman electrifies
Stobbsy animates
Pispa cross dresses
And Hillsy gets all sex-u-al with a paintbrush
At which point Robin has to lay down the law: you treat those paintbrushes with respect girl
Ross feels the need for some Richie lovin'
Perfect ensemble of men
Mr Snazz

Welcome to the Church of Kelvin: we are Janet
Al's too busy chewing to stir his own tea Macduff confronts Malcy

Yraghl!
Ross, stop gurning and listen to me

Thornton decides the time has come for Macbeth the Musical: Love in a Sporron
Thornton's first day at big school
Alex walks owt of another rehearsal after being told off for his Brizzle once again, big giwrl
Accidentally brilliant Mr & Mrs Condescending, moi? Nah, forget the musical, Macbeth the Modern Dance piece: Men in Kilts
Suzanne complains about the size of the director's patience
Poker, Caledonian style
Alex tries out what he's learnt at neck massage class
Mr admires Mrs' jewellry collection
Meanwhile, down below stairs, things creative and delightful are being cooked up by Turner et al
Robin's Angels
Why's Neil praying? Because he's killed the director!
Alex is modelling yet another of his 'i was a teenage metaller' range, designed by Christian Dior
Where is that third hand going?
This may take the award for eeriest moment in the play, you'll have to come and see it to know why oh, Alex, not content with Sue and Pat, you're trying to seduce Gallagher now too!
So this is what you get up to when I'm not around?

Notice the emergence of Christ in the background there...

Sue decides to pray for some real deliverance
... ah, well, you can't have everything, all hail King Thornton The actors get bored in my rehearsals: here they are playing cards and chewing lighters (he's Scottish) ... on the phone to their boyfriends
... and trying their hand at applying some stage make-up, John, man, finesse!
There's sumfink in my eye Aint that a kick in the tum?
This is what Alex looks like when he fights...
Feed'em Needham, Kelvin's answer to Sweeney ToddNo, now you're supposed to hack me to death Yeah, I think I prefer using the actual gun
Kelvin's answer to the morris men

Sorry, Sam, I meant to say that fight looks reads REALLY well
How come, face-to-face, he's not so scary?
Sue shows that she still has a thing or two to learn about applying make-up to men
The dealer and the wheel
I think you missed a bit Director, it says here Macduff becomes King Waiting for a peck on the cheek
Some excellent tongue acting from John
It's only what she deserves
Twitcher!
DO YOU SPEAK SHORROCK?
I'm not the pea sheller, I'm the pea-sheller's mate

When once Iwas Janet, now he is Viv
Talking of chemistry, the beard's working its magic elsewhere, captivating Doc Proc
Kelvin's answer to Bros?
One for Raych ;-) The play what I'm in...
Hillsy attempts her own version of the 'Mac'arena, I call it the useless Hills pointy dance... but then, I'm jealous.

TWEAK, just adjusting John's intensity setting.

Let's not forget, this is a love story, of sorts...

The way the cast's already getting into the 'Thane, Cawdor, GLAMIS!' thing And the amazing work that's going on behind the scenes already: marvel at Robin's majestic set... C'mon everybody, it's the 'Mac'arena Isn't she lovely? Maybe we should do Alien, the stage version. Is Tim going to shout his way through this one as well?

Ms Hills (Producer), Master Thomas (Director)