"Every Duke and Earl and Peer" may not have been here but it seems that almost everyone else was here
to witness a cast of almost 60 Belmont boys, girls and staff perform the musical "My Fair Lady" not
forgetting our intrepid group of 14 stage hands led by Edward Tucker and the lighting crew who under
the direction of David St. C. Gainer and John Mander risk life and limb every night in a shower of blue
sparks and other nasty electrical phenomena.
Rehearsals were quite remarkably good humoured affairs, almost enjoyable. There was only one major
'Walk Out' by the director and that was really just a concession to tradition. Rehearsals were greatly
helped by the strange but effective 'warm up' exercises led by hyper-active Toby Hughes, who managed
to completely exhaust the entire cast before they ever set foot on the stage.
As a large cat walk inched its way further and further down the hall the casual observer might have been
forgiven for thinking that preparations were being made for a fashion show, an assumption which
would have been partly true, as large numbers of sequined gowns, beautifully tailored morning suits
with silk cravats and evening tails of deepest black complete with starched winged collars and patent
pumps with bows descended on us from various parts of the kingdom.
Costume supervision would have been an absolute nightmare had it not been for the cool and efficient
organisation of the Matron Jan Abbey and the reassuring smiles of Lady Glover. They were assisted by
Nicola Chamberlain whose help and needlework were both invaluable.
The cat walk continued to grow and almost obliterated from view the talented and long suffering
musicians led by Bret Musser. We caught an occasional glimpse of Christine Williams and Stasio Sliwka
above their pianos but their faultless and talented performances assured us of their presence.
Though most of us, in retrospect at least can say that we enjoyed rehearsals, there was a terrific amount
of work to do in just over six weeks. The main burden of this work fell on our two 'stars' Julia Willis and
Vincent Whelan. Anxiety about whether their voices would survive the strain of long nights and
endless weekends of rehearsal proved to be groundless, as with apparent effortlessness they captivated
audiences at every performance. Vince's performance was determined and powerful, he created a
chauvinistic Professor Higgins that we all loved to hate. He brought a great deal of emotion and vitality
to the part which I'm sure will be a memorable one for him as it was for us all.
Julia's performance as Eliza Doolittle must surely rank with the very best in the history of the Belmont
theatre. Her acting was energetic and sensitive and her beautiful voice melted the hearts of the audience
at every performance. Despite incredibly quick changes of costume accomplished in the wings she
appeared on cue, cool and lovely.
The cockney charm of Eliza's father Alfred Doolittle was conveyed with original humour by Dominic
Gaughan. He kept us all guessing at Rehearsals but 'produced the goods' at performances.
I must also mention Charles Batho for his performance of the eccentric military gentleman, Col.
Pickering, so convincing that we are all agreed Charles must sleep with the Queen's Commission above
his bed, and Andrew McFarlin who led the company so skilfully on stage and with a rod of iron offstage.
stage.
The elegance of the Ascot scene was a delight to the eyes. Strange and wonderful hats, which were
finished just in time for the matinee, towered above their wearers. The cat walk, a small part of Sandy
Elliot's marvellous set, had stopped growing, and dashing and fashionable couples now promenaded
and posed upon it. Val Vaughan-Williams the assistant director made a brief appearance in the Ascot
scene together with a few other 'stage struck' members of staff. She was on the arm of a well known
actor and added a certain je ne sais quoi to the scene.
Val's help was absolutely invaluable, and even though we did manage to lose her motor car while
collecting costumes in Cheltenham, I like to think that we made a good team.
Over 90 people, staff, boys and girls, were involved in 'My Fair Lady' and it was quite one of the happiest
groups ever to grace the Belmont stage. I'm so grateful to them all for their hard work and talent. We
had a jolly good time, deepened lots of friendships and I think the audiences enjoyed themselves too.