Me and My Girl - 4

Gifts for Me and My Girl can include all kinds of variations on a theme of spoons, pearl buttons, coats of arms, aristocracy, cockneys, love and marriage.

 

 

Pearl button bracelet

Classic Car Tie Slide

And for Sir Jasper!

 

Eggbert - No Spring Chicken

Visit the website at thedramaqueensdrawers.co. for more suggestions and ideas.

Me and My Girl - 3

1930's fashion

Costumes for Me and My Girl are fun, set in the 1930's and covering day dresses to evening balls, there is scope to use all styles from tailored trousers to fantastic bias cut satin dresses. Think Hollywood glamour in its heyday, and the fashionable haute couture of the debutantes and their escorts, contrasted with the bright and cheerful flamboyance of the Cockney denizens of Lambeth. Production numbers can be themed in various ways, our director decided to colour co-ordinate the big ballroom numbers, one being all in red and black, and another in shades of green. The pearly king and queen lead the way for the cockney costumes, and various pearled accessories can indicate the class distinction (waistcoats, caps, etc) especially in the Lambeth Walk.

Me and My Girl - 2

One of the set pieces that we as a company found fun was making the car for the opening number “A Weekend At Hareford”. This is built from pieces of luggage that fit together to form a large open top motor car, and are then dispersed to the servants on arrival at Hareford Hall. Our “car” arrived with the set, so the first time we got to put it together was tech rehearsal, and it took a lot of patience and experiment to make it work for the cast and crew, and in time with the musical cues. Tech rehearsal was even more intense and fraught than usual with various teams trying to make it work to fit with everything it needed to, but , as ever, any problems were ironed out by opening night. Proof of the “It'll be alright on the night” philosophy.

Me and My Girl

Pearly King and Queen

Me and My Girl

The story of Bill Snibson; a cockney costermonger who inherits the lands and title of Lord Hareford.

This light hearted musical has some lovely characterisation and allows for all generations to take part, from the young friends of Bill and Sally to the older generation of the Duchess of Dene and the ancestors of the Harefords.

There are cameo parts for a pearly king and queen (who play the spoons!) and several smaller parts that can steal the show at points (eg.; Sir Jasper, Lord and Lady Battersby) as well as a broad spectrum of main parts, and plenty of chorus.

Famous songs include The Lambeth Walk, Me and My Girl,  The Sun Has Got His Hat On and Leaning on a Lampost.

Fiddler on the Roof

Gifts that can be given to players in this musical include

Violin badges or charms

Violin pin badge

Russian dolls

Wedding favours

Menorah

Star of David charms

symbols of work ; Milk related items for Tevye, scissors and sewing things for Motel, books for Perchik, and so on.

Russian cossack dancers

silver charm of a Cossack dancer

 Plus Matchmaker chocolates, sweet milk bottles, love hearts, chocolate money or coins.

Fiddler on the Roof - 2

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The snow in London today, and the freezing temperatures has me thinking I might need to find my costumes from Fiddler! Layers and layers of warm woollen skirts and shawls under and over coats. Babushkas (headscarves) and thick stockings and boots...... All things that under stage lights make you feel as though you are in the Bahamas rather than the Russian steppes. Not at all glamorous, but absolutely setting the scene of the lives of the poor. The place where you wear every item of clothing that you own in order to keep warm.

I am very glad that we in London rarely have this kind of weather, even though it makes beautiful scenery and is fun to play in.

The Fiddler on the Roof

The Fiddler by Marc Chagall

Fiddler on the Roof
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The story of a Jewish family in Russia at the time of the persecution and driving out of the Jews from their homes, this story focuses on the trials and tribulations of Tevye and his family of five daughters. The ups and downs of their love lives and the changes in their society that are challenging the structure and “Tradition” by which they all live. This is not a glamorous Hollywood style musical, but is heart warming and powerful nonetheless.

Much atmosphere is achieved by the attitudes of the characters and a lack of set or scenery does not detract from the story to any great amount, so this can therefore be a low budget show, at least as far as scenery and costumes go.