Consett: Sore Throats & Breakdancing!

♫ Cole Porter and Gershwin too.
Irving Berlin and Sondheim knew.
Y'gotta kick some butt before you go.
Or it's no show. ♫

Friday night of this week saw the final performance - for 2011, anyway - of Monopolise! at yer actual Consett Empire Theatre in good old County of DurHam. We got a very nice preview from Gordon Barr in the Crocodile.

The last Monopolise! of 2011 went off with something of a bang-ette. A decent-sized (and very enthusiastic) crowd, probably the second best performance so far (nothing was going to quite match South Shields) and all this despite poor old Mark having a terrible time with his vocal chords (to be honest, he was under doctor's advice not even be talking let alone singing). So, Shecky was a wee bit more husky than usual when singing his verse of 'It Wasn't Me' this time around.

This, obviously, necessitated a few minor script changes (like, it being Chief Danno O'Hara who did all the - off-stage - shouts during 'The Latino Hypnotist Song'). We also benefited hugely from the debut performance of Chief Constable Victor Foxtrot's grandson, Fortescue, played by young Connor Joseph who did a bit thoroughly sharp body-poppin', with the hippin' and the hoppin' and the baseball cap on backwards and all that during 'The Cop Rap.' Clearly, when we transfer the show to the West End, we're gonna have to drag Connor along with us as he got the biggest round of applause of the night.

So, that's it for 2011, folks. Yer actual Keith Telly Topping and Mister Alfred Joey OBE ended the night scoffing a very nice bag of chips n gravy on Consett High Street (from the chippie next door to the, ahem, 'Gentleman's Club') before retiring back to our respective gaffs to plot our next move. Ah, it's a rock n roll showbiz lifestyle we lead, ladies and gentlemen.

♫ We've had the laughs,
we've had the cheers.
It's time to get the heck from here.
At the Big Finish of the Big Finish song! ♫

But remember, dear blog reader, like James Bond Monopolise! will return. In 2012.