Oh What a Night

John and Carl were my favourite production carpenters. John was usually accompanied by his spaniel Ben and when he wasn't using the skill-saw, he was either rolling, relighting or smoking a fag. The pair used to turn up at venues in John's battered old Land-rover full of tools. He was once pulled at customs travelling back from Europe. The sniffer dogs were all over the car and drug enforcement officers virtually tore the vehicle apart in their search. It was after an hour or so that John pointed out that ropes which he always carried at least one shank of in the back of the land-rover was made from hemp and given that this was the same plant family, may explain why the sniffer dogs were going beserk!

We were on stage at the Blackpool Opera House during the fit-up of 'Oh What a Night!'. Set in New York in the 70's, the show had been commissioned by Apollo Leisure to play the summer season in Blackpools permier venue. 70s icon David Soul and Take That's Jason Orange had been lined up to play the leading roles. Along with the package came Kim Gavin, Take That's artistic director and choreographer, Mike Stevens their Musical Director and an amazing group of session musicians who were the core of the Take That band. We also had Take That's lighting designer Simon Tutchener. The bulk of the music in the show was carried by Kid Creole and at least two coconuts and the amazing Bernadette Nolan. David Soul pulled out immediately after reading the script and Jason Orange disappeared into the sunset along with him. Their roles were eventually taken by Eastenders Nick Cotton and the guy from '2 pints of lager and a packet of crisps please' . There's Blackpool casting for you.

We were well into technical rehearsals, so any work on the set had to take place a night. We were having issues with the two 'periactoid' towers that were situated stage left and right. The towers revolved to form various New York streets  and the interior of the nightclub where much of the  action took place. I had called in a carpenter from the sceneic company that had build these particular set elements and when the cast were broken for the night we dragged the tallescope on stage and the carpenter climbed up to fix whatever the problem was at the top of one of the towers. As he stepped fron the ladder onto the top of the set, John Ashworth took the roll-up from between his lips and said "I'd watch your step up their mate, it's a bag of shite". The guy thought for a second before replying "I know. I built it"



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