Miss Liberty at Sheffield University

8 Dec

The songover is Alex’s voice

You readers must be wondering why this blog seems to have turned into an Alex Cosgriff fan page.  The problem is, the Hub does nothing; Wary Boy tells us nothing; I remember nothing.  Alex is the only one who does anything worth writing about.

I can tell you that I did something on Sunday that I did exactly a year ago, but without the defecation: I went to a brass band concert with my friend Alison.  I enjoyed it.  

That’s about as interesting as it gets; if you want the poo story, I suggest you re-read last year’s visit.

This week, Alex is singing in a concert – with some dialogue, including narration by someone from The Great British Bakeoff (not Paul Hollywood or Mary Berry) – of the songs from Miss Liberty.  The cast is singing with a 40-piece orchestra.

Miss Liberty is a forgotten musical by Irving Berlin.  As far as is known, it has never been staged outside of the States, and has rarely been staged there.  As a result, the concert at Sheffield University is creating noise here and in the US. There have been some radio interviews and articles on the BBCThe Stage, PlaybillBroadwayworld and elsewhere.

For the background story on why it is being staged, read here.

The concert takes place on two nights, including four songs for one night only:

…on Thursday 10 December 2015 audiences will have the opportunity to hear world premiere performances of four songs that were cut before the musical opened on Broadway in 1949. They were discovered by McHugh and Malone in Berlin’s papers at the Library of Congress and special permission has been given to perform them for one night only by the Berlin estate.

University of Sheffield News

Can you tell me, then, why I spent all of yesterday upending Alex’s room to find the two suits, one jacket, one shirt, several ties, and two pairs of trousers Alex simply MUST have if he’s going to appear on stage this week?  And why that was a complete waste of time when I couldn’t find half of them – the suits in particular – and Alex suggested I look behind the door…and there they were?  I’m not in it, so why is there so much work for me?  That boy is taking a liberty.

I suspect I’ll get payback in being able to poke fun at him, however: Alex, who thought the modern dancing he did in Godspell was naff (and read here for how I let that slip to the choreographer), is going to TAP DANCE without benefit of any training whatsoever, in front of a live audience.

I’m cringing all ready.

Hee hee hee.

15 Responses to “Miss Liberty at Sheffield University”

  1. slpmartin December 8, 2015 at 20:30 #

    Just a delightful post…love following the adventures and accomplishments of your family.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com December 8, 2015 at 20:44 #

    Good luck with the tapdance. How many shows does the star of the Cosgriffs get to do every term?
    xox ViV

    Liked by 1 person

  3. sharechair December 8, 2015 at 21:34 #

    Anxious to hear how it goes! Maybe even a little video…..?

    Liked by 1 person

    • The Laughing Housewife December 11, 2015 at 14:03 #

      Unfortunately, because of copyright issues, no video was allowed. But he was complimented by two (American) members of the Irving Berlin Association, who came specially to watch; on his performance and his ‘flawless’ American accent 🙂

      Like

      • sharechair December 11, 2015 at 14:34 #

        He is truly talented. I can’t wait to hear what comes next!!
        (American accent? It’s not Americans who have an accent ….. it’s YOU folks who have the accent! 🙂 🙂 )

        Liked by 1 person

        • The Laughing Housewife December 12, 2015 at 14:06 #

          Someone in the audience who is in the business believed he was American when she said, ‘We’ll be seeing him on Broadway’ 🙂

          But I concede your point: we all have accents. 🙂

          Like

  4. Karen Snyder December 8, 2015 at 23:13 #

    Who better to brag on sons and daughters than their Moms?

    Alex has a terrific voice and it’s apparent that he’s following his passion! More power to him. I, too, hope you’ll share some of the production, if you’re allowed to video and/or record it.

    Like

  5. Katharine Trauger December 9, 2015 at 18:41 #

    No lessons? Wow! I should like to see that! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • The Laughing Housewife December 11, 2015 at 14:01 #

      It was hilarious – deliberately so; he danced with enthusiasm and rhythm but it was obvious he’d had no training. Turns out it wasn’t tap dancing after all, though, so let’s be thankful for small mercies 🙂

      Like

  6. Al December 9, 2015 at 19:05 #

    Terrific voice! Is that him I see for short burst in the rehearsal film? What a great career awaits him.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Tom Merriman December 9, 2015 at 21:54 #

    Miss Liberty was one of the characters in the first ever comic book bought for me hundreds of years ago, Tilly. It’s a small world.

    Liked by 1 person

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