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| Much excitment, Pippa called - we are on the cover of the Radio Times !, three newsagents later I finally found a copy,..I kept staring at it, and was desperate to tell someone,.. but no-one in the shop cared, or they would have thought I was nuts. It was lovely to see everyone when we did the actual shoot,.. but there was no promise where or even if it would be used,...so to score the Radio Times was great,.. and very proud I am too. I had the privelege of doing Eileen for the cover. I tried a different hair style,.. which we all liked, fingers crossed it goes to series,.. everyone has to watch, and buy the DVD's. I finished off the year by booking tickets for New Zealand and a few more days on Johnny English,..was getting packed and ready when I got a life changing e mail - well maybe,.. having interviewed with Peter Swords King, I had now been offered The Hobbit !, gosh be careful the things you wish for,..18 months in New Zealand, home and a chance to spend time with family,.... so i guess I am going to do it, but as Arnie says "I'll be back - probably in summer and probably to do Garsington,..with any luck, with Pippa and Sam,... so watch this space. Merry Christmas, and fingers crossed for a great new year. |
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| Have settled back into London,..and been asked to help out on the Johnny English Re-Born,... it's a sequel,..I am looking after the "killer cleaner" - Graeme Johnston is designing, it's modern day, but when I am not doing my principal, I am in the crowd room doing sleek MI5 types,.. all good,.. even if the locations are a bit cold. Have been asked to help at RAM and the Guildhall. Cosi fan tutti at the Royal Acadamy of Music, sort of modern dress,..and a play at the Guildhall School of Drama and Music called Badenheim 1939 - there I am back in the 30's !,..34 performers,.. each with a different look, and 20 minutes each to do the hair and make-up !, I tried to keep it simple, because at the end of the day I have been doing this for (ahem) over 20 years,and the students havn't,.. it was quite fun to do, the designer was happy, and they have asked me back,.... but I do wonder about that,.. why don't they ask the make-up schools to help out ???. Eileen Aitkens asked me to do her hair and make-up for a couple of photo shoots, it was lovely to catch up.. and at the end of the month, 5 days in New York,... weather was rubbish, but did see Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuworth in The Adamms Family, which I liked !!, and Julie Taymor's Spiderman, which I am afraid I didn't understand...... |
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The last month of Upstairs downstairs,...three months in Wales, and I have really enjoyed it. The city is manageable size wise, the cast and crew have been really very nice, Adam Suschitzky and his team did a stunning job of lighting our stunning hair do’s and make-ups, the set looks gorgeous – the art department have out done themselves, and a cab home at night is only about ten pounds – what more can you ask for. The sad thing about this sort of job is you live in each others heads and pockets, and suddenly you all have to go home again. Everyone will have to watch it so it will go to series next year.....
The opera I thought i was doing in New Zealand has been delayed because of the earthquakes, mild panic set in when I got back to London, but happily I am now buzzing around the studios doing dailies. How does Sondehim put it ?, top billing Monday (principals ), Tuesday you are touring in stock.... – well, dirtying down soldiers for Captain America... all part of the rich tapestry. Winter is setting in,... I could do with a play,.. perhaps I will just go to NZ ( Hobbit anyone ?) instead. |
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| We are half way through the job, and I am still really liking it,.. I thought 3 months in Wales would be too much, but the time is whizzing by, and I am really enjoying my morning chats with my ladies, and Neil. Most of us are back to London at the end of this gig, but he is off back to Hollywood to carry on with a series. I also had the fun of working with Sarah Gordy who played Ed Stoppards sister. Helen finished up in the middle of the month, and went to Sheffield to do a play. We have no more big crowd scenes, cocktail party hair styles are over, but it was fun working out what we were going to do, and I got to use all of the feathery, sparkly hair ornaments I made. Result !. I made them on a whim – (the sort of thing I do), and happily Christine felt they fitted, one I think that Pippa used on Keeley will be in the radio times – you will have to look for it, but I know it’s there. |
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So this is Cardiff,.... hmmm well the weather is good,..and I have to say the 1930’s is a pretty period,... I have spent quite a few hours looking at, and thinking through, all the references Christine had found,....I thought I was going to get away with not having to do finger waves, but then Anne Reid who is playing Mrs Thackery produced a picture of her mum, 1936, “Would it be possible for me to look like that ?.....Christine said yes,... and I knew I was looking at 3 months of working on my waves,... good practice, and Anne was great fun to talk too, especially when we found out we had a similar private passion, - musical theatre !. Any chance and the make-up bus background music was changed to something we could both hum. Eileen and I talked straight theatre, while we worked out her look for the day, depending on whether Amy Roberts ( our costume designer ) had given her a hat or not, if she was inside, asleep, or at a cocktail party. She was game for anything so long as it made sense,... I decided the hair combs, pins etc told the story of all her travels, if you look carefully you will see, Maori bone carvings, Venetian glass, a South African wooden ring, and some Chinese beads all used to hold her long pony tail in place,...I don’t have a story for the metal tassels for the cocktail party,.. they just looked,.... right.
I am also looking after Helen Bradbury and Neil Jackson,.. two downstairs staff members who’s looks do not change a lot, but whose company I really enjoy....all in all, this is turning out to be quite fun. |
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Garsington over,.. and the last time in those beautiful grounds,..I think I actually had genuine emotions when Pippa, Melissa and I finally drove away. It was a great season, we were very challenged with some of the looks we had to come up with,...but in the end the full-on-ness of Armedia was ( working solidly from 3:30- 9:00) something we really looked forward too,.. and the good humour of the chorus, made it fun. First up the mens chorus were wigged and face painted then the girls were made up like cupie dolls, and then we changed the boys, and then we painted the boys face's so they matched their eye-wateringly tight lycra outfits, all the while keeping an eye on principals four of whom had to have dramatic changes,.. kept us busy, but in the end it was something we just laughed about ..and we got left over catering food on those nights – well we treated ourselves because we had to work through our dinner break...it’s funny the things you dread most can sometimes be the things you enjoy most. I never quite good my head around the music, but my God can Jessica Pratt hit a high note !, and I really liked the look, the wig pictured was for the second act. The season was running to an end when the designer Christine Allsopp phoned, she was looking for people to do Upstairs Downstaris with her,... in Wales,... hmmm, only two jobs going, but an interview later and she offered them to Pippa and myself, with a promise Melissa could come down on crowd days. Shame to break up the team – but there is always next year at Wormsley.
Christine, Pippa and I went to the read through in London in mid July and were introduced to our artists,.. I am chuffed to bits to be asked to look after Eileen Atkins and Anne Reid. |
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| Garsington in full swing,... a great summer, and we are stuck in the wine cellar, again !. I am really lucky working with Pippa Woods and Melissa Van Tongeren, who create wonderful work and at the same time put up with my mood swings as we try and work our way through the operas,... Figaro looks wonderful, Robert is such a detailed designer,...sadly John Cox has said ( perhaps his arm can be twisted) this will be his final show for Garsington, - we have to introduce another director to Robert, someone with his talent can’t be lost to the States for good. I got to make wigs and hire wigs for this one and to listen to those voices,... it’s one of the reasons I love opera. Midsummer Night’s Dream is less work for us, but again a real treat musically, not very aux fait with Brittens work,.. but James Laing’s counter tenor voice made us all go weak at the knees,... |
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| Well this is bits of all things,... have been still been working on Harry Potter, and am doing fittings for the Garsington season,.. as well as trying to make some wigs for just a general period look. After making some for Jenny Shircore for Young Victoria, I thought a few of those hard front tie backs would be good to have in stock,.. and lo and behold, I start and then get the designs for Figaro e mailed to me,.. how many tie backs do you want ?,.. I just happen to have some ! I asked a friend, Rupert Shelbourne to model it for me, and I think he makes quite an eye catching model !. The image is loosely inspired by Dangerous Liasons, I keep waiting for someone to offer me a job designing a photo shoot based on that work... MAC, Illmasqua, ... anyone ?? |
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| April saw me creating a load of hair pieces for the Crazy Horse night club in Paris,...Angela Cobbin has just asked for some more things for the American production of Mary Poppins and Karin Dawson has asked for some things for a television production of the Nativity she is doing for the BBC,...Garsington is just around the corner,... three operas... a gloriously traditional production of Figaro by Robert Perdziola, for Armida Ashley Martin Davis is creating a whole new look, Japan meets Thierry Mugler, and a very earth bound Midsummer Nights Dream for Francis O'Conner. A summer in Oxford, how lovely, even if it's sadly the last one at the original Garsington Manor,...I am not sure what is happening after that, apparently a lot of films are going on, hurrah !! but as always, I am looking out for that elusive big West End show. |
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| In March I fulfilled a personal ambition and have been working on Harry Potter - witches and wizards at the Ministry of Magic,...that is on going, which is great, pays the bills and gives me time to do the other stuff including a number of hair pieces for a new television mini-series. |
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| February saw me off to create hairstyles on a huge Disney film, John Carter of Mars, very creative work designed by Kevin Alexander supervised by Zoe Brown. A sci-fi look with a vague retro feeling, based on Edgar Rice Buroughs 1920's books. Interesting work but I can't show you pictures yet as I would get shot by Disney! I also put together the hair and make-up for the iconic Stratford East theatre's production of Two Women.- 60's and 80's hairstyles on a tiny weenie budget,. but what a wonderful place to work, a great atmosphere. I also made a wig for Tom Hickey, (who I did Endgame with last year in The West End), for the Gate theatre in Dublin. |
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| It's been a bit chaotic since the beginning of the year, but as usual never dull. I was coming back from New Zealand, via LA, when I got a text "Come home, we have work " - it was once again working for Jenny Shircore, I was asked to work on the film as well as making hair pieces, plaits, false fronts etc, for Bel Ami. The creatives from Cheek by Jowl, are responsible for this film staring Robert Paterson, Kirstin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricca and Uma Thurman. Paris 1880's - very pretty. |
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| Well the play is finished,..what a trip, I havn't run a show for a while,. but that was an interesting one to do. Complicite are an inspiring company to work for and the show got great reviews, and after a slow start ended up selling out !. Simon Annand came and photographed it all for his next book and as part of an exhibition at the V&A, Miriam Margolyes asked me to do her her make-up and hair for several public appearance and a photo shoot, and Tom Hickey has asked me to be involved in his next production at the Gate in Ireland and there may even be another job out of it,.. watch this space. I finished making the dogs for Mary Poppins and also got to improvise something for a group working in Athens - see picture. I did the wig and I believe the performers did their own make-up rather well too! |
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The year was rounded out by working with Jenny Shircore again, this time just three of us doing a pop video for a group called Baby Bird, the video was loosely based on an episode of the Twilight Zone - set somewhere in fictional colonial America, interesting facial, scars and a stunt man who had to be wigged whilst hitting the water and then swimming !,- he wasn't the only one holding his breath. Our director was one Johnny Depp, who I was asked to make-up for a pick up for his next film The Rum Diaries, - very very cool. Sadly no pictures allowed.
Next year - in addition to the work for The Gate, I have been asked to do a Pirandallo play, and plans have started for Garsington, a beautifully traditionally production of Figaro, a down to earth production of Benjamin Britten's Midsummer Nights Dream, and a Rossini opera called Armida - full of devils, peasants and nymphs.
Its been an up and down year, started with a small opera, finsihed with a small play, designed a tv series, worked on a huge film, and did an opera festival,.. I can't complain,... besides who would listen?, but I am really pleased to have this website up and running and I am looking forward to the challenges that next year will bring.
But for now, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. |
| I have just finished working on the feature film 'Clash of the Titans' and now I am back in the West End actually running a show for Complicite. Originally I was asked to design the hair and make up for their production of 'Endgame' at the Duchess Theatre. However, one thing lead to another and it was decided they needed someone to come and do it for them! As I thought I was going to do a film I said I would find someone for them but as that fell throughI suddenly became available. It will keep me busy for a few hours every day till the begining of December and also gives me time to work on other projects. I am still working for Angela Cobbin on 'Mary Poppins', (right now I am making a dog!!). |
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