Blog 16 - RHYL!!!!

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all having a good Monday morning so far.

Last time I blogged was Wednesday last week before two shows at the Alhambra theatre in Bradford. It was a good week there in general. The audiences seemed to enjoy it and we were all relieved by the end of Saturday as it was our last 8 show week of the tour. We realised also that it was also our last English venue. Funnily enough our last 5 venues of the tour list are in 5 different countries - Edinburgh (Scotland), Bradford (England), Rhyl (Wales), Derry (Ireland) and Trieste (Italy). Lots of traveling!

WE OPEN IN RHYL TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday night last week I headed over to Leeds after the show to stay with Haley, Daniella and Charlotte, my good friends who I worked with on The Rocky Horror Show as they were performing in Leeds last week. It was great to have a good old catch up whilst eating pate on toast and garlic bread and crisps and Haley's special birthday cake with a picture of her face on it (all about the carbs that evening). I really miss my Rocky Horror people. The Rocky tour finishes exactly one week after I finish Oklahoma! and so I'm going to go see the show and catch them all before it ends in Aylesbury. Any Rocky fans reading this - I'll see you there!

Saturday night I got a lift back to North Wales with Alex and Beth from Oklahoma! and dropped my case off at my parents farm (The Ranch as we 4 kids call it!) had a few hours sleep before getting up and heading down to Cardiff - two words, NIGHTMARE JOURNEY!!!

My wonderful Mum dropped me off at Rhyl station to get a train to Crewe to get my connection to Cardiff Central - oh nooooo, someone somewhere decided that Sunday the 7th of November was not a day for easy travel as far as Mark Evans was concerned.
Long story short, I was told I had to get a rail replacement bus which ended up being 35 mins late and the driver confessed he didn't know how to get to Chester railway station, "brilliant" I thought. So myself and three random guys I've never met squashed ourselves into a taxi and split the fare to Chester to then get a later then planned train to Crewe. I then had to get a train from Crewe direct to Cardiff Central - funnily enough I only ended up being 70mins later than if the journey had gone to plan!

So then I got picked up and went straight to Acapela Studios to record a new radio programme with the Welsh opera star/TV & Radio presenter Shan Cothi (I adore her). It's basically a new series for Radio Cymru (Welsh language Radio Wales) called 'Cyfle Cothi' which is like an opportunity knocks type thing. They announced on the radio a few months ago that people should send in demos of themselves basically doing their performing party piece so either singing a musical theatre song or playing the harp or belting out a bit of opera etc etc and then the demos would be whittled down by a professional panel and the top 6 would each get to work with a mentor in their specific genre. So I was the mentor for the musical theatre programme which is apparently going to be broadcast on New Years Eve and New Years Day.
So yesterday is was a pleasure to meet and 'mentor' if you will a girl named Laura Blundell. She was a joy to work with and I hope she found the session helpful and will benefit from the advice and tips I was giving her on her vocals, performance and about the entertainment industry in general.

So it ended up being a lovely day and to top it off they gave me a room at the St David's hotel in Cardiff Bay which is just beautiful - I stayed here a couple of years ago after the Welsh BAFTA awards but didn't have time to enjoy the spa or room service or breakfast back then. It did me the world of good to be able to relax last night. I feel refreshed!

So after a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast I am about to be collected by Tony -Remember him?, he's in charge of driving me around from one place to another for anything to do with the Marcaroni programme - (He's a bit like royal mail that way, although he always makes sure I arrive on time!!!)
I am recording the second batch of songs this afternoon as we actually start filming in about 4 weeks - EXCITING!!! I have my first costume fitting before heading to the studio so I shall let you all know what a fool I look in it when I write the next Blog!!!
After I finish recording Tony is driving me back up to North Wales to The Ranch!!!

All that's left to say is "Any North Wales folk - see you at the Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl some point between Tuesday and Saturday this week!!!

Keep your comments coming. Only three more weeks of Oklahoma! so catch it while you can if you're Welsh, Irish or Italian. All English people, you had your chance and if you missed it, SHAME ON YOU! Obviously I'm joking!!!

Have a good day everyone.

Love your lives no matter what

Much love and positivity

Mark