BLOG 98! A week of SUNSHINE!!!

Hey Everyone,

Happy Thursday.

Hope you've all had a great week.

I've been trying to enjoy the sunshine as much as possible whilst we've got it here in the U.K and it's been really nice to drop a few things so that i can chill out.

Last Thursday I had a wonderful friend of mine watching the matinee show so afterwards we had a really nice catch up over some food before i went back into the very hot theatre for a second show.

Friday I was suppose to have a meeting but my voice was feeling a little sorry for itself after blasting out two shows the day before so I decided to cancel it so I could keep quiet and relax in the park with my book. I love London at the moment - I mean, I love it most of the time but it has such an incredible positivity about it at the moment (which is quite rare for Londoners) but between the amazing hot weather, the Jubilee Weekend on it's way and the run up to the Olympics there is a real air of happiness and patriotism everywhere and it's great. It was a pleasure to sit on a deck chair in Green Park and watch the world pass by while I just sit and enjoy the sun and my book! 

I then headed to work for the show which was good and then went to stay with a mate who was moving out of his flat on Saturday morning so I made sure I was there to help him before driving into central town for a guitar lesson and two shows! I knew I was going to need the car after the evening performance which is why I drove in for the third Saturday on the trot! Can't make a habit of it though as London ain't cheep for all-day weekend parking!

After the matinee my voice felt ready to give up so instead of letting it, by just laying down and giving my body time to shut down while I lay on my couch in my dressing room I decided I needed to keep the blood pumping to keep my voice warm and active so I popped to my gym next door and did an hour on the exercise bike and then had a steam, some good food and geared myself up for the last show of the week which was great. I was very happy to walk out of stage door on Saturday night and get in my car and drive down to Brighton as I was staying there with a friend so that we could hang out by the beach and enjoy the sunshine on the Sunday. It was an amazing place, a penthouse apartment on the sea front with a massive terrace balcony to just lounge on and catch some rays. I lay there relaxing as long as I could until I got bored (I'm not very good at sunbathing) then we went for a walk along the edge of the water on the beach before grabbing lunch in The Lanes and doing a bit of shopping and then getting in the car to leave. I love Brighton and was considering maybe buying a place to live down there but decided on Sunday that actually I would end up not appreciating it's splendour as a town if i lived there as i'd be so used to it that it would be my normality which would then result in me not being able to consider a weekend at the beach as a treat! It'd also be pretty darn expensive to buy a place on the sea front so I'll just wait until I'm a millionaire! Ha.

Sunday evening I drove with my mate to visit my best friend Sal and we went for Sunday roast and a couple of drinks to a great pub that we used to go to when we were in college together 7 years ago so it was nice to catch up over good food and good company.

That evening we sat and watched The Lovely Bones which is a film that was based on the novel of the same name. We were going to watch something else I'd bought on DVD but thought as Lovely Bones was on the telly box we might as well watch that. It certainly wasn't the best film I've ever seen but I didn't dislike it! I just thought it could have been edited a lot better and they could've shaved a considerable amount off the running time of it! But worth a watch I suppose!

The next morning I drove my mate home and then went to buy lots of healthy food before doing lots of boring office work and then heading to the gym to do a lot of cardio. I've been a little too indulgent with my food over the past few weeks and have been restricted with the amount of gym work I can do because it effects my voice so at the beginning of this week I decided 'right that's it Mevans, fatty time is over, let's get cracking' and it felt blooming great to sweat out a load of toxins and feel really energised. 

After the show on Monday night I headed home to watch a bit of a DVD but fell asleep half way through! Lame! 

Tuesday I wanted to feel motivated by the gym again so I headed there after a small breakfast and busted my ass for 2 hours including a swim which was amazing! I had the whole pool to myself for the entire time I was in there. It's like therapy of the mind for me, swimming and having time to think! Can't recommend it enough as it's one of the best forms of exercise for the whole body at the same time! 

After that I met my mate Callum and we walked to Hyde Park and chilled by the water and laughed a lot. Hyde Park looked stunning in the sunshine! After that we headed to work and Tuesday night's show was awesome. The audience were incredible and I was buzzing and had one of my many 'I bloody love my job' moments! After that I went home and chilled out with a bowl of Just Right! (a healthy cereal that I'm kind of addicted to at the mo!) 

I woke yesterday morning (Wednesday) and sorted a few things out at home before heading to the gym for a run and a swim and then for my weekly physio appointment before having a meeting which I got really excited about! 

After that I walked from London Waterloo across the bridge to the theatre and had another 'I LOVE THIS CITY' moment!  …….Right now, I just had an 'I LOVE THAT I HAVE THOSE MOMENTS' moment! :-)

The show last night was great and I headed home, chilled out and then woke this morning fresh as a daisy ready to head in for a swim and then to meet our director for some rehearsing and then two good shows! 

I hope you're all well and happy! Oh by the way, I now (finally) have my photo cards from Ghost so if you've sent me fantail in the past 5 months I am about to star whittling my way through it all, it's gonna take me a while but I promise to get back to each and everyone of you who contacted me and included a stamped addressed envelope! If anybody does want a picture signed, just drop my a letter to stage door and I'll get back to you when I can.

Thanks for reading and as always for your continued support! I have confirmed that I'll be doing a nice little gig in June which I imagine a lot of you will be attending so I hope to see you there…..all will be revealed!!! All I'm gonna say is - who's going to West End Live this year???? ;-)

Stay happy, love yourselves, your family and friends and life! 

Believe! 

Sh-boom!

Mark

Blog 97!!! An Amazing Week!

Morning Everyone,

Happy Thursday! Happy SUNNY day!

Isn't this weather amazing?! I have a tan from being in Wales - now there's a first. I'm sitting here in my shorts and vest with a lovely breakfast and looking forward to two shows (even if the weather being 28 degrees outside will result in me getting VERY sweaty!) 

It's been an amazing week since my last blog. 

Last Thursday after the matinee I met up with my friend Laura Hamilton who I haven't seen for quite a while. We worked together on Cinderella the pantomime in Bromley over three years ago. She was also the runner up on last year's Dancing On Ice with another friend of mine Colin Ratushniak who was her professional skating partner. It was really good to see her and catch up. She's getting married towards the end of this year which is exciting.

After the second show on Thursday I headed home to read and get a good night's sleep. Friday morning I was helping a friend move out of his house before heading into town to chill in my dressing room with my friend Haley who came over for a cuppa and a catch up and then I had my guitar lesson.

After Friday night's show I went home to pack for my trip to Wales. I woke Saturday morning, loaded my car up and drove into central London so that my car was there ready to whizz back to North Wales after the evening show (which is exactly what I did the weekend before too). The matinee was good on Saturday but by the end of it I could really feel my voice, body and brain shutting down - it's that classic thing when you know you have a chance to relax ahead of you, your body and mind start to unwind a little too early. So Saturday night's show was really quite tough and I was so happy to get through it and I raced out of the theatre to jump in my car and just escape London and to not have to sing and shout and just drive to the peaceful haven that is, my family home in Wales. I managed to get home an hour earlier than the week before too because I didn't hang around in London, I just ran from my dressing room and I knew a few shortcuts to get out of london quicker - is it against the law to drive the wrong way down a quiet one way street in Soho?! It is? Oh well - never mind! ;-) 

I arrived at 2am and climbed into bed and stayed there until the cows mooing woke me up the next morning and I thought 'well, I'm certainly home on the farm!'

I had a very relaxed day on Sunday just with my nieces and reading my book and then in the evening, My parents and I went to visit my cousin and her family who live on a hill in the middle of a very rural area and I realised I hadn't actually been to their house in about 15 years! That's ridiculous. We had a lovely night and it was the first time in many weeks that I actually had a glass of wine and didn't have to be concerned about the consequences it may have on my voice! 

After I got home that evening I felt really exhausted. Probably the combination of being in different surroundings together with finally having some time to unwind from the show and then a couple of glasses of wine to make me feel a little groggy - so I lay in bed thinking 'tomorrow morning I'm gonna book a couple of treatments in a spa I know' and that's exactly what I did. I woke early and called Bodysgallen Hall which is a hotel and Spa on the outskirts of Llandudno on the coast of North Wales. I took my mum to stay there for a couple of nights a few years ago and so I knew it was the perfect place to go. 

I arrived a half hour early and sat on their outdoor terrace in the blazing sunshine and read a chapter of my book - The Hunger Games book 3 which I'm over half way through now and am enjoying, but neither the 2nd or the 3rd are as good as the first in my opinion. I then went in for my treatments. I had booked a 1 hour full body massage which then went straight into a 1hr 15min facial. Laying on a bed for 2 hours and a 1/4 with a lovely young lady relaxing every inch of your body (well not quite every inch - cheeky) is always going to be a pleasure isn't it! The therapist was great as were the treatments and afterwards I went and sat in their relaxation room and read another chapter of my book before driving home along the North Wales coast with my windows right down feeling the sea air blowing my hair around which was very greasy from the massage oil and I had my music blaring and I felt like I could just keep driving like that for an eternity. The massages were both described in the brochure as 'energising' and I certainly felt in good spirits that evening. I was pulling up the drive of our farm and my mum and sister were going for a walk around the block - does everyone have a block that they walk around at home? Be it a collection of housing estates, or some fields or a road that leads around in some sort of circle? Anyway I said to them "wait 10 minutes for me to have some food and then we'll head for a walk up Moel Famau instead"  - and that's what we did. Moel Famau is a mountain in the Vale of Clwyd which is a mountain range which surrounds the county where I was brought up and as your driving along the road to my folks place Moel Famau looks like a big boob with a nipple on the top of it! The nipple is actually a small castle like turret at the peak of the mountain which looks so exciting until you get there and realise it's just a rather dull stoney pile of dark stone - however the view is breathtaking. It was about 8pm by the time we reached the top and we sat there feeling like we were sat on the top of the world. I know I tend to harp on about it quite a lot but I feel so privileged, honoured and lucky to have been brought up in such a picturesque beautiful area - an area that is such an amazing escape from the hustle and bustle of London city life!

We headed down from the mountain and after a long chat with my brother in law about which bathroom I want in my flat (he is a plumber and is coming down to transform my bathroom while I go on holiday in September), I went home to read in bed and feel happy to have had an amazing day at home!

I woke on Tuesday and headed to my sister's house which is only half a mile away from the ranch (which is what we call my parents farm!) and she was painting their garden fence so I picked up a brush and helped! Five hours later, we're still painting and my back is sun burnt and bright red, my David Guetta CD has played on loop a good 7 times from my car and the fence is still only about 1/8th painted! It was the only good thing about coming back to London that I didn't feel guilty about not being able to help any more than that! 

I did however have a little break during that five hours to put on some of my brother-in-law's swim shorts and get in the paddling pool with my 3 year old niece - baring in mind the paddling pool was only 3 feet in diameter and about 12 inches tall (yup kinda small) so the only way I could fit in it was by sitting upright with my legs crossed thus resulting in my poor niece being squashed to one side of it, but she insisted I stayed there so she could fill her plastic teapot with water (and grass) and then poor it over uncle Mark's head! It didn't take us long to dry off on the trampoline though! It was a great afternoon where I returned to my childhood for a couple of hours! 

That evening the whole family came to the ranch to wish my brother a happy 30th birthday (he'd just got back from Vegas so there were no big celebrations as he was a shattered, so we all had fish and chips and sat around looking at old photographs and newspaper cuttings of him that my mum had put together in a special album for him for his birthday! It was really funny because my brother it quite often in the local newspapers in the sports pages because he plays football for the local town and some of his facial expressions in the action shots were just perfect material for a good old belly laugh! He was mortified seeing so many ugly pictures of himself in the same album! I found it highly amusing!

That evening I felt truly gutted that I had to drive back to London. I felt I'd just had the chance to unwind properly and then it was all taken away from me as I typed London into my sat nav and bid my family farewell. Really wasn't ready to leave, I could have gladly stayed there the rest of the week and bathed in the sunshine and laughed and enjoyed my family but alas London was calling.

The drive back was great, granted I broke a few speed limits but I made it back in good time and got myself a great night's sleep before waking and having a chill out day in the sun before heading for a meeting in the early evening and then on to Sadler's Wells to watch Matthew Bourne's Early Adventures which was absolutely wonderful! It was a breath of fresh air to watch a dance piece that was so narrative and entertaining with a great cast who were very inspiring and extremely talented! 

After that I headed home for a very warm sleep with windows open and listening to the local foxes mating - which sounds excruciatingly painful doesn't it?!! Ouch those poor Vixen! Ha

Right I think I've written enough for today! I'm off to sweat off my entire mass of bodily fluid on a west end stage! Sexy eh?! 

Have a great week people! Enjoy the sunshine and enjoy your lives! 

Keep Believing! 

Sh-Boom!!! 

Mark

Blog 96!!! A Trip To The Homeland!

Hi Everyone,

How you doing? Happy Thursday.

Hope you've all had a great week since my last blog! I certainly have cos it involved a visit to the homeland which is always good.

So last Thursday was a busy two show day and both shows were great. After a good sleep I woke on Friday morning and went to meet my friend Callum who also works at Ghost but lives around the corner from me. He recently had an operation and is off the show for a few weeks resting so I drove him to the supermarket so he could get a bit of exercise walking around the store and then we had a lovely brunch. We had a massive smoothie with the most fruit in it you've ever seen. So I then got on the train in to London and as I was reading my book I suffered a massive crash from all the natural sugars that I'd consumed in the fruit! - Yeah that's right, my life is so Rock & Roll that I get a comedown from too much fruit! Should be considered a class A substance! I was so sleepy. I  could have literally fallen asleep whilst walking around London.

Luckily I had quite a relaxing afternoon planned! I had an appointment with my body repair man aka the physio Fabi who is a genius (he let me sleep for half an hour while he fixed my broken parts) and then I had an hour's complimentary massage in the Bowen Technique - it's all part of the set up when I initially joined my gym. I got the massage as part of my membership! It was kinda weird. He poked a couple of areas on my back and then left the room. Re-entered after 2 minutes and poked another couple of places on my neck and then left the room again. The next thing I know, he's waking me up from a deep sleep saying the session had finished and that I had been lay there for a full hour! Whatever he poked completely knocked me out and sent my body into complete relaxation mode! Good times! 

I then had a guitar lesson before work which was fun as was the show that night. After a good sleep on Friday night I woke nice and early to top my car up with fuel before driving into central London so that my car was there ready for when I finished the evening show so I could jet home to Wales as soon as I could. I had a nice hour to kill in the sunshine once i'd parked the car so I headed to the park and sat on a bench while I choreographed a routine in my head for all my workshop kids on the Sunday.

After the first show on Saturday I sat in m dressing room watching a DVD with a mate and then ate lots of sweets to energise myself for the second show. 

Saturday night's show was great. It was a fab crowd and a great way to end the week! I then rushed to meet my friend Gareth who was coming to Wales with me to teach and boy was I grateful for his company in the car. It took a good 4 hours to get back. I arrived my parents farm at 3.15am and headed straight to bed.

I woke on Sunday morning feeling like I had done two shows of Ghost and then a long ass drive home the day before (oh wait I had) - I forced myself to wake up and then headed to the theatre where I was running the West End In Wales Sunday Funday 4 hour workshop. We had 45 kids and it was a really great afternoon. I love working with passionate kids and teenagers because it reminds me of how I was in my youth and keeps me inspired to work hard and makes me very grateful for how my life has turned out and that I'm getting to do what I love for a living! There was some serious talent at the workshop and I'm hoping to see lots of them again at this year's summer school in August!

If anyone of you are interested in coming along to my last ever course in North Wales - the dates are August 13th-18th and you can download an application form from www.WestEndInWales.com - Everyone is welcome providing you're between 10-18 years old! Spread the word! The LAST EVER summer school!!!

Sunday evening I chilled at home with my family. My Mam cooked us all my favourite dish which is her home made Chicken And Mushroom Lasagne and I ate loads of it. I then had a fun night with everyone being silly and having a laugh as we bid my brother farewell because he headed to Las Vegas early in the week for his 30th birthday celebrations! Him and 15 other lads. I have to admit I'm glad I didn't take him up on the offer of joining them as that holiday is going to get messy!!!

I had an early night on Sunday before waking up on Monday nice and early and jumping in my car with my Mam and we headed back to London. The drive was great. It was so nice to have a good few hours just Mam and I to chat and laugh and enjoy seeing each other. She is one of my best mates and I love it when we get to hang out!

We arrived london in the early afternoon and I took her for some nice food before she joined me in the recording studio as I recorded some backing vocals for a track on my new album. It was officially the last thing I had to record and it felt great! My mum loved seeing how it all worked - I tried to get her to sing a record a line os I could say she's on my album but she refused!

For those of you who didn't hear I am releasing a deluxe edition of my album which will be available on June 18th to buy. It's what I've been working on so much in the recording studio for the past couple of months but not been able to let on about it until now. It's the same concept as my debut album but with English versions of the songs that were recorded in Welsh the last time plus a few bonus tracks including another duet as well as the one originally on there which is 'Alive' featuring Ashleigh Gray! There will be 15 tracks in total! 

Thanks to all of you who have been in touch on Facebook or Twitter or mailed my manager to say you're excited about the album. It has been a lot of hard work fitting it in around Ghost because the show is so vocally demanding but I'm thrilled that it's out soon and i'll be doing an official album signing at Dress Circle shop in Covent Garden on June the 16th so if you want the album a whole 2 days before then make sure you're there. Will be great to see you all in person and thank you for your continued support! More details will follow nearer the time.

Also the week before that, June 11th is the official release date of the single I have recorded with Siobhan Dillon who I play opposite in Ghost which is a beautifully arranged duet version of Unchained Melody which has never been heard anywhere before. It's not the version that's in the show, although it still has a ghostly eerie feel to it! We love it and are very proud of it and can't wait for you all to hear it! Also what we decided to do was add two extra tracks to the single (making 3 tracks in total) which are karaoke versions of the song -  so one will have just my voice on it and the other will just be Siobhan's so you can sing a duet with whichever one of us you decide! I've had lots of people say to me that they'd like to sing a duet with me - well….now's your chance! Ha.

So back to this week. Monday evening my mum watched the show with a friend of mine (it was her 3rd time - lord knows how many times she'll come before the end of my contract). Afterwards I drove us both home and we sat with a cuppa to have a good chat before getting to bed. 

We woke on Tuesday and I took her to a lovely local cafe for brunch before taking her to get on the train back to Wales. I am heading home to Wales this weekend again as I have 3 days holiday from the show starting Monday next week so I am heading home to enjoy my family and embrace as much silence as possible where I won't be required to sing or shout or even talk unless I choose to! Absolute bliss and most definitely overdue and needed!

After bidding farewell to Mother Evans I couldn't be bothered heading home again so I went to chill and watch TV in my dressing room and play a bit of guitar before heading for a swim and a steam before work.

After the show I headed home and was more than ready for my bed. The weekend and having Mum down here had certainly caught up with me.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I woke and had a chill out morning before heading for physio and then I had a meeting in the afternoon which went really well and then I headed to work a little early as Siobhan and I needed to sign a batch of the single CD's for the record label before the release next month. I'm so glad to finally be able to talk about everything. I feel like I've been working on so much which has been kept shtum for some time! It's all good stuff and I reckon it's gonna be a great summer!

So last night's show was amazing. The audience were fab and after having a really good day I thoroughly enjoyed performing the show. I love singing the music of the show (especially when my voice decides it wants to be well behaved!). 

So this morning just leaves me here chilling with some meditation music on whilst I write this and then I'm gonna head into work for a good old two shows! Bring it on!

Thanks for reading folks and for you amazing support as always! 

Keep believing and love your lives!

Sh-Boom!

Mark

BLOG 95! A wedding, A Bank Holiday & Some Dutch People

Hey Everyone

Happy Thursday.

Hope you're all feeling good today and ready for a great weekend! I have a a good week since the last blog.

Thursday was all about the two shows really. I had lots of friends watching the matinee and then I saw them afterwards for a quick hello before the second show.

Friday was just a full day of silence basically for my voice. Really got in to the second Hunger Games (finally- it took a while to get going) and so I enjoyed reading that. I had a vocal massage and that's about it.

Saturday I woke and headed in to town to have a nice brunch and read more of my book before the matinee and then in between the shows I had a catch up with a couple of friends and a play through of some songs I needed to learn for a couple of things which was good. After the show on Saturday I headed home and then drove over to a mates house to watch a film and chill out. I stayed over there and just had a lazy day all day Sunday. Watched Brothers & Sisters, ate nice food, watched 'Despicible Me' the animated film but the DVD kept jumping so we saw an hour of it and had to use our imaginations to fill in the gaps. Still funny though. My mate then cooked an amazing roast dinner before I headed to a wedding reception in the evening which was a couple of hours away in the car. It was a friend of mine who I did Rocky Horror Show with who was getting married and she looked amazing. The whole venue and reception was incredible. I had a really nice night and was great to catch up and enjoy time with good friends and see two people so happy on their wedding day!

I then drove home and really enjoyed some alone time in the car with music blaring and very little traffic on the road. There's something almost therapeutic about driving I feel sometimes, especially at night. I am heading home to North Wales this weekend and am looking forward to finishing the show on Saturday night and then jumping straight in the car and driving for 4 hours to North Wales for my Sunday Funday workshop which I'll mention shortly.

I got in after the drive home Sunday night and actually stayed up until about 4am watching some YouTube videos and doing some online research for a project that I'm working on at the moment. I then got to sleep and woke at 9am. I decided that I too would treat myself to a 'normal' style bank holiday Monday - and by normal I mean like the people who don't have to work, I did go to work to do the show in the evening obviously but I allowed myself to lay in bed and read in the morning and then have some breakfast then go back to sleep for a couple of hours before then heading to the gym for a run and a swim and a steam, which I really enjoyed. It set me up good and proper for a good show on Monday night and it was nice to feel like I had a bit of a lazy bank holiday!

Tuesday I woke early as I had to head into town for a meeting at midday before then going to the gym for a swim and hitting the studio to record something. I have been working a lot in the studio over the past few weeks and I think Tuesday was potentially my last day! I certainly hope so because all this extra vocal work is tough when doing a job like Ghost.

After that I went to my dressing room, lay on my sofa for a couple of hours reading and watching some property programmes on TV. There are so many on the box at the moment aren't there?! At every hour of the day there is a property programme on some channel or another. Not that I'm complaining. I'm looking to buy another flat at the moment and it makes me inspired and gives me ideas when I watch those programmes.

After the show on Tuesday I headed home silently for a good sleep.

I woke on Wednesday morning (yesterday) and went to meet my manager for a meeting and then I had physio before going to work to be a part of the press launch for the new production of Ghost The Musical which is opening in Holland in September. We met the 4 principals who are taking on the roles who are all lovely and we did lots of pictures and interviews to celebrate a new production opening this year! It was fun!

After that I sat in my dressing room for a couple of hours working on things for my workshop this weekend. The company I run, West End In Wales which is primarily a theatre website with lots of information for aspiring performers -  but was initially set up six years ago as a musical theatre summer school in North Wales which has been held annually since 2006 (this August is the final summer school). However one of the new things we introduced this year were our Sunday Fundays.

This Sunday will be the last of the Fundays for this year and will be the best one so far. It's basically 4 hours between 12-4pm for people aged 10-18 to spend time with me, my assistant director Aimee Davies and experienced actor Gareth Aled to have a very relaxed fun afternoon of acting, singing and dancing but most importantly the chance to hang out with us, ask any questions about our lives, the industry, where to train, what it's like as a professional performer, we'll be working on vocal technique, script work, direction, movement, accents!  All this just for £10.00.

So head on down to the Pavilion Theatre in Rhyl this Sunday from 12-4pm for a great afternoon.  You don't need to book, you don't need to be Welsh, you don't need to be experienced, just turn up and bring your friends. The more the merrier to join in the fun! It's not very often you get the opportunity to be in a room full of people who you don't really know very well but you do know that they all share the same interest and inspired passion for performing or for theatre in general which is why I set it up in the first place!

After I worked on all that stuff I did the show. The audience were great and it was nice to know that the Dutch cast and press were in watching the show. They really enjoyed it and are very much looking forward to getting started on their own production which has it's premiere night on September 9th. 

After the show last night I came straight home and headed to bed as I was well and truly shattered. 

Today is going to be a good day I can feel it.

Hope you've enjoyed reading folks. Thanks for your support as always. By the way I've had a few people tweet and message me about fan mail. I am still (4 months later) waiting for printed pictures from Ghost to come through and when they do I will reply to you. If you sent me a letter to the stage door, please be safe in the knowledge that providing it was addressed to me it will definitely have arrived and I will have it in my room and will reply as soon as possible.

Have a great week everyone.

Keep believing!

Sh-Boom!

Mark

BLOG 94! Silence, Cinema and Show Changes!

Hi Everyone,

Happy Thursday.

Hope you're all having a good morning so far! It's been a good week since my last blog if not a little quiet vocally! 

Last Friday I had some work to do in the morning before having a physio session and then meeting my friend Haley for a bit of shopping and a good old catch up over lunch! I then headed to work and by the end of the show I was absolutely pooped! My voice had decided it didn't want to sing anymore and as much as I rested and steamed and slept on Friday night I woke Saturday morning and realised there was no way I was going to get through one performance let alone two. So I was off work and on mute! I did some work on my laptop and drove around a little bit because I love driving and it gives me a great feeling of independence which kind of makes you forget any worries. Maybe I should call my car Hakuna Matata? 

I hate being off work but I knew the best thing I could do would be to relax and let my voice recover. So it ended up being a very quiet weekend really. I watched lots of TV and listened to some new music I had downloaded and read a few bits and pieces of research for a couple of projects I have coming up.

It did me some good to relax and Sunday. I chilled during the day, drove to a Starbucks to sit and read and let my mind switch off and then headed over to a friends house for nice food, a couple of films and no talking! Perfect.

I woke on Monday morning and just placed my mind in a positive place and decided that my voice was not in control and that I was going back to work no matter what. Luckily my voice seemed to listen to my way of thinking because I was able to sing and talk again come midday- clearly the rest works a treat! It's bloody boring though. For someone who likes to talk, being completely mute is really dull! 

So I headed in to town go for a run and a swim - was annoyed because I'd forgotten my goggles and my eyes go weird if I open them under the water so I just did 30 lengths looking like a dog who'd just been thrown into a river and was trying to paddle his way out but going against the tide. Well hey, it's still exercise eh?!

After that I met one of the boys from the cast and we went to chill in the park before work. My friend Oli Tompsett was watching the show on Monday with his wife which was nice and I saw them afterwards for a quick hello before heading home to let my voice recover from being thrown straight back in at the deep end! 

Tuesday morning I woke and had a few boring things to work on like speaking to my accountant and mortgage advisors and all that sort of stuff and then I headed for a run at the gym before meeting my lovely friend Ben Stott who I worked with on Wicked - he's my brother from another mother! It was really great to see him. After our coffee I met with my friend Holly who was my dresser at Ghost until last Wednesday. We went to the cinema to watch 'Salmon Fishing In The Yemen' which stars Ewan McGregor (who used to be in my dressing room at the Piccadilly Theatre when he did Guys & Dolls and he's signed the wall in my toilet!) and Emily Blunt. it was quite slow moving but good. Quite often one of the main reasons I go to watch films in the cinema is to be inspired by actors who I admire. It's always good to watch other people's work and this is one of the most valuable bits of advice I give to aspiring performers in my opinion - just get inspired. Watch things, listen to things, read things. Anything that is going to make you feel motivated and inspired. I do it to help me during long contracts on a show where I am having to perform the same role 8 shows a week for months on end. It makes me feel really excited about it all! 

After the film I had a meeting with my manager and then headed to work for the show. I then went home to get a good sleep before a busy day yesterday (Wednesday). I woke and wrote my morning pages which is a new thing I have started doing after a friend told me about it. You basically wake up and write 3 A4 pages of whatever comes into your head. It sounds a lot but once you get going it's really easy and it's a great way to clear your head of anything you need to and then get your mind in gear for the day ahead. It takes me 20 minutes an the most liberating thing is that I can have really messy hand writing because no one is going to read it - not even me. The idea is, once you've written it all you juts forget about it! It's brilliant. So yeah I did that yesterday morning and then jumped in the shower before heading to the cinema to watch 'The Lucky One' which is Zac Efron's new film. Now a lot of people will find this quite surprising but I actually get really inspired by Zac Efron's work. Four years ago I played Troy Bolton in the stage version of High School Musical at the Hammersmith Apollo in London and it was amazing. I watched the film quite a few times before auditioning and starting rehearsals so I have really seen how his career has completely changed since then and the stuff he is doing now is really well respected stuff and I think he's made some incredibly wise choices in his career and I admire him for that and actually think he's a good actor! It's a good film. I mean, it's clearly been shot so that all the teenage gals and guys who fancy Zac get their fill of his biceps, pecks and ass but the story is good and the location and scenery footage is stunning! I really enjoyed it!

After that I went for a run and a swim at the gym before meeting my agent for a catch up and then heading into the theatre for a rehearsal. We have started applying a few changes to the show which are adaptions which were made to the broadway production so last night's show involved a few script changes, new lines and new lyrics. I actually had to sing a complete new verse in one of the songs and believe me when a song is in your muscle memory having sung it daily for 4 months it's pretty damn hard to change it and focus on new lyrics, but I managed it and I like the new version. It's good to keep us on our toes too! I like that it's getting updated.

I was being mocked at work last night by people telling me I was 'The Ghost With The Most' which is the headline for the fitness feature I did for Attitude Magazine's 'Active' section. It's 5 pages of (semi clothed) photographs of me in sports gear and an interview. Lots of people ask me on Facebook, Twitter and in person for workout tips and for inspiration and diet advice -  well although I refuse to give advice because I don't consider myself qualified, I just do what I need to do personally - I do recommend you buy this because it does reveal some tips and tricks I have that work for me and I tell them all about how I keep in shape! Let me know what you think if you buy it.

After the show last night I needed my sleep because of the busy day but it was a good one. 

I woke this morning and wrote my 3 pages and now I'm typing this before I head into town for a chill out couple of hours and then two shows. I have lots of people I know watching the matinee today so I'm looking forward to doing what will hopefully be a great show.

Before I sign off for this week I want to mention the Gotye cover video that Siobhan and I recorded and filmed and that ghost released on YouTube last friday. We loved the original song and thought it'd be fun to do our own version of it but make it a little closer to the feel of our show. If you haven't seen it already, take a look, we're delighted with the positive response. Over 15,000 views in 5 days! It's spreading like wild fire! :-) Thanks for passing it around!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoK1zSQMeBo

Have a great week folks. 

Keep believing!

Sh-Boom!

Mark

Blog 93! Steps, Hens & Lots Of Rides!

Hi Everyone!

Happy Thursday!

Hope you've all had a really great week. Mine has been good 'cause for half of it I was not working! Woop woop!

So the last time I blogged i mentioned my plans for last Thursday were to head into town for a few bits and bobs and then watch one of my best friends in Matilda the musical. Well unfortunately my friend was signed off with a sinus infection and was not able to perform so I didn't end up going and am still yet to see the show. However I decided to just have a really chilled out day so I went for a swim and a steam and then had a men's facial at the spa in my gym which was amazing (and made me look 10 years younger!) - Then I read some more of my second book in The Hunger Games trilogy whilst eating some nice dinner and then booked myself in for a foot therapy for tired feet and legs in the Thai Square Spa in Covent garden which was amazing. It was 75 minutes of a guy with demon hands working on my feet, legs, hands, arms, shoulders and head and then did some thai stretching to end the session. I came out feeling like a new person and like he had pressed a reboot button for my body! Perfect!

I then lay in their relax lounge on one of their loungers and read another chapter of my book whilst drinking some herbal concoction that he gave me. It was amazing.

That evening I went to the cinema to watch 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' which I thought was great. Really funny and a great message about making the most of your life. I left feeling moved by the story and performances and inspired by the actors. I highly recommend it!

I then had a couple of drinks with a friend before heading home.

Friday morning I woke relatively early so I could head over to my best friend Sally's house to film a question and answer session with her fiancee whilst she was at the gym - all part of the preparation for the Hen Party I was organising for her for Sunday. She then came home and the two of us went to have a nice lunch in a sushi restaurant and decided to buy a bottle of bubbly to celebrate our friendship and life! We've been best friends for 10 years through thick and thin and I'm so proud and happy for her that she's getting married! 

So drinking at 1pm set the tone for the rest of the day. After a short shopping trip with Sal I headed home to meet my flatmate who had already prepared a large gin and tonic for my arrival (the first of many) and then we both got ready and headed out for dinner and cocktails before meeting some other friends for even more drinks and then at 8.30 headed into the O2 arena to watch STEPS live! It was an amazing night! We were all so merry and stupid acting because of the alcohol and the music blaring and everyone bouncing around and dancing to all of the songs they are best known for. It was really great fun. We then headed back to have drinks with the band and other guests in the bar which was nice and then staggered home! I laughed and laughed and danced and laughed and then laughed a bit more! It was one of the best ways to enjoy a night off work.

Saturday morning I woke and did the finishing touches to all my friends Hen Party preparations and then met a good friend of mine for a stroll around London, dinner and then we watched 'One Man Two Guvnors' at the Haymarket Theatre. Owain Arthur from North Wales who I know is currently playing the lead role, played originally by James Corden and he was superb. It was so great to hear a broad north Welsh accent on a west end stage. It's a great show! VERY FUNNY!!! Go and see it if you want to laugh a lot!

After a good sleep on Saturday night I woke Sunday ready and raring to go full steam ahead with my best friends Hen! We started with 3 hours of a champagne afternoon tea during which I'd organised a few games and fun stuff and then we headed to a cocktail bar before heading back to her parents place where we stayed the night! I was the ONLY GUY with 16 gals….. I managed to survive. It was a lot of fun and the next day we went to Sal's final dress fitting before the wedding (which is in less than 7 weeks!) She looked amazing! I was very proud.

I then headed into town to do a hard 2 hour work out at the gym with my trainer. I'm struggling to type now 'cause my shoulders are still really achey and they twitch every time I press a key on my computer! The things we do eh?!

I had a few friends watching the show on Monday night and I was very happy to be back at work after a change of scenery for 4 days.

Tuesday morning was way too early a wake up call for my liking but I brought it on myself. I'd organised an outing to Thorpe Park for a group of people from the show which meant I had to get up at 7.20am to meet them at the train station to all travel down there together. Although we were all very tired it was the best day we could have gone. The easter holidays had just finished and the weather has been so miserable, which meant that it was really quiet and we barely had to queue for any of the rides. We went on some of them a few times. It was great fun. The only downside at one point was that I was on a ride called 'Stealth' which launches you forward then straight up into the air, arches round a bend then you plummet straight back down again. It was amazing and the first time I went on it I actually felt like I was flying. Then the second time I went on it, during the descent when we were dropping at about 80mph, something hit my in the face. Something had clearly fallen out of someone's pocket and it felt like a wallet or sunglasses case or something, but the other guys who I was with said they saw something fly out of one of the front carriages and then it smacked my on my eye and my nose - So much so that I had a big lump on my eyebrow and it went bright red and my head was throbbing. I laughed it off but thinking about it, that was actually really dangerous! Didn't stop me going on again for a third time later on in the day though! 

By the time we were on our way back into London to go to work we were all absolutely exhausted. We all slept on the train and then I grabbed some food and had an hour's sleep in my dressing room, which meant that it was then extremely difficult to get myself going for the show but I managed to do it and it was a great show. I had my little sidekick from Wicked watching on Tuesday, Ben Stott and it was nice to know that he was in! I miss working with him and seeing him for an interval cup of tea in the dressing room. I think if I had a hot drink at the interval of Ghost I might melt from the inside out - i get very hot during the show because of how busy my track is and all the physical elements of the role! 

I had a long sleep on Tuesday night and then yesterday (Wednesday), once I managed to peel myself out of bed I headed into central London to buy some leaving gifts for my dresser, Holly who was dressing me for the last time last night - I was very sad about this. She was so great to work with and made what can be a tough job sometimes a lot more bearable just by having banter and making me laugh. She will be missed! 

Once I bought her a few things I headed to do a good hour in the gym before hitting the recording studio to do some more recording. I'm nearly done with it all and then I'll be able to let you all know what I've been up to!!!

Then before i did the show last night I was interview for a Welsh TV show call TAG, in which we were chatting all about Ghost and also my company WEST END IN WALES. I have a big announcement about West End In Wales actually. For the past 6 years each August I have held a summer school in North Wales to promote youth theatre and to give people the opportunity to be taught by myself and other west end actors for a whole week - however, this year will be the last ever summer school.

 I will still be holding workshops and doing various things in the area but after this year's course which is held August 13th-18th in St.Asaph the summer school will be no more.

So if you're between 10-18 and interested in a week's professional training then check out www.WestEndInWales.com for more information and to download your booking form! 

Last night's show was great, the audience were amazing. I really enjoyed it and then headed home to do some work online and then had a sleep which brings me to here and now - laying on my bed typing this and contemplating heading out for breakfast before a two show day!

Thanks for reading as always. I hope you have a great week!

Make the most of everyone and everything because when they're not around you really miss them! That is my quote for this week! 

Keep believing!

Sh-Boom!!!

Mark

Blog 92!!! And he's off! (for 4 days)

Hey Everyone,

Happy Thursday.

Hope you've had a cracking day. I feel like having champagne with my breakfast today to celebrate the fact that I have three days off work which means I don't have to sing or shout or even move if I don't want to. BRILLIANT!!! Don't get me wrong, as regular readers of my blog you will all know how much I love my job and am full of gratitude but there is only one word to describe how I have felt recently and that's exhausted! It's always the same when you get closer and closer to some time off you want it to come even sooner! So I am heading for a men's express facial and massage just after lunch and then I'm meeting a friend for cocktails all afternoon before heading to watch another friend in Matilda because she took over the role of the teacher Miss Honey on Tuesday night! So I can already tell you that this day is gonna be a great one!

So this week has been an interesting one. Last Thursday matinee I had 48 people in from North Wales watching the show and so I went to meet them afterwards in the auditorium and it was great to see them all and have them all enjoy the show so much. They are so supportive in everything I do! 

Friday I had a great day. I met my friend Caroline in the morning to go and watch The Hunger Games in the cinema which we loved. It obviously didn't have the same amount of amazing detail as the book and I actually much preferred the book, but a film can never be as good in my opinion because there's nothing like using your own imagination to create a world that you can believe in and invest in as much as you do when you read a story. But I felt that the film was a very good adaptation and it kept true to the characters' personalities and all the key parts of the story.

After that we went for lunch and then coffee before I headed into work for a guitar lesson. My teacher and I have been working all the different bar chords - it's killing my brain trying to remember them all and it's also killing my fingers trying to play them all, but I'm past just working on Unchained Melody now - I could probably do it in my sleep without even realising it! Ha.

Saturday I headed into town to meet my ex flatmate Liz and her sister for a quick catch up before the matinee and then had dinner with a friend of mine who works on the bar at our theatre. After the evening show I had a quick drink at the pub with some people from the show before heading back to Callum's house for a pizza. Callum is one of our swings (A swing is a cast member who knows all of the ensemble members' show tracks for when they are sick, injured or on holiday) and he's recently moved to live around the corner from me. We watched The Voice on T.V and then just chatted and laughed a lot! I can tell you, I don't think I've laughed that hard for quite some time. We were just being really stupid and it's one of those things that is only funny if you were there and in on the joke, but I was literally on the floor with stomach cramps from laughing so much. It was good to get it out of my system!

Sunday morning i woke and ran a few errands in my car before having a late lunch and then getting suited and booted to head on down to the Olivier Awards. It was an amazing night. I thought they were organised so well and Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton as the two hosts were fantastic. Really led the show in a laid back, fun, entertaining way and the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is certainly a perfect venue to host the awards. It's stunning and I had the perfect seat. 5 rows back in the centre of the stalls with the producers and creative team of Ghost! It was a really great night followed by an excellent party (which must have cost an absolute fortune - thank you very much Master Card!) 

It didn't end up being too late a night for me, but I went to bed feeling inspired by all the amazing talent that was present at the awards and also incredibly proud and privileged to be a part of British Theatre and to be working on one of the most exciting new musicals in the West End. Moments like that are very important in an actors life because they reming you of why we are in this tough industry!!!

Monday morning I worked a little on some Hen party preparations for my friends Hen this coming Sunday and then headed into town because I was suppose to record in the recording studio, but Ben who I've been working with had to prioritise something else for the next day so I let him carry on and I went to the gym before spending a really enjoyable afternoon hanging out with a friend around London. Monday night's show was great I had some friends and some family watching and it was lovely to know that it was the first show of a mere 3 show week for me so I really enjoyed it. Afterwards I caught up with my friend Pete who was watching who I have not seen since we both finished working on Oklahoma 18 months ago. We had a good laugh and it was really great to see him again and then I headed home to start reading the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy 'Catching Fire' - of which I have so far read 4 chapters and it is yet to grab me like the first one did but I am going to be patient, seen as though everyone has told me they think it's even better than the first!

Tuesday was a really cool day. I was picked up in the morning and driven to a nice studio in east London to meet Siobhan from the show and a small film crew and a couple of the Ghost management to work on a little project which will all be revealed very soon. It's a cool idea and I think you're all gonna love it! 

After that I just grabbed some food before heading to work to do the show.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I woke nice and early, determined to get most of the preparations for my friend's Hen do sorted so I don't have to worry about it on my time off, which I did, then I headed to the cinema to watch 'The Cabin In The Woods' which was weird but clever and I suppose it was a bit jumpy but not too scary! It's worth a watch if you're interested!

After that I had a couple more errands to run before filming for the BBC in my dressing room for a short piece about people being scammed and ripped off when it comes to trusting agents and producers/casting directors within the entertainment industry. After the show last night I met a friend for a good few drinks and had a good laugh which was the perfect way to start my time off from the show.

Which brings me to today! Happily ready to enjoy some London city life and let my short hair down a little!

Have a great week folks! Keep smiling and keep believing!

Sh-Boom!!!

Mark