How strange it is. Our final show is done. I’m back in London. As I write, Joni and Caroline are probably driving back to London in the good old Pentabus van, it bursting at the seams with props from the show that need to be returned to various places around London and beyond. The last time I wrote, we were just settling into the Theatre Severn before the actors arrived. Caroline has written of what happened next, so I will try not to repeat stuff, but it has been a really wonderful final stage. The theatre is an extraordinarily beautiful place-sitting on the river bank overlooking Shrewsbury town, everything state of the art but not flashy, the architecture is a really clever balance of old and new, and perhaps most impressive is the automatic soap and hand towel dispenser in the ladies. (or maybe I’m just easily pleased. but seriously, it is well clever.) Apparently some people have found it difficult to accept this new building into the town, some saying it looks like a shed, which I find very hard to understand, but I guess when something as prominent as this arrives on the landscape, it must take a while for people get used to it. Still, for a company coming into the building, it has nothing but good things to offer in terms of facilities, resources and space. Something we got the most excited about however, was the fact that the theatre had agreed to project images of the show onto the side of the building. The first day we knew they would be shown, we eagerly awaited dusk, and then dashed to the other side of the bridge to witness the spectacle, never before had Shrewsbury seen the likes of such a thing. And nor had we! We cheered and clapped and ooh-ed and aahed as if watching a firework display as the images appeared, they looked amazing! We subsequently found reason to drive past the projections on a nightly basis, just to do a bit more ooh-ing and aah-ing. (usually adding 5 minutes to our journey home, but worth it.) Also, if you strategically sat on a particular table in a pub called the Armoury, (the most gorgeous place just across the river from the theatre), you could have a glass of wine and sneak glances at the projections from the window and under your breath do some more ooh-ing and aah-ing so as not to disturb the conversation. Apparently these projections hit the headlines in the local press, who were also a little gobsmacked by our projected presence.

Anyway, with the tech complete, lines added, little sections tweaked, and with Tim and Jack having ensured that the show looked and sounded as beautiful as it could do, we were ready for our first night. Totally sold out, and full of people who had been in some way part of the Origins journey from the beginning. Nerve wracking as well. Would people like it? Would they laugh? Would they feel like we were doing justice to the history, and to the man himself? It was an excellent first show, the audience seemed to completely go with us, and the company were flying. In the final moments of the show, as Erasmus talks of ‘one in several billion chances’, hundreds of tiny stars began to glow (courtesy of Theatre Severn’s star cloth.) and it felt like quite an epic and moving moment, for the company, for the show, for the theatre in a way. Amazing what a few twinkly lights can do to the emotions!!

I went back to London as the show continued, and we continued to play to some great houses, did a lively post show talk and had a schools matinee. The cast were all staying in a place called Netley Hall, around 20 mins drive from Shrewsbury. Beautiful little cottages in the grounds of a stately home, near to the stunning Shropshire countryside. Many a hilly walk was had from what I understand. I returned for the final couple of shows and it was lovely to feel that the show had completely bedded into the space, and the cast really reveling in the story and their individual journeys. After the show on Friday, we had all been invited to the chairman of the Pentabus board’s house for an after show curry. About a half hour drive from the theatre, we arrived at Robert’s gorgeous house, to find a table groaning with food-6 different curries, with ingredients all from Robert’s garden, and many a bottle of wine waiting to be drunk. Robert and his wife Sian were fabulous hosts, and we sat chatting into the evening, relaxed and full. Very, very full. Lovely. We got back pretty late and were all looking forward to a lie in, but were awakened at 10.05am the next morning by reception, saying that we needed to vacate our cottages. Some mix up had occured and our rooms had been booked out for new arrivals. oops. Fortunately, Damian and Harry’s cottage was free and we all moved our stuff over there for the day, and worked out a plan of action for the final night. it was about a million degrees and clear blue skies, so we spent most of the day wandering around the lakes in the grounds, and reading in the sun. Damian and myself (ok, mainly Damian) cooked up a real feast using the remaining ingredients from everyone’s kitchen. After some more sitting around feeling full, it was to the theatre for the final show. Which was a cracker. Then it was some hasty goodbyes, as Max was driving some of us back to London straight away.

Driving back to London into the night, I just had a flashback to Ealing, where the journey began. Its funny, when something begins, you can never see it ending, but when the end does come, you look back on how it began through such different eyes. We had no idea the kind of show that we would create at that stage, or any idea Harry would get appendicitis, or that we would become part of the british council showcase, or that we would play in a different space at Theatre Severn. It is easy to get all sentimental and gushy when a show ends, and I’ll try not to, but I have to say I count myself very lucky to have been part of a process that has involved such a wealth of talented and commitmented and lovely people. Before I weep all over my laptop (!) I will stop there I think. Thank you Origins, thank you Charles Darwin. A short break for Pentabus to catch their breath, then onto the next one, ‘Tales of the Country’………who knows what that will bring.