End of an era...

I had a great evening, spending it at the Mountview Christmas concert. Mountview was the drama school I attended and where I started doing all this singin' and dancin' mullarkey back in the depths of the mid-1990s.

It was a great evening, and the students sounded great. There seemed to be HUNDREDS of them - although I'm sure there weren't quite that many! It was a fantastic concert, and the Church in Sloane Square was packed with people, and we were treated to a selection of songs and carols - including some arranged by Paul Sabey (Head of the Musical Theatre Dept.) in his own inimitable style ... Anyone who has been to Mountview and worked with Paul will know what I mean!!

It was a rather more special occasion tonight as Paul is leaving for pastures new, so tonight was his swan song. Paul has been responsible for building the MT course from the very beginning, and has taught countless students over the years. I think it's fair to say he has an impact on all the students who have passed through Mountview and I have no doubt that he will be sorely missed.

It certainly got me thinking back to my time there, and the people I trained with, the shows we worked on, the classes we attended - and brought a lump to the throat, a tear to the eye and a smile to the face. Overly poet perhaps, but true nonetheless. Life and the world has changed vastly since then - even though it was only 10 (or so!) years ago - and it was such a fun, exciting, tough, thrilling, challenging time that it all came flooding back tonight.

So - long live all the 'Sabey Babies' out there, and I hope the future generations of students passing through those "hallowed halls" come to realise that they've sadly missed out on some screaming top notes and 20-part harmony singing!