by Priscilla

Nov.22, 2011, under Blog

Most nights of the week I can be found playing Keyboards in the Orchestra pit, which is at the front of the stage. As assistant Musical Director I also have to conduct the show a couple of times a week. The MD chair on Priscilla is the piano chair and the Keyboard chair covers instruments like the strings, organ, harp and even the didgeridoo, being an Aussie show like Priscilla.

Priscilla is a great fun show to work on from a musical point of view, because it is so upbeat all the time.

Adam Dennis

I left the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2006 and joined the Chicago UK tour for a year and a half, playing Piano 1. After settling in London, I freelanced on a lot of West End shows including Jersey Boys, Billy Elliott, Spamalot and Joseph before taking a regular chair on Grease, which I worked on for over two years during its run at The Piccadilly Theatre. I moved to Priscilla five months ago and it’s such a shame that it is closing.

If you want a career in this industry you have to concentrate on your principal instrument and get as much experience as you can as a player. A lot of younger guys who want to get into playing in pit orchestras will write to us and ask to sit in on the show, which means that they shadow us and get a real feel for what its like to play in a West End show. Depping on a show for the first time is very nerve racking, as usually the first time you get a chance to play is actually in a show with a paying audience, you don’t have the luxury of a rehearsal, so you really need to do your homework if you want to get asked back! There are a lot of younger guys getting involved in Musical Theatre. I’m only 28 and its wonderful that I get to meet and work with some of my musical childhood heroes who play in the pit bands. There are some fantastic musicians playing in the shows these days.

My favourite number in the show is MacArthur Park. I’ve loved it since I was a kid and every night I hear it, I get a buzz. It has a lovely introduction and then erupts into this massive big number. I think the arrangement is great and it’s such a visual number with the cupcakes. I also think Downtown is a brilliant opener, with the Divas flying down and the audience going mad. It sets the tone for the show.

Priscilla is not just a jukebox musical. It has a great heart and story behind it. I’ve played in a lot of shows in the West End and can definitively say that Priscilla is one of the best nights out anyone could have. My mum has been a couple of times and she’s coming again, simply because it is so much fun, you cannot help but be on your feet at the end.