Doug Hodge

just going in to try some new looks. Ive come up with , i think 5 new costumes. all.. ( i think ) improvements.. meanwhile theres a sneak preview of kelsey and i here.. costumeshttp://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW_TV_Sneak_Peek_at_LA_CAGE_AUX_FOLLES_20100318

hope that works.. xxx dh

IM HERE - up by central park. being very very well looked after indeed. arrived in the pitted snow. walked thru a week of monsoon rain. the cast all thrilling. the cagelles are,.... fierce. i seem to know so many people here - never a dull moment. we done three weeks rehearsal - its slowly slowly taking shape, dunno if my accent, my humour, my timing, my... stuff... will land here. just trying to keep it as honest as poss. have been to see a show a night. we're rehearsing just off times square - so u feel like ur in a movie. come and watch those dancin feet...

WELL i dont think ive ever experienced anything like that in my professional life. what a night. every now and then id see the cast in the wings gathering round - and the reaction from the audience - even when i was at the globe with people fainting all around from the blood and gore and even some of the craziest nights of guys and dolls couldnt match that extreme emotion. all i could replay of course was inverting some of the words in I am.... singing feather before spangle! why on earth did i do that?

had a good idea.. i think .. but apparently its impossible so I wont get too excited. i woke up - read that widow's address in the papers - the hugely dignified address at her husbands funeral - repatriated from afghanistan - thought.. well they must be starving out there for some light relief.

what a ball it is coming back to this show - my third xmas with la cage! denis his utterly impeccable self, a lot of new cast to keep us on our toes, saw bits of the show the other night and simply cant wait to get back on. this man/woman i play - she has such fragility. if camp is a suit of armour - a fortress to protect yourself from the cold outside here is someone who truly is almost too fragile to live in the world. its bliss to play someone with such cast iron practised defences and underneath of course such neediness!

nearly got swept away ( again ) in the thames this mornin - force 4 gales an all - and more of that anon but meanwhile i just got my orders to report for rehearsals with that old poof denis lawson - we've gone for two weeks rehearsals and then a rather embarrasin squeeze into them old costumes to grab this show back and get up to speed for broadway. november 20th to january 2nd and then its closin in england so i bloody hope i see you all there for that final party. x x x

just heard I should get first delivery of Night Bus on November the First... itll be onsale here of course - on itunes soon after and maybe even in the foyer at the Playhouse theatre - although it couldn really be more different to la cage aux folles. 12 songs that all, i think, sit together as a little family, fairly intimate confessional in tone, all with a live sort of skiffle band feel. hope they chime a chord with at least some of you. x