Snapping at the heels of Lee’s timely and comprehensive review of the Blitz and Bananas’ Premiere I am now ready to reveal in glorious colour my take on exactly what went on.
Keep reading and I promise that later in this post you will see a Jitterbug, a Jive, several Jalopys and a certain Jasmine scented OVFM lady in uniform!
Why, I hear you ask, did Lee manage to get his review up within hours of the show and yet it’s taken me well over a month to do the same?
Well I can exclusively reveal here and now that there are a number of factors that you must take into consideration. Firstly age, some of us have more of it than others! Talent…ditto! And then of course there’s the small matter of the dog eating my homework!
Are you believing this? No. Okay I come clean, I have no excuse, I’m just slow I admit it, I’m sorry.
Anyway now that I’ve got that off my chest and like they say confession is good for the soul, I think I should get on with showing you a few of the highlights of that momentous day in April.
To some of us it’ll be remembered as the ‘I don’t believe it!’ day. Obviously staging anything on April Fool’s Day is likely to cause confusion and incredulity in those of a cynical leaning.
Book the Churchill Theatre…I don’t believe it!
Sell it out…I don’t believe it!
Stage a second show and sell that out too…I don’t believe it!
But believe it or not it’s true, and not only that it was a resounding success too with our own Anna Littler and her loyal band of Bananites putting on an event that was entertaining and very enjoyable.
From the parade of vintage cars to the period costumed dancers, from the glorious sunshine to the generous raffle prizes the Blitz and Bananas Experience was a great way to get in the swing for the main feature.
On which Lee (curse his literatical ability) has already expounded with more eloquence and insight than is decent in one so young, but suffice to say Blitz and Bananas, the Film, was V, V, V filmfabulous!
After the screening some of the many people who’d contributed to the success of the Premiere were cajoled onto the stage to take their applause like men, and there was a funny ‘behind the scenes’ short film and the grand drawing of the raffle…phew!
It was a great day.
Anna…I do believe it now!
ps. Jasmine scented? On reflection it may have been J’adore by Dior!!
Simon Earwicker
I’d LOVE to be a Bananite!
And there I was thinking YOU Chris were the Senior Deputy Assistant Bananite (with special portfolio for biscuits), Private Gopher, Major Drudge and General Dogsbody, And Right Hand Slave to the Grand High Wizard of the Bananas Herself!
Loved the photos Simon, especially the uniformed Lady (?) and photographic evidence of vintage cars driving onto the Churchill forecourt – never thought that would actually happen. A memorable Fools Day!
Thanks Freddy, it certainly was a day to remember!
If you’re interested there are more premiere photos and jottings on the Blitz and Bananas website.
Good work again Simon!!
(although I’m not that young…unless you’re really old! :P)
Hi Lee.
Old? I ptefer to think of myself as vintage, like fine wine or mature like…cheese.
After all age is just a number…but how come mine seems to be in three figures!
As someone who can actually remember 1940-41
and the blitz can I congratulate everyone
associated with this project and that includes Simon
for his wonderful photos of a wonderful day. As the song says ”Thanks For The Memory”
I agree Charlie, Anna’s project did a fab job of bringing all sorts of people together with a common purpose that was fun, fascinating and fulfilling.
And in the words of that other great song Charlie, ‘You’ve Got to fight for your right to Party’!!
Lots of people have mentioned to me how much they enjoyed the dancing. Unfortunately I couldn’t get outside to see it so ‘thank you’ Simon for the fab. photos. Did you realise that the last one, man with gas mask, was the Churchill Theatre manager?
Hi Annabelle.
I know Reg was busy helping to film the event and you were Bananiting feverishly away inside, but what a pity you two weren’t free to show us all some proper Lancaster dance moves! That WOULD have made a great photo!
ps. I didn’t know that was the manager, he really looked the part didn’t he.
HI Simon,
The Lancaster dance moves? In your dreams laddie.
Anyone who saw me struggling to climb onto the two foot six high wall to take a general view of the Churchill forecourt would have died laughing at the tragic spectacle I made of trying to get down again.
Three youths (in their late fifties) were needed to help this old blighter creak back to ground level, I assure you.
Mind you the GV was quite spectacular!
Nice thought though Simon.
Reg
Well Reg you’ll always be my Ginger Rogers (who as we all know was obviously the superior partner in the team as she had to do everything that Fred Astaire did but backwards and in high heels!)
And of course anyone who’ll go to those lengths to get a spectacular GV AND then muster a team of juniors to assist him is still a force to be reckoned with!
Reg YOU are the MAN.