West End Blues

Elsewhere on the internet debate is raging about the pros and cons of the working life of a West End theatre musician, and how the repetitive nature of the work can become irksome over the fullness of time. It's not an avenue I ever pursued but a lot of very good friends have done so with great success. Suffice to say the sounds the emanate from the orchestra pits of London's theatres are of the very highest order indeed.

However, the sounds of "woe is me I've got a regular job with a steady income" is a little bit harder to understand.

Nobody made me become a professional musician, it was my decision and mine alone. I have a reasonably active intellect which might well have enabled me to turn my hand to all manner of things; instead I've made drums and music my primary focus since I made the big decision many years ago.

Nobody else is obliged to be a professional musician either. Personally I always swore that I would move on if ever a working situation became a chore, and always arranged my personal commitments in such a way that I didn't need to stay in a situation that wasn't making me happy. Not everybody is in such a fortunate position as kids and mortgages come along. I was never blessed with the former and no longer have the latter.

Maybe the piece that inspired me to make this posting is a salutary tale to those players who think that the streets of Theatreland are paved with gold, (or chrome over brass at the very least). I'm going to read it again with that in mind and take a view.

My only involvement with the West End is from a punter's perspective. Happily I've got numerous great friends in virtually every pit in town and can get company discounts. (Have you SEEN some of those ticket prices?)

What I sometimes find slightly depressing is that the lights dim and the overture kicks off and the audience is treated to two, three or more minutes of world class musicianship. I'm given to scanning the darkened auditorium and wondering how many people care about the sheer quality of what they are listening to, or indeed who's playing it. I'm sure some of them think it's prerecorded! That's a big part of the problem that I have with the cultural drift of the last couple of decades. Remember when you used to see musicians on telly playing instruments? Time was it would be on a daily basis, even if it was only 'Pebble Mill at One' while you're waiting for meals on wheels to show up.

I think that's a good part of why I never went down the theatre route. At the time when the offer of the touring show with a West End transfer came I was having too much fun doing a touring jazz revue show complete with a big drum feature which re-invigorated my enthusiasm for soloing. In other words I like to see the audience and I like them to see me too. Communication. (and a slightly supersized ego I suppose).