As part of celebrations for Steam Packet 175th year, I organised a concert and we invited the great and the good to share our evening and the theatre was nicely filled with members of the public who had paid to come and listen to the English Philharmonic Orchestra.
We had a pre-concert reception for the great and good and interval food and drinks.
The concert began - the curtains opened revealing the small orchestra with audience applause and SPC hierarchy sitting proud and smug at this venture.
On came the conductor in full evening dress and had some difficulty in ascending the Dias. It became quickly evident to me (and to everybody else) that the man was very drunk!
He staggered manfully onward through the first half of the concert introducing each piece with the longest introductions ever heard, laughing at his own witticisms whilst the orchestra (especially the first violin lady) was obviously embarrassed. Not as embarrassed as I felt on the front row of the circle!
It became a difficult evening perhaps lightened by the audience anticipating at what stage the conductor might fall off the stage completely!
We had strong words at the interval (he anticipated joining us for refreshments as I had invited him) and ordered him to my office the following day. Excuses followed and a trip to the hospital trying to prove that he had a severe cold and was taking medicine. He was drunk!
Douglas Corporation Centenary Concert 1995 - Old Time Music Hall.
Star guest Danny La Rue and supporting cast. Danny’s compere was Dougie Chapman whom I knew well.
I compered the first half with local talent to a packed theatre. Second half was Dougie’s job.
I told a very funny joke about the fairies at the Fairy Bridge which went down well but in the second half Dougie regained the same joke and nobody laughed. He wasn’t pleased.
Meanwhile, Danny and I got on well on first name terms! Throughout his time in the theatre in his dressing room, he drank champagne constantly. The mayor was Jimmy Mitchell and Danny asked him for more champagne. Jim had to comply and sent a member of staff to the nearby supermarket for a bottle giving him a £10 note to do so. When Danny tasted it he spat it out and told him to get better quality champagne.
Danny drank all day before, during and after the show. He made a late appearance at the after-show reception in the Sefton looking fantastic and appearing and sounding absolutely sober! A real professional!
I still recall walking into his dressing room as he was getting his costume on and being taken aback at this man metamorphosing into a woman.