“I don’t sing because I am happy, I am happy because I sing”  William James

This time last year I was preparing myself for one of the most momentos experiences of my life.

I had been given a very,very,very small solo part to sing in an amateur singing group production of  Les Miserables in Concert.

Now for those of you that know me well, this was completely out of character for me.  I don’t like any type of attention focused on me and will try and avoid all scenarios that may lead to it.  However I love singing and have always loved singing, I just don’t like singing in front of people.

Anyway one day at the beginning of last year (2012) my good friend Jo Fraser, who I have shared other life changing experiences with here in Manilva, asked me if I would like to join in and sing in the chorus of the production of Les Miserables in Concert that her family was putting together.  I told her that I would be a nervous wreck performing on stage but she reminded me that I make my children go to Stagecoach in Marbella to improve their self esteem and confidence so I should do the same for myself!

She had a point and as my husband was off work on the evenings that they had rehearsals I didn’t have any excuse to say no.

So nearly every Thursday at the beginning of 2012 I would go to rehearsals in Gibraltar.  The first couple of times I went with Jo and her family but I soon realized that they had enough on their plate with the organising and managing of other people without having to worry about me.  Plus I didn’t need the stress of trying to be on time for them as I had 100 other things to juggle beforehand.

I made friends with some other members of the chorus and soon discovered that singing with other people made me feel really happy – and that was singing the depressing lyrics of the songs of Les Miserables!

One Thursday I arrived at rehearsals half an hour early and for the first time I heard all the principal singers sing “One Day More”.  It sounded amazing and brought goosebumps to my skin.  It was that moment that I knew I was privileged to be part of something very,very special.

I continued enjoying going to rehearsals and was comfortable being part of the chorus.  Then one day my friend Jo dropped a bombshell on me.  She told me that we had been chosen to sing two small solo parts as factory girls!  Being in the chorus is one thing but having to stand on stage in front of 100’s of people and sing some words on your own is a completely different matter to someone like me.  I started worrying that I would get stage fright or that I would forget my words or that I would become a laughing stock as everyone would see me shaking uncontrollably.  Half of me wanted to give it all up there and then but the other half wanted to know what would really happen and I would never know unless I gave it a go.  People say that the best way to conquer your fears is to face them head on so I agreed to do it and started to learn my words.

My fears were confirmed the first time I had to sing my very small solo part in front of everyone during rehearsals.  I didn’t forget the words but I did start to shake uncontrollably.  It was a real worry for me.  If I was like that during rehearsals what would I be like during the live performances?

Then one day, whilst I was having a pedicure and manicure by the very lovely Lavanya at Bellissima Beauty  in Torreguadiaro (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bellissima-Beauty-Torreguadiaro), I started listening to one of her colleagues, Samantha Donbavand http://www.samanthadonbavand.com/, saying that she did hypnotherapy and could help people overcome many things.  I asked her whether she would be able to hypnotize me to remember the words and control my nerves.  She said she was confident that she could help me so I booked a session with her.

My sessions with Samantha were very interesting in many ways and it opened my eyes to a whole new world of ways to help and heal people.  She has a very special gift and I would recommend her to anyone who needs to overcome something whether it be an illness, vice or phobia.

I am pleased to say that my sessions with Samantha paid off and I didn’t get nervous, shake uncontrollably, forget my words or ruin the show.

Instead I had one of the most wonderful and unforgettable months of my life.

We performed 3 sell out shows in St Michaels Cave inside the Rock of Gibraltar to over 1000 people. We even had standing ovations which gave us all an amazing buzz.

It went down so well that we were asked to perform  the show again at various venues along the Costa del Sol including Armstrongs in Manilva.

Unfortunately for me so many well wishers told me to “Break a leg” before the shows that the morning after the last show in Gibraltar I did break my leg!  However I still managed to perform in the Manilva show thanks to the help of my friends.

Being involved in Les Mis also gave me an insight into how much work goes into putting such a show together .  All the planning, preparation, learning the music and lyrics, organising rehearsals, publicity, sound and lighting, photography, filming and editing, tickets, programs, logistics etc and this was all done by a group of people who had day jobs to juggle as well.

What was particularly lovely about being involved in Les Mis was seeing how everyone worked as a team to bring it all together and how it highlighted the incredible talents some people have.

While we were having our dress rehearsal inside the Rock one of the group had invited a friend, Anthony Williams, to take some photographs.  We all loved the results and asked him to be the official photographer for the shows.  He brought his daughter Chloe along to help and she also took some fantastic shots.

Aside from being very impressed by the beautiful voices of the Principal singers, Phillip Borge, Leroy Woodjetts, Paul Pitaluga, Bettina Cary, Elainne Perez, Kim Soiza, Jim Fraser, Andria Jones, Bethany Fraser, James Fraser and Cindy Ellis and their ability to learn 100s of words,  I was particularly impressed by my friend Jo Fraser and her family.

Nicknamed the Von Trapps of Manilva, they all contributed immensely to the success of the show.

In fact if it wasn’t for them it wouldn’t have happened.

Jo’s stepfather Chris Music was the Musical Director, Conductor and Pianist and had an amazing ability on occasions to multitask all three at the same time! Jo’s mother, Jenny Music, made all the clothes as well as being in the band and supporting her husband. Jo’s husband Jim Fraser played the part of Mr Thenadier as well as help organize and co-ordinate the technical side and publicise and video the performances. Their eldest daughter Bethany played the part of Little Cosette and their son James was Gavroche.  Jo, as well as looking after her families needs including her two other daughters, organized the printing of the t-shirts at Reklame in Sabinillas and created the program guide.  She also played the role of one of the factory girls alongside me and supported me when I needed encouragement.

It just shows what can be done when you have a dream and a great team behind you.

Music Theatre Company’s next project is “Musicals through the ages” .  If you would like to be involved please either leave a comment below or email me at lucy@barringtonhomes.eu and I will pass on the details to you.