Nuns with nail varnish

I suppose the best thing about life is the challenges it throws up. And if you had any idea quite how hard it might be, you would be tempted to say no. So maybe sometimes better not to know.

Last weekend in the one of the most surprisingly lovely churches in the city of Brighton a group of women – and a couple of intrepid men – got together to put on a mad adaptation of Scared Hearts: an attempt to abridge the novel for three voices (myself included) and highlight the fabulous music which the convent choir would have would sung four hundred and fifty years ago.  We had some thirty hours to set up, rehearse, stage and make it work.  The west end actresses, Niamh Cusack and Deborah Findlay, had not seen the text until I handed it to them , but between them conjured up a host of characters, as well as holding the narration as if it was the most exciting Edgar Allen Poe story.  The choir, led by Deborah Roberts and Lauire Straus, both brilliant singers and musicologists, managed to conduct this most divine sound, Kate Hawnt moved between Serafina,  the novice and Serafina, a sublime singer and and the choir, hidden by nuns habits and wimples, processed chanting and playing a host of 117th century nuns as if they were to the manor born. And Nick Renton, who has directed more great television dramas than most of us have had the time to watch, staged the whole thing on a wing and a prayer ( and a lot of candle light)

In the end, the only thing worse than the fear that we would get it wrong, was the idea that  no one would come, but as we walked out to face the audience to our astonishment the church was full.  The adrenaline of performance always carries one through, whatever, but there were moments  as the drama heightened and the nuns sang when the church was so silent, that you could hear the proverbial pin drop.  I hope those who came got as much out of it as we did. It was such a mountain to climb in so little time, but the view from the top was at times quite breathtaking….

My deep thanks go to every one of the Celestial Sirens ( the aptly named choir) and to Niamh and Deborah and Kate for  giving up of their time, talent and boundless energy to take a risk on something new.

We are very much hoping that there will be footage on U tube. Indeed here is a quick look……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOIWipn3Gbo

And photos here on the website. A week on I think we are all more tired than we could have imagined. Or perhaps that is the shock of living in a country where it seems for this weekend at least  there is no government.  A hung parliament. Even in the most run down convent they managed to vote in an abbess, even if half the votes were rigged. Ah well, the pleasures of modern life.