June
1986. I had just left school and in the months before university I was
working with the National Youth Theatre in
my third season with them.Just as I got out of school I decided that
a bit of a change was due so I took myself off to the barbers and for
some reason (insanity is indeed possible) I decided on something like
a feather cut. So, a crew cut on the top and leave it long at the back.
It genuinely seemed like a good idea at the time but as soon as I saw
it I realised that it was a mistake. I do not look good with very short
hair. Unbelievable seeing as I was 18 at the time but I snuck back into
the house and went straight into my room and refused to come out or
even open the door. I think I already knew the effect that it would
have on my mum. I started wearing a brown wooly hat, a Benny
hat for those in the know, about the house for a few days and when I
finally removed it she was in floods of tears. Strange, my parents always
complain about the length of my hair.
Anyhow, back to the NYT, a fun summer playing a rugby
player in A Proper Place and a couple of musical numbers in a
review to celebrate 30 years of the NYT called A Little Touch of Harry.
1986 was my last full season with the NYT and in 1987 I was only involved
in an Easter trip to Barcelona for Zigger Zagger. Still, I think the
haircut sort of worked considering I was playing a Rugby player, something
I had a lot of experience of in real life. One abiding memory is being
thrown across a stage by Sally
Preisig, who ever knew that Tweenies could be that rough. |
