Another Beatles Christmas Show • Rehearsals • Day 3

‘Beatles’ words all wrong’ says Elkie

HI, EVERYBODY! I know what the first question is going to be! What’s it like being the ONLY girl in a show? — the “Beatles’ Christmas Show” — along with all those men. Beatles, Freddie and the Dreamers, Sounds Inc., the Yardbirds, Jimmy Savile, Mike Cotton’s Group, Mike Haslam.

Answer to questions: it’s MARVELLOUS! O.K. so we’ve been virtually locked in the theatre for twelve hours a day since rehearsals started last Monday. A bore? A drag? You’ve just gotta be kidding. I guess there are about ten million girls who wouldn’t object one little bit to THAT sort of imprisonment.

But right up to opening night on Christmas Eve, it’s been a lot of laughs, a lot of work, and lot of panic. We spent a lot of time just sitting around, of course, but there was always something happening. Like when we first were supposed to come out, on cue, through some lettered paper. Trust me — I missed my cue. So somebody, won’t say who?, gave me a shove. I crashed through the paper and went flying into the footlights. A lot of males laughed. The one girl didn’t.

You ought to see the Beatles trying to learn their lines in the sketches. Hilarious. They come in at the wrong time, make up ad-libs, generally cause chaos. They had the words up on big prompt boards… but the Yardbirds and Sounds Inc. confused things by shouting the lines out loud!

Or there’s Jimmy Savile talking about his wrestling… and showing off a few holds on Paul McCartney, or Sounds’ drummer Tony Newman. It’s hard to imagine so many way out characters on one stage.

Great thing, from my point of view, is getting to know so many new mates at the same time. I’d worked with Sounds Inc. before, and Jimmy Savile is a friend from way-back… when I used to sing in the Whisky A-Go-Go. But though I come from Manchester, I’d never before met Freddie and the Dreamers. Of course, Freddie has had a ball… scenery falling all over the place and so on.

Rehearsals, though, are one thing. That’s when things are tried out. Once we get settled into a run, everything’ll be fine, I’m sure.

W-e-l-l… I must go home and do a little more minute rehearsing. I’ve got to charge on and fling my arms, like a fan, round John Lennon’s neck. Oh dear. WHAT a hard life it all is!

Look forward to seeing you next week in this space. Should be a whole lot more to tell you.

Love,
ELKIE.

From Record Mirror – February 1, 1965