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Zorro The Musical
Posted on: 1 August 2008
Zorro The Musical was an important chapter for me in becoming a professional gigging musician.
I’m writing this blog retrospectively, which is nice because I can put it in the context of my career following the show and the part it played in that. One such element is that on West End shows, musicians typically have ‘deps’ (also called ‘subs’ in the U.S.) who cover for them during a planned absence. The musician chooses the dep, and it is their responsibility to prepare them for the show. The dep will normally sit next to the musician during at least two shows, watching the conductor, following cues, and making their own notes on when to change instruments, which effects to use on which song, etc. A good dep is a godsend for a busy West End musician because then they are free to either take interesting one-off gigs, maybe a tour, or just take time off for family events or holidays. When I began the show, I searched for a good dep who could do a great job on a busy, guitar-heavy show (it’s the Gypsy Kings, remember!) and I ended up contacting and convincing Dan Thomas to be my dep. Dan is a fantastic classical guitarist and also plays electric guitar on many West End shows, and also plays for many productions with the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera. The reason I mention this is that I want to demonstrate retroactively what an important role this played in my entry into the professional music world because Dan Thomas called me a year or two after Zorro finished and asked me to play flamenco guitar for Carlos Acosta’s production of Don Quijote at The Royal Opera House, which was the next big step for me towards becoming an established professional musician in London.
Back to the Zorro… I auditioned for the part of Guitarist while the production was still in its workshop phase. The audition was with the legendary composer and arranger John Cameron, who co-wrote the music for the show with the Gipsy Kings and whose orchestrations I have long admired. I passed the audition and was offered the job. A tour had been booked, but no theatre had yet been found in London’s West End. I was present at many dinners and discussions between creatives and executives, and so got some great insight into how the business works on the booking and business side of things. Many shows break even at 90% capacity, and the profit comes from that last 10%, so selling out is very important. Other shows can run at a loss if there is a broader marketing strategy or product, such as a movie, etc. (‘The Lord of the Rings Musical’ would be an example).
I passed the audition, and rehearsals commenced shortly afterwards in central London. Then we relocated to Eastbourne, where we opened the show and commenced a 6-week tour. After this short tour, there was a break in production while the producers searched for an appropriate theatre in central London. Finally, we opened at the Garrick Theatre on Charing Cross Road in 2008.
The music was written by The Gypsy Kings and John Cameron. Some of the Gypsy Kings’ famous compositions, such as Bamboleo, Djobi Djoba, and Bailame, were in the show, and the band also composed some original material especially for the show. John Cameron adapted some of their music and also composed music for the show. It was based on the version of Zorro written by Isabelle Allende (who was also a producer of the show) and Rafael Amargo, a famous flamenco dancer from Spain. It was a real privilege to work with such a talented creative team – not simply because they were famous, but because I subjectively liked the creative work of everyone involved. I had read many books by Isabelle, seen many videos of Rafael’s work, and also admired John’s arrangements and orchestrations.
The band were:
Dean Austin – Musical Director and piano
Michael Keelan – Assistant Musical Director, Violin, viola, and mandolin
Ramón Ruiz – Guitar
David Buckingham – Guitar
Kevin Keating – Guitar
Stuart Brooks – Trumpet
Pablo Mendelsohn – Trumpet
Jay Cox – Bass Guitar and Double Bass
Adam Riley – Drums
Playing 8 shows a week for the first time is a steep learning curve, and it is a small room(!) so you get to know each other well. I sat beside Kevin for a year, and we had many laughs, a few arguments and shared many great musical moments together. Kevin died a few years ago, and it was very sad to see him go. I learned a lot from Kevin, and he was a great guy (most of the arguments were because I was young and stupid).
I will write more about the London production of Zorro later, but will stop here now and say that it also led me to the opportunity to play for the Dutch tour of a slightly modified version of the show and also – very unexpectedly – to go to Salt Lake City in Utah, USA to record st Platinum Studios for the American production.