Michael Ball Bawls, Bangles And Beads
There are few things sadder than the sight of an artist who survives a flop blaming everyone else involved with hindsight. So it proved in yesterday’s Evening Standard, when Michael Ball turned on the ENO and all responsible for the dire Kismet as if it was nothing to do with him, squire!
The rehearsals were a shambles, he reveals, the ENO is “amateur” when it comes to musicals (hardly a great revelation, that, after Keith Warner’s Pacific Overtures and Jude Kelly’s On the Town), the choreographer walked out, the director “buggered off on a plane” straight after the first night, there was a civil service mentality about hours of work, and so on.
Dear me, why didn’t the poor love do something about all this when he was actually there instead of belly-aching about it after it’s all over? You can understand why, possibly, because he has so much else to think about. For instance, the Proms concert he’s giving this coming Monday.
Except — aggh! — dear old butter Ball (the weight explosion is now explained by the fact that he’s given up smoking) hasn’t been doing very much about that, either. With a few days to go, in fact, he says he hasn’t yet decided on his programme. It sounds like he’s going to be as well prepared to strip the punters of their money as he was at the ENO.
Anyway, it seems Bally-high-notes is considering singing some Amy Winehouse, some Radiohead and definitely “Love Changes Everything.” “Lloyd Webber at the Proms? Over my dead body” was the response in some quarters, Ball says. “Don’t you love it? These people ought to get over themselves.”
Quite right, too. Evita was initially mooted by the ENO in Lord Harewood’s days as chairman. One critic said to me at the time: “Over my dead body.” And it is only that: a matter of time. Maybe Grease Bally can give us his Che Guevara, but only on condition that he starts researching Latin American politics and visiting the gym right now. He won’t be able to blame everyone else in St Martin’s Lane second time out.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:37 am
Mr Ball made alot of sense.
As a production Kismet was dire and the blame for that should be laid fairly and squarely at the door of the ENO. The wonderful singing from the cast and chorus were the only good thing about the show.
The disappearing act the director and choreographer pulled does not excuse them from blame. Hopefully some of what was said will be useful to the ENO, should they decide to add musicals to future seasons.
I do not think he blamed other cast members as such, he merely pointed out that a musical is a different animal to opera. It requires a different approach.
There have been many condesending remarks made lately, sad when people have to resort to that.
September 4th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Mr Ball needs to get over himself and loose 3 stone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 4th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Tonks has it correctly. Plus the fact that the major actors signed contracts and were bound to uphold them. I think in all fairness he also stated that do to the director’s issues and the choreographers issues the actors and ensemble were left in the lurch so to speak. Not fair to all is basically is what he said. Or at least that is how I understood it. Nothing wrong with speaking his mind. Especially if it is true and it helps the ENO work out their problems.
September 8th, 2007 at 9:01 am
“andy Says: September 4th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Mr Ball needs to get over himself and loose 3 stone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
After Edna!