2006-10-11 - 8:24 a.m.

About four months ago, I stepped into a nondescript church hall in south London and croaked out something vaguely resembling a tune in front of well-to-do chap who turned out to be an internationally renowned conductor.

Somewhere between then and now, I was taught by increasingly exasperated experts to at least look like I could sing and dance a bit, and pronounce my consonants like my LiFe DePenDeD on iT.

Last night, we had dress rehearsal in front of about 100 people, and for the first time, everything came together…the giant fish, the flamethrower, the fireworks, the flying heroes, the orchestra, the choirs, the bird children, the 40 of us dancing at a Jewish wedding.

Cut to tonight, and the opera opens in a brand new London theatre at the start of the first of ten sold out houses.

God knows I haven’t done very much in my life that I’m that proud of, and I’m only a bit part and we only do four numbers and I will no doubt fall off the stage in a bout of embarrassing rank amateurism, and I know it’s not that spectacular in the big scheme of things, and there’s no money or fame (though I think we get a free beer tonight) and people have said ‘Why are you doing it?’ Well, I just thought it would be good, that’s all.