Bertie in Performance
It is a short step from verse to music, and a mere further hop to stage and theatre. In my ‘business’ verse, the rhythms and word-plays consciously invite reading aloud, which is why ‘readings’ and performance have played such a part in spreading the word.
The secret dream, however, for this stage-struck wannabee actor, was to have my words engage with a wider theatrical creative world. This became part-reality when a great, contemporary New York composer, singer and pianist, Joyce Hope Suskind, asked if she might set some of my pieces to music.
Thus began a great collaboration, including some exhilarating trans-Atlantic music ‘master classes’ with this multi-talented lady, leading to many glorious, hugely singable, settings of Bertie lyrics. I’ll be sharing some of them with you, to add to your bathroom repertoire.
