[clivehawkins]

This is for those of you who have organised or worked on preparing the kids for the Christmas show.

The video cameras of the parents never lie. There's nowhere to hide. The moment of truth has arrived.

Share with us the golden moments of your production, from the minor mishaps to the downright disasters. The songs that went wrong, the shambolic entrances and exits, the set falling down, Chen and Giacomo fighting on stage etc etc etc.

I can't wait for Saturday. I'll keep you posted!!!!!

[clivehawkins]

So here's how it went.

Badly.

The little girl who didn't have any toys wasn't allowed to play with the other kids. So she was sitting on a rock feeling sorry for herself. The animals of the forest come to her and ask her what's wrong. She explains that without toys she can't play. NO! say the animals. We'll show you how you can play without toys.

Fine so far.

The animals then play their games. Sadly, the little girl forgot to join in so was left sitting on the rock. None of the staff noticed this until the end. Just the WHOLE point of the show was missed.

The game they had to play in English was simple enough. Pass under the bridge ubtil the song stopped. Whoever the bridge 'closed' on then had to say their name and swap places with one of the kids making the bridge. We'd done it a thousand times. Smooth as you like. Not as hitch. Until today.

The biggest girl in the group, who at best you'd call a bit of a lump, didn't for one moment watch where she was going and knocked seven bells out of the bridge every time she passed. This caused a the chain to break as well as a pile up at the bridge. I've seen prettier road crashes on the M1.

On top of that the masks the kids were wearing were all getting knocked off when passing under the bridge. One boy stopped to pick his up. The lump, obviously not watching where she was going, trampled him and the tears started to flow. This set off another girl who refused to continue with the song \ dance.

The fact that they weren't even singing the song was besides the point.

OK, get them off. Now! That went well until the door they passed through (a nice Western saloon style swinger) came off its hinges. I **** you not. Thankfully I was there to catch it. Think I even heard a clap from one of the parents at that point, because they sure weren't clapping the debacle they'd just witnessed.

Next were the three year olds who had to sing Three little monkeys. They like that one. Can't shut them up in fact.
Today I performed a solo. Cross legged in front of 20 kids doing all the actions and singing alone. 200 parents behind me thinking god knows what.

Thanks you little *******! Wait till New Year!

Oh, and the stuff they had to do in Italian and French went really well. So I guess it was just me who looked like a complete ****.

Anyway, now it's holiday and the comfort of a rather large bottle of scotch to help me forget today.

I hope yours went better than mine.
happy Holidays.

[Donney]

That is a very good story to tell in a few years!

[livinginkorea]

I bet that it wasn't that bad. I'm sure that a lot of parents would see the funny side of things