Saturday 28 March 2009

Odense, Denmark
After a long journey, we’re being very well looked after here in Odense by lots of extremely nice and efficient Danish people. After a dodgy start where we chose the wrong Chinese restaurant (very dodgy in fact), we met up with Tomas Medici to rehearse at the Theaterhus, only an hour and half late, although given how tired we were it seemed much later.I was very impressed with the town’s well-organised attitude to cycling, even providing an electric bike pump in the street.

Jeppe, Annaline and their team can’t do enough for us, laying on food, sound, a harpsichord and organ tuned in ¼ comma meantone, and their very comfortable theatre space which has a surprisingly warm and flattering acoustic.

After a hotel breakfast of epic proportions in which I was reminded of what Danish pastries are supposed to taste like – it’s 10 years at least since I was in Denmark - we all headed out on various shopping expeditions. This was my favourite shop sign which is just a really cheap joke made by an ignorant foreigner who sniggers every time he passes a bookshop (sorry). If it was a bog, you could flush your money down the pan by playing the lottery.

The Tiger Lillies made it here from Poland today after a 3.30am start, so it’s amazing they could do anything at all, let alone rehearse a whole show with us. As expected, it’s changed quite a lot in Martyn’s head since last time, but I think we managed to keep up with him on the whole. It’s a lot less confrontational this time round, which will be a relief to anyone who was at the last one in Edinburgh.

When we were done most of us took turns on Adrian Stout’s theremin …