(left) Me at 4 mths...aahhh
I've been a professional performer since the age of 10. I've always loved music. My Mother said I was singing before I could talk. Aged 8, and without any training, I started winning money in local talent contests and winning my family free holidays by singing and we realised 'there was gold in them thar hills'!
I'd just turned 10 when I auditioned at the world famous London Palladium Theatre for the title role in their lavish annual pantomime 'Babes In The Wood' (poster right). I'd never even acted on a stage before, never auditioned before for anything and was up against trained professionals decked out in beautiful dresses. I was in an old simple frock I'd grown out of and couldn't even bend down or I'd flash my knickers I'd outgrown it so! We just went along for the chance to see backstage of such a theatre but...I actually got the role! So twice a day I played out my part in front of over 2,000 people. My stage brother and I were kidnapped by 2 robbers (played by Derek Nimmo and Bill Maynard) hired by our guardian 'The Sheriff of Nottingham' to be taken into the woods and killed for him to inherit our fortune. But we would be rescued by Robin Hood (played by Edward Woodward) and everyone lived happily ever after... I've written about my experience at the definitive pantomime website It's-behind-you.com. It was a wonderful time, I learned so much on the job, met famous people such as Princess Grace of Monaco (the former Hollywood actress Grace Kelly) and was, basically, set up for a life in the business.
A good friend I made at the Palladium was the actor Dino Shafeek who was just about to make it big in 2 TV comedies. He played the Char Wallah (see pic left) in BBC's long -running 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' penned by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. He was also the guy that sang those crazy Indian versions of British songs of the era that linked the scene changes. In the ITV comedy series 'Mind Your Language' he was the popular character Ali. Dino set up a weekly night in London at varying nightclubs where acts could go and perform, try out, learn. I went there every week for years,
doing my schoolwork by candlelight at a nightclub table. My friend Dino died, way too young, in 1984.
There were strict rules and regulations as to how many days a year kids could work and, as I kept using them all up, it restricted how much I could work until I turned 16. However I did do 'Babes In the Wood' for 2 more seasons. Once with the really popular comedy duo of the time Mike & Bernie Winters (above) at The Ashcroft theatre, Fairfield Halls and once with the old-style variety fall-about act Sally Barnes (see poster left) who came out of retirement to join us. She was a lovely lady, part of Variety's history, but has often been overlooked since so I am happy to remember her here.
It was often wondered how I could look so scared on stage and act so well the part of a little girl about to die. This was because away from the stagelights and the applause my younger brother, Michael (pic right), and myself were subjected to extremely violent physical abuse and frequently taken up to the point of death by our parents. While still the smiling little baby you see at the top of this page I was thrown against walls, my head repeatedly banged, I was kicked and punched. My brother and I were to receive damage that continues in our bodies to this day. During childhood we were beaten down from expressive, loving children to joyless shadows. By the time I started school (above left) I was already experiencing terrible pain, couldn't run like my friends, couldn't tolerate light. I often suffered from temporary paralyses on waking and would then be beaten for being 'lazy in the mornings'. It wasn't exactly a barrowful of laughs...
No one intervened in our treatment and we grew up as best we could. I honour the little boy and girl you see pictured here. I don't know how they coped and survived...............................................but we did.
*The above was posted on July 10th. Next page will be: Haze becomes a teenager, has one of the worst experiences of her life playing a part in the film 'Bugsy Malone', at 16 starts working full-time in music.
to a computer near you!!