Snapshots reunited me with writer Rony Robinson and songwriter Mervyn Stutter. The play had started off life as community touring project out of the Stratford East company. Now it was being revamped and transfered to its famous Theatre Royal to reach a wider audience. Mervyn asked me to come in and help out with vocal arrangements and musical direction. This got me through the stage door of a venue I’d visited many times as a teenager, since it housed the nearest professional theatre company. Getting to work there was a real honour for me.

The cast included Paul McCleary and Deborah Findlay. Both were early in their careers at this point, but were clearly formidable actors, Paul and I went on to do several more projects together and became firm friends. He died far too young. I miss him.

With Deborah I only did one more play, All Our Loving, of which more anon. But we’ve encountered each other quite a bit over the years, as we have mutual friends. She’s one of the classiest performers I know. An actor’s actor.