America

Act Two of “Made in Dagenham” opens with the arrival of the Americans from Ford USA, who have come to sort out the strike. The song is basically a jingoistic hymn of praise to the good ’ole US - I’m very surprised that Trump hasn’t been playing it at his rallies!
Whilst Alex is strutting his stuff on stage, my less glamorous role is to stand in the wings with an electric guitar, which I hand to him at a certain point so he can mime a guitar solo. And - trust me - he gives it the full “Hendrix”!
The guitar is only on view for 30 seconds or so but, without it, there would have been an awkward moment of inactivity in the number. We stage crew might complain about the plethora of props we have to deal with each night but everything does add to the action.
Except for the chairs. There are too many chairs…