JANUARY 2012 UPDATE
Please come along to my next performance of 'Love, death and other opportunities!" It will be on 8th February at 8PM at the Green Carnation, 5 Greek Street, London W1D 4DD (very near Soho Square). Once again I'll be taking a look at the living and not so living, mainly performing my own lyrics and monologues. I'll be accompanied by the extremely talented Ian Winter, who will warm things up by playing a set with his Sonhos do Brazil duo with Michele Rees. And as you will see when you book, we are barely charging for entry on this occasion. What more do you want on a February evening in Soho!
Tickets in advance from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/149323
DECEMBER 2011 UPDATE
Last month I performed a couple of pieces at a show put on by and for members of the Inner Temple. Rather strange, but rather nice, to go back to that world. There was a very enthusiastic audience. They absolutely loved 'A perfectly pleasant evening', so making my evening very pleasant indeed! Ian Winter, a musically gifted QC, accompanied me and also played with his own jazz band. There were a lot of talented performers from the bar and judiciary. I don't remember things being like this when I was in practice a long, long time ago!
For all progress and news on 'worldoflegends.com', please visit https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/worldoflegendscom/249595271728927 or www.worldoflegends.com. I reckon I have got past the half way point on the sequel so there is a good chance I will actually finish it!
OCTOBER 2011 UPDATE
So far I have received a couple of nice on-line reviews for the Kindle version of 'worldoflegends.com'. I won't quote them in full because you will find them on the Amazon Kindle page when you go there to buy the book! However, one began 'Nigel Osner's worldoflegends.com is full of wit and invention. It is a quintessentially English tale, which paradoxically has a universal appeal, blending a world of reality with the best of fairy tale and illusion. The reader enters the wonderfully fertile brain of an excellent story teller and is seduced. It is quite charming but with an occasional street wise edge.' The second said ' What an enjoyable book! --- This is good storytelling with lots of classic heroes and villains which will be of appeal to young and old alike. The final battle after the barriers between our world and worldoflegends has come down leaves us with a "... to be continued" and I, for one am really looking forward to more adventures in this authors world.' ---Ah yes, the sequel! Well I am working on it.
Last year the director Irene Maffei made a very short documentary about my cabaret act. It is only 13 minutes long, but gives me time to explain what I am trying to do in between excerpts from the live performance. It can be seen on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2011103/
SEPTEMBER 2011 UPDATE
I have uploaded 'worldoflegends.com' onto Amazon Kindle, where you can buy it for the amazingly low price of £2.09, or the US or German equivalent! It's in paperback too. To read the first chapter for free, see www.worldoflegends.com .
Having read how well some e-books do, I will be very interested (slight understatement!) to see how this one does. Happily there is a group of on-line reviewers who love reading, have their own followers and are happy to review self-published books, if they have the time and they like the genre. So I am busy contacting some of them, plus devising other ways to publicise the book.
I also have plans to do something similar for 'Goblins Don't Scare Us'. However, this will be a more ambitious on-line presence. There will be illustrations, and also some of the songs from the musical version, with melodies composed by BB Cooper. However, more about this later.
AUGUST 2011 UPDATE
I seem to attract bad weather at the moment - both last weekend in Berlin, while it was lovely here, and on the first night of my cabaret at the Elixir. Happily though, the weather didn't discourage the reviewers who were very kind indeed.
`A show of flamboyant inspiration and intelligence. --- Osner's pieces are original, imaginative, and heavily character-driven. --- Osner excels at throwing emotion and thought behind each characterisation, along with astute observation and deep feeling --- a charming and entertaining show filled with warmth and performed with cheeky panache.' James Waygood sosogay
'Stumbled across this venue [Elixir] and this artist, and loved my evening. Nigel Osner is a quirky and sensitive cabaret artist, doing a range of songs from the poignant and loving right through to some highly comical ones. His accompanist was great too; always picking up on Nigel Osner's highly personal vibe and timing.
Would definitely look out for this quirky artist again in London, and the vampire taking the money on the door was an excellent touch.' Sally Newman Time Out
JUNE 2011 UPDATE
I am returning to the Elixir for two more cabaret evenings at 8.15 on July 18 and 25 July. This year the show is called 'Love, death and other opportunities!' For those who came last year I'll be reviving a few favourites - well of mine anyway! - and introducing some different material which has taken my fancy. Once again, I have written most of the lyrics and monologues, but I also like songs from way back which still pack a punch. This time I'll be accompanied by the very talented Jamie Serafi. The Elixir Bar is at 162 Eversholt Street, London, NW1 1BL. Please see www.elixirbar.co.uk for location and map. Tickets are priced at £9 or £7 concessions/members of LVMG. To pay in advance contact me on 07816 814962 or use paypal - a/c mail@nigelosner.com
The rehearsed readings of 'Hedda and Hughes' went pretty well on the 7 and 8 of this month. Although initially I found the part of Gareth a daunting prospect - well it is a formidable role - I would now love to have the opportunity to play him in a full production some time. Well, we'll see! Below are a few photos of the performance taken by Ingrid Abraham.
A friendly review for 'The Revelation of Reverend Jones', which was shown in a programme of short films recently. '--- The Revelation of Reverend Jones, a piece written by cabaret artist Nigel Osner about a flamboyant gay priest who is outed to his congregation by the tabloids. This piece, written entirely in rhyming prose, is unashamedly tongue-in-cheek. Filmed on location in Swansea with a Welsh cast (and Osner in the starring role), the film is outrageous fun while also nodding (with a nudge and a wink) to poet Dylan Thomas.' So So Gay 17 May 2011 http://sosogay.org/2011/film-review-shorts-queer-as-film/
MAY 2011 UPDATE
Well, recording the three songs for 'The Road to Transylvania' has slipped into May. One is a poignant song
for a child, the second is a blues and the third is a great show tune, which is a duet for the aged King of the vampires and the ghoul
he has fallen in love with! You will note that there are elements of comedy in this story! These are three great melodies composed
by Gary Hind. I will be singing the King, so am rather looking forward to that.
I am also preparing for a rehearsed reading of an exciting new play called 'Hedda and Hughes' by Binda Singh.
It's about a fictional meeting in 1965 of a once famous Welsh silent screen star called Gareth Hughes, who became a missionary,
and the famous American gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper. An energetic, and often very funny, verbal duel takes place. Hedda needs a
scoop and she tries to find out if Gareth was responsible for the murder of a famous Hollywood producer many years before. I am
playing Gareth and Sara Mason is playing Hedda. The reading is directed by Junior Douglas. The reading will take place at the
Concert Artistes Association, 22 Bedford Street, WC2 on 7 and 8 June.
See http://www.amritsa.com/ksw/H&H.htm for more details and for performance times.
Finally, I am beginning to revise and work on my cabaret act, which will be part of the London Fringe
Festival 2011. More about this together with the dates in the next update.
MARCH 2011 UPDATE
This month I'll be playing a dental patient in a training video. Not that exciting you think? Curiously, you would be wrong.
It's a decent little part and extraordinarily well paid. These things do count!
Time to say something about the project I keep hinting about in an irritating way. I am turning the screenplay of
'The Road to Transylvania' into a musical. That means lots of new lyrics when I had sworn never to attempt another musical! I'll also be
preparing a stage version. Pat Garrett, who directed 'Just One More Bite', has introduced me to an exciting composer. We will be
recording three new songs next month in order to move the project along. And that's all I'm saying!
FEBRUARY 2011 UPDATE
I was very pleased to be nominated as best supporting actor at the Newport International Film Festival. This was for my part as a vicar
in 'The Drummond Will', the feature film completed last year. The film has been doing amazingly well on the US festival circuit, with sold out and extra
performances. It has won several awards. Other exciting things will be happening to it in 2011.
Later this month I'll be voicing the Snark and another character for a new animated film based on 'The Hunting of the Snark' by
Lewis Carroll.
JANUARY 2011 UPDATE
I have finally got the material together to update my film acting showreel. The updated showreel is on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=353cJmifcXw .
As for the stage musical I was talking about - that has unexpectedly shifted into a film musical. If it all happens, it will be amazing, but I will say no more now. If it never happens, I will say no more - full stop!
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