Neil Sedaka in Carmen?

Yesterday I blogged about an old friend of Neil's possibly writing a short piece about him, and I woke up to a lovely tribute to Neil from them.

"I met Neil in high school . . Abraham Lincoln HS in Brooklyn. I was a senior; Neil was a junior. We were putting on our senior class play; a take-off on Carmen. We needed a musical accompaniment and Neil was the best! Neil was the nicest, sweetest, modest young man who took total command of the 88's! At the tender age of 13, he composed some of the most beautiful love songs.Neil was a quite a talent."

So there we have it- Neil Sedaka at school! I didn't think that the blog would reach quite so many people, and its amazing that out of all this I got a wonderful account of Neil Sedaka from an Old School friend! Quite amazing!!

I'm not sure how I'm going to top this post but fear not I will keep working to do so...watch this space....

For all those budding Neil Sedaka's...

I have been thinking of new things to post up on here which may not be directly about the show, I wasn't have too much luck finding inspiration online, and as the show is so fantastic I think perhaps I may have been avoiding straying slightly off topic!

BUT

Then I came across "The Ultimate Songwriting Blog" and thought perhaps, seeing as the show's focus is a songwriter, that there might be some helpful hints to those of you who perhaps are Sedaka's in the making! As I read further I thought that regardless of whether you are a budding new songwriter or not, it may well be of interest to learn about the process which is so dear to Neil Sedaka, and indeed Howie Greenfield's heart. HERE is the link to the Ultimate Songwriting Blog. But if you don't fancy reading it, I've posted the 3 best tips that I find on the site.

1. USE YOU'RE OWN EXPERIENCE

"It's much easier to write about what you know than what you've never been through. It comes from within. You should however think of your market and give your songs a global appeal. "

2. CONSTANTLY CARRY A NOTEBOOK

"Similarly, you should carry a notebook. Jot down these ideas. They come unexpectedly. Some of the greatest hits that were ever written started with one simple, stupid idea. Don't miss out. "

3. KEEP IT SIMPLE

"As far as I'm concerned, you should say what you have to say and call it quits. Don't worry too much about facts. Work every bit of emotion into your song and your song writing. You're writing songs to impact on people's feelings."

Some production shots

Hey all, here are some of the official shots, sent to me by Bill Kenwright. I am in the process of trying to convince them to let me have some shots that have not been seen before, so hopefully they will find some that suit and I can get those posted up here.

In the meantime- Enjoy these!

Neil Sedaka Performs With The Cast in Bromley

The man himself, Neil Sedaka was up on stage with the cast of Laughter In The Rain! He performed several of his greatest hits and really enjoyed performing with the cast and watching them perform the show of his life story. Have a look at some exclusive photgraphs I was sent of the man himself up on stage- and watch this space for some video footage that was taken from the auditorium the very same night.

Laughter in the Rain: The Neil Sedaka story

Welcome to the official blog for this year's brand new musical sensation, Laughter In The Rain: The Neil Sedaka Story. From the producers of the smash hit Rock 'n' Roll musicals including Dreamboats and Petticoats, The Roy Orbison Story and Elvis The Musical, this brand new show is based on the rise, fall and rise again of pop music's ultimate survivor... Neil Sedaka.

We'll be posting news, reviews, videos and comment as well as tons of exclusive backstage news and gossip on this fantastic new show, fresh from its critically acclaimed world premiere at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. If you've seen the show, we'd love to hear from you! You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook where you'll be able to talk to us about everything from your favourite Neil Sedaka song to asking the actors exactly what it's like playing Neil and his family.