Gypsy Booth at the ready
The sights and sounds of West End musicals have arrived in Watford, courtesy of a local theatre group.
The Gypsy Booth School and College of Theatre Arts will perform its 43rd annual show, entitled A Five Minute Call and based on a host of well-known productions, on Friday and Saturday.
Mary Poppins, Hairspray, Lord of the Rings and Phantom of the Opera will all feature in the show, with all-singing, all-dancing performances from the cast, some of whom are as young as three years old.
Sandra Clark, from Vicarage Road, Watford, has been helping Gypsy Booth since her daughters first took part 22 years ago.
She said: "It's an excellent show. It's always been a beautiful show and it's very professional. She wouldn't have it any other way.
"The children love it so much. Even if they have just been on stage for five minutes, they have been on stage and it's something to be proud of.
"Gypsy works so, so hard to put the show together. It's a brilliant show."
12:57pm Wednesday 26th March 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: andy, oxhey on 1:47pm Wed 26 Mar 08
My Daughter is a pupil of the Gypsy Booth School. The show is brilliant. Gypsy herself has been an inspiration to generations of local children, she truly deserves recognition as a person who has really contributed and put an awful lot back to her local community.
My Daughter is a pupil of the Gypsy Booth School. The show is brilliant. Gypsy herself has been an inspiration to generations of local children, she truly deserves recognition as a person who has really contributed and put an awful lot back to her local community.
Posted by: The Plinth of Darkneth, Watford on 2:32pm Wed 26 Mar 08
Oh dear, looks like the PC brigade will be scrutinising this one.
Are they allowed to call themselves that, or is it deemed offensive to the Traveller community?
Oh dear, looks like the PC brigade will be scrutinising this one.
Are they allowed to call themselves that, or is it deemed offensive to the Traveller community?
Posted by: OxheyMoron, oxhey on 2:35pm Wed 26 Mar 08
As its the lady's name I doubt there is much the PC party can do about it!
As its the lady's name I doubt there is much the PC party can do about it!
Posted by: Jimbobfury, Watford on 4:56pm Wed 26 Mar 08
A group of kids on stage performing....
All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous...
How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things?
The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents...
Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it...
Let the kids live their own lives....
A group of kids on stage performing....
All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous...
How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things?
The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents...
Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it...
Let the kids live their own lives....
Posted by: Arthur, Garston on 8:21pm Wed 26 Mar 08
[quote][bold]Jimbobfury[/bold] wrote:
A group of kids on stage performing.... All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous... How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things? The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents... Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it... Let the kids live their own lives....[/quote] Start wth Holly Magrath and go on to an almost endless list.
You ought to get out more Jimbob, it might make you less furious - why not go and see the show? Could be you'll like it.
Jimbobfury wrote:
A group of kids on stage performing.... All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous... How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things? The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents... Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it... Let the kids live their own lives....
Start wth Holly Magrath and go on to an almost endless list.
You ought to get out more Jimbob, it might make you less furious - why not go and see the show? Could be you'll like it.
Posted by: Jimbobfury, Watford on 8:51am Thu 27 Mar 08
[quote][bold]Arthur[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]Jimbobfury[/bold] wrote: A group of kids on stage performing.... All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous... How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things? The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents... Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it... Let the kids live their own lives....[/quote] Start wth Holly Magrath and go on to an almost endless list. You ought to get out more Jimbob, it might make you less furious - why not go and see the show? Could be you'll like it.[/quote] Who?
Arthur wrote:
Jimbobfury wrote: A group of kids on stage performing.... All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous... How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things? The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents... Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it... Let the kids live their own lives....
Start wth Holly Magrath and go on to an almost endless list. You ought to get out more Jimbob, it might make you less furious - why not go and see the show? Could be you'll like it.
Who?
Posted by: OxheyMoron, oxhey on 12:40pm Thu 27 Mar 08
[quote][bold]Jimbobfury[/bold] wrote:
A group of kids on stage performing.... All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous... How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things? The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents... Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it... Let the kids live their own lives....[/quote] Its not about becoming famous.....it gives the kids confidence, they enjoy it and they give enjoyment to others. Would you rather they hung about the offy cadging cigarettes?
Jimbobfury wrote:
A group of kids on stage performing.... All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous... How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things? The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents... Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it... Let the kids live their own lives....
Its not about becoming famous.....it gives the kids confidence, they enjoy it and they give enjoyment to others. Would you rather they hung about the offy cadging cigarettes?
Posted by: Roy Stockdill on 1:03pm Thu 27 Mar 08
[quote][bold]The Plinth of Darkneth[/bold] wrote:
Oh dear, looks like the PC brigade will be scrutinising this one. Are they allowed to call themselves that, or is it deemed offensive to the Traveller community? [/quote] A perusal of www.freebmd.org.uk, a website much used by we genealogists because it contains millions of entries from the General Register Office indexes of births, marriages and deaths, reveals that GIPSY and GYPSY are well accepted first names, more or less up to the present day. I very much doubt whether all the holders are/were traveller gypsies, or even a majority. I presume Gypsy/Gipsy was a name that could have been given equally to a male or female.
And while we're on the subject of politically incorrect names, the website also reveals someone called Able Ni**er, who died at Watford, interestingly enough, in 1918. His first name, I suspect (and I presume it was a he), was actually Abel, since he appears on the 1901 census in this name, then aged 5, having been born in Kent in 1895 or 1896. Whether this was a genuine surname or one given to a black person who was perhaps adopted by a family I could not say, since I have not investigated further. It was certainly not a regular surname, since the only other instance I could find was of a man born at Woolwich in 1898 who had it as a middle name. Possibly there was a connection with the lad whose surname it was.
And before some idiot accuses me of racism, I should point out that I am merely citing historical fact. However, I have censored the surname with asterisks because if I don't I realise the absurdly hypersensitive software used here will do it for me!
The Plinth of Darkneth wrote:
Oh dear, looks like the PC brigade will be scrutinising this one. Are they allowed to call themselves that, or is it deemed offensive to the Traveller community?
A perusal of www.freebmd.org.uk, a website much used by we genealogists because it contains millions of entries from the General Register Office indexes of births, marriages and deaths, reveals that GIPSY and GYPSY are well accepted first names, more or less up to the present day. I very much doubt whether all the holders are/were traveller gypsies, or even a majority. I presume Gypsy/Gipsy was a name that could have been given equally to a male or female.
And while we're on the subject of politically incorrect names, the website also reveals someone called Able Ni**er, who died at Watford, interestingly enough, in 1918. His first name, I suspect (and I presume it was a he), was actually Abel, since he appears on the 1901 census in this name, then aged 5, having been born in Kent in 1895 or 1896. Whether this was a genuine surname or one given to a black person who was perhaps adopted by a family I could not say, since I have not investigated further. It was certainly not a regular surname, since the only other instance I could find was of a man born at Woolwich in 1898 who had it as a middle name. Possibly there was a connection with the lad whose surname it was.
And before some idiot accuses me of racism, I should point out that I am merely citing historical fact. However, I have censored the surname with asterisks because if I don't I realise the absurdly hypersensitive software used here will do it for me!
Posted by: Arthur, Garston on 1:53pm Thu 27 Mar 08
[quote][bold]Jimbobfury[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]Arthur[/bold] wrote: [quote][bold]Jimbobfury[/bold] wrote: A group of kids on stage performing.... All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous... How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things? The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents... Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it... Let the kids live their own lives....[/quote] Start wth Holly Magrath and go on to an almost endless list. You ought to get out more Jimbob, it might make you less furious - why not go and see the show? Could be you'll like it.[/quote] Who?[/quote] Obviously some one who is neither able to use Google nor watch the TV - sad
Jimbobfury wrote:
Arthur wrote: Jimbobfury wrote: A group of kids on stage performing.... All the fake smiles and badly performed songs, and no hope of ever becoming famous... How many of these kids have actually gone on to other things? The audience will be filled with all the pushy parents... Go on do it for Mummy...Mummy will love you if you do it... Let the kids live their own lives....
Start wth Holly Magrath and go on to an almost endless list. You ought to get out more Jimbob, it might make you less furious - why not go and see the show? Could be you'll like it.
Who?
Obviously some one who is neither able to use Google nor watch the TV - sad
Posted by: cutebabe, south oxhey on 3:10pm Sun 30 Mar 08
I am a dancer at the Gypsy Booth School, and lots of our dancers go on to prestigous dance schools, such as: english national ballet, central, arts, nothern, tring.
We as dancers enjoy doing the shows, and our parents are not pushy at all , as we make our own choices. There is much talent in this dance school, and many people will go on to be famous!
We all get a long very well, and everyone involved in the dance school work as a team. We have excellent teachers who we get along wiht not only as teachers but as friends aswell. I would also like to say a big thank you to Gypsy for all the hard work you put into the show, and thank you for making our dance school 1 of the best!
xxx[/quote]
I am a dancer at the Gypsy Booth School, and lots of our dancers go on to prestigous dance schools, such as: english national ballet, central, arts, nothern, tring.
We as dancers enjoy doing the shows, and our parents are not pushy at all , as we make our own choices. There is much talent in this dance school, and many people will go on to be famous!
We all get a long very well, and everyone involved in the dance school work as a team. We have excellent teachers who we get along wiht not only as teachers but as friends aswell. I would also like to say a big thank you to Gypsy for all the hard work you put into the show, and thank you for making our dance school 1 of the best!
xxx
Posted by: cutebabe, south oxhey on 3:11pm Sun 30 Mar 08
by the way my name is katie.
by the way my name is katie.
Posted by: jax, south oxhey on 8:36pm Wed 9 Apr 08
i agree with katie i'm also a student a gypsy booth i have been dancing there since i was 4, my mum wanted me to give up but i wanted to continue. the parents are not pushy. some of the younger students are auditioning for companies such a the royal ballet and other pupils that have left are in performances such as chicago in the westend and Roxy in eastenders. so if you have that opinion mabey you should take the time to watch one of the shows, most of the scenery is made by pupils who have given up their free time myself included.
i agree with katie i'm also a student a gypsy booth i have been dancing there since i was 4, my mum wanted me to give up but i wanted to continue. the parents are not pushy. some of the younger students are auditioning for companies such a the royal ballet and other pupils that have left are in performances such as chicago in the westend and Roxy in eastenders. so if you have that opinion mabey you should take the time to watch one of the shows, most of the scenery is made by pupils who have given up their free time myself included.
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
