I dangerously left my cast alone for a fortnight. With instructions to learn their lines and get that first painful off the book run through out the way in my absence.

But yet. While the cat's away and all that. Much line learning went on. But despite feverish flamenco tinged emails sent from overseas (control freak), the rehearsal did not take place. Which made me a bit sad but I learnt some long time ago that you can't afford to be saddened by these things with this directing milarky.

So Tuesday was the first time I'd had them all in the same room since, I think, the read through. Easter weekend. Two of them - hats off to them - hot foot from a band rehearsal for of course now the two portions of the show are being rehearsed simultaneously.

(We sandwich them together next week and my goodness me, I cannot wait.)

First time they all had to stagger through it without the script clutched in their sticky paws. And despite my dread trepidation, master prompter Siobhan had surprisingly little work to do.

The truth will out at the weekend as we'll then caper through all the scenes we didn't fit in on Tuesday.

But so far, so very capering good.

Thanks, boys and girls.