Iestyn
Edwards as Madame Galina Since
1997, Iestyn has become best known for his alter ego, Madame Galina Korsakova,
the rude and cantankerous prima Russian ballerina. Mixing
comedy with classical ballet, the character was an immediate success and Madame
Galina has subsequently appeared on radio, television, theatres and nightclubs
across Europe as well as featuring in articles in all the major newspaper press. Madame
Galina's Edinburgh Festival shows received superb plaudits and her dancing and
acid tongue continues to astound and shock hordes of her fans as she continually
pirouettes up and down the country on tour. Iestyn
trained at Guildhall as a classical singer and subsequently went on to become
voice coach to a host of classical and musical theatre stars and his Voice Clinic
is now used by professionals of all walks of life, from singers to High Court
barristers as well as The Guildford School of Acting. He
has written and performed in countless musical revues and quickly became the darling
of The Aldeburgh Festival appearing there every year with his critically acclaimed
one-man shows. Anything
For A Tenor/Madame Galina The New Forces' Sweetheart. Anything
For A Tenor. Written and performed by Iestyn Edwards. How
does someone end up auditioning by accident to go to Iraq… As
heard by Her Majesty The Queen - raconteur, bon viveur, son of a Merthyr yodelleur,
Edwards sings the songs of Cole porter, Franz Schubert, Richard Rodgers et al
and goes off at tangents about his parents drugging his Ribena, ideas for where
Delia Smith can keep her surplus marmalade, his head of housecraft, the Virgin
Mary's espadrilles, a yodelling strip-a-gram giraffe - and how his alter ego has
become known as The New Forces' Favourite. Madame
Galina Ballet Star Galactica. Written and performed by Iestyn Edwards. Directed
by Diana Quick. Part
clown, part stand up, part classical ballerina, total hit, or as the critic of
the Liverpool Post succinctly put it: "Has to be the result of a drunken
one-night stand between Tommy Cooper and Margot Fonteyn". Sent
overseas by the Russian government while Mrs. Putin cools her heels, Madame Galina
is being forced to take advantage of Lotto funding by doing outreach work in a
village that cannot otherwise access art, in a scratch venue, where all the staff
are on day release schemes - which just happens to be your venue - yes, you reading
this - doesn't it? Meant to be in residence for two months she has gone AWOL to
film a pop video with McFly, and is about to get found out: the Lotto Inspectors
and the Russians are on their way to expose her huge undertaking and question
her about the embezzlement of tinned beetroot. The audience is called upon to
help her: they must learn that Pas De Deux does not mean father-of-twins, they
must make her a national treasure, they must name a pudding after her… From
Audience Survey Forms/Comments. "I'll
make all my mates come and see him at his next gig in Brecon. Fabulous. We didn't
know what it was at first, and I was the one who had to come and watch. At first
we all looked at the flyer and thought who wants to go and see that fat poof?" "A
truly talented young man with an awesome sense of humour and a fantastic voice.
I woke up with a sort throat from laughing". "I
am German. Even the Dutch have better senses of humour. And the Swedes. Does he
put all the double-meaning rude stuff in on purpose?" "Funny
as fuck". Lt Cpl Simmons, Basra "A
baby Peter Ustinov" "Hilarious"
"Unforgettable…wonderfully
original". "Really,
truly a great night…we love a triumph!" "Was
last this excited by new talent when I saw Tommy Cooper live at the Palladium".
"Exactly
the right size for the venue". "He
wasn't at all what we thought we'd booked for…I did think he was hysterical…but
what exactly was he?" "His
singing, of all people, reminded me of Gracie Fields". "I
saw Maureen Lipman in something recently. He's very like her, isn't he?" "What
an interesting racial mix he must be. My guess is half Israeli, half maori". 'The
stuff of comedy done with huge skill and aplomb' 'Superb fouettes!' Time Out Along
Came Bill Written
and performed by Iestyn Edwards. A
riotous black comedy from the creator of the hugely successful Madame Galina Ballet
Star Galactica and Anything For A Tenor. In
this one man tour de force, we meet James, wannabe singer, plus the host of other
oddballs who drag farce into his life - his psychic Welsh mother, a neurotic pug
with asthmatic tourettes, his agent aka Maria Of The Burning Sage Leaves, and
Mrs. Farling who stalks the Archbishop Of Canterbury wearing just her bed-socks.
When
James is confronted by the memory of an unfulfilled love and realises how little
he has learned to settle for in life, we're with him as he seizes that day by
the scruff. "Could
drop straight into an Alan Bennet Talking Heads series…I was expecting the
jokes (he is one of a rare and blessed breed of comics) but he has built a poignant,
deep and personal monologue play…something got born in the theatre tonight
and it was spooky to be there". Libby Purves, The Times "Beautifully
constructed…though blessed with deft wit and pin-sharp character observation,
Edwards is not afraid of deeper emotions; he can sing, too. Funny, penetrating
and poignant stuff". John Christopher Wood. Bath Festival Retrospective:
Three Highlights, published in Venue Magazine
Performance
Biography of Iestyn Edwards. "A
rare and perfect synthesis of art and larkiness…waspish, retro-Noel Cowardish
wit laced with Nancy Mitford…the audience howled with laughter, stamped and
cheered". The Times, July 2004. From
stints entertaining the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, a private performance
for Her Majesty The Queen, the Olivier Award winning show C'est Barbican, two
series on Channel 4, Ruby Wax Does The Business on the BBC, a Channel 4 pilot
at the request of Janet Street-Porter… My
early experience came touring from age four with my father, Country and Western
singer Terry Edwards. Often being on Variety bills with a troupe of all singing
animal puppets featuring an emu that belted out Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better
while a giraffe behind it took its knickers off explains a lot… Slim
Whitman and George Hamilton IV were often on the bill, too. I
had my formal training as a Hammerstein Chanter at Southwark Cathedral, where
I was given three Cadbury Cream Eggs by the Bishop Of London for my top A's on
Easter Day, and often tripped on the hem of my surplice because my mother rinsed
it in Blue Whitener and it blinded me. At eighteen I went to Guildhall, and first
played Madame Galina during the Rag Week Revue there. I later did seasons with
British Youth Opera, gave recitals at Southwark Cathedral, Loseley Hall and the
Chelsea Arts Club, and held a singing tutorship at the Guildford School Of Acting.
All this fizzled out after I performed as Galina at a private party at the Thorpeness
Country Club and was spotted by club booker Emily Latham, who arranged for me
to audition for Club Kabaret. Within a week I was onstage in front of Madonna,
Jude Law and Kate Moss. And the club management let me have a go at hostessing.
They stopped me after one night only, during which I asked Skin which one of Skunk
And Nancy she was, called Isla Fisher Isla Blair and asked Dane Bowers if he had
a day-job… Simon
Casson, entrepreneur extraordinaire, was so drunk when he saw me dance that he
offered me a wild card entry into Busker Of The Year at Duckie. I won that, and
then got asked to take part in a showcase for Chrysalis TV, which led to Edinburgh.
I won the As Seen On The Big Breakfast Edinburgh Special - in the studio with
Blue. After Edinburgh, I was coached by Diana Quick and directed by Neale Simpson
- I live in mortal terror of their judgements - and have been touring theatres
ever since in Anything For A Tenor, Madame Galina Ballet Star Galactica and Along
Came Bill.
Iestyn Edwards press release 5th February 2007. "Don't
ever do that again…his singing was rather lovely".
Her Majesty
The Queen ticking off the then First Sea Lord for not getting Iestyn to sing for
longer… "A
rare and perfect synthesis of art and larkiness…the audience howled with
laughter, stamped and cheered." The Times. "Whipped
the quiet Monday audience into a state of panic and pleasure…an excrutiatingly
funny cod ballet masterclass."
Swedish Daily Journal "Tutu
boy's our little girl, funny as fuck, and we'd all like to dance with him/her.
"
Royal Marine Commando Upritchard, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Iestyn
recently visited injured Marines in hospital in the Helmand Province, replaced
Emma Bunton in a photo shoot, is about to collaborate with a German juggler who
has a Rocky Balboa fixation, has earned the gratitude of the Queen Of Sweden,
and is about to film for Tiger Aspect TV… After
a formal recital for the Queen at the T200 Celebrations onboard the HMS Victory,
Iestyn (the son of a Country and Western singer father and a banned from theatres
up and down the country psychic mother) got his wires crossed. Thinking he'd be
singing for the Navy in London, he approached Combined Services Entertainment.
Tour Manager, Angie Moore, knows three Iestyns and realised he must be the Iestyn
who performed as Madame Galina, fat drag ballerina. She got him in for an audition.
As he's just back from his second stint in Afghanistan (he started with Iraq!),
the rest is history… Iestyn
has also had his own series on Channel 4, filmed with Ruby Wax for BBC 3 and Janet
Street-Porter for TalkBack and appeared in the Olivier Award winning West End
show C'est Barbican. After
he recently appeared on a bill with Joanna Lumley and reduced her to a gibbering
wreck with his singing of Tom Bowling, she signed his programme "To
the fabulous Iestyn, with admiration and love…cheers Sweetie. Xx J".
TV
Credits
SSVC
Forces TV. January 2006-02-06
Boom, presented by Janet Street-Porter. TalkBack
ITV. 2/05
Ruby Wax Does The Business, BBC3. 9/04
The Rough Guide To Choreography.
Channel 4. 7/04 and 1/05
Madame Galina's Whirlwind Guide To Ballet Channel
4. 7/04
All Sorts. Channel 4. Five broadcasts between 01 and 05.
Arts East.
ITV1 Eastern Region. Roland Rivron 11/03
Big Breakfast Edinburgh Special Channel
4 Mike McLean 7 and 8/01
The Biz. ITV Eastern Region. 6/01
About Anglia.
5/99
Anglia News 2/99 Press/articles/features Woman's
Hour June 2006-06-10
Soldier Magazine March 2006, feature and cartoon
Iraq
Diary published in Wales On Sunday
The Times T2 Cover story January 2006-03-08
Loose
Ends, Radio 4, January 2006-02-06
Sunday Times Style Feature, May 2005-05-17
In
The Radar. Mail On Sunday November 2004
The Times T2 Libby Purves June 2003
Time
Out July 2002
East Life Cover Feature 2002
Midweek Radio 4 November 2001
Time
Out July 2001
The Scotsman August 2001 Quotes "A
rare and perfect synthesis of art and larkiness…the audience howled with
laughter, stamped and cheered". The Times July 2004 "Bonkers
diva brilliance…his jokes are spot on and the dancing not nearly as bad as
you might expect from a flat-footed lard arse...he is essential viewing"
Evening Standard July 2004
"Madame Galina is sensational…brilliantly
written and fantastically funny". ***** The Stage "Amazing…the
body movements of Natalia Makarova, the body type of Johnny Vegas…Madame
Galina is a unique and fabulous creation". **** The Scotsman "With
aplomb in everything she does, the autocratic chubette serves up cunning double
ententes while chivvying the audience into hilarious onstage participation…More
bolshy than Bolshoi!" The Herald Venues
include Various
military bases in Iraq, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Clore Studio, Barbican
London main stage/The Pit three times, Soho Theatre, Leeds City Varieties, Lowry
Salford, Royal Court Liverpool, City Hall Sheffield, Low At The Albany, Hay-On-Wye
Festival, Royal International Pavilion Llangollen (three times), Theatr Clwyd,
New Wolsey, Theatre Royal Winchester, Theatre Royal Bury St. Edmunds, Theatre
Royal Margate, Pleasance, Crystal Ballroom Waldorf Hotel, Norwich Arts Centre,
Haverhill Arts Centre, Riverside Studios West Acre, Rothes Halls Fife, Unity Theatre
Liverpool, Chester Gateway, Theatr Hafren, Theatr Brechioniog, Wyeside Arts Centre,
Maltings St. Albans, Guildhall Grantham, Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield,
Square Chapel Halifax, Keay Theatre, Quay Theatre. Corporate
events for Aprey's Of Bond Street, the National Maritime Museum, Sketch, Pop,
Propaganda, Sugar Reef, Channel 5 party, Medium Rare, Pet Shop Boys, Claridges.
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