If you're British and loyal....

....you might try some Royal Marine. 

Sweeney Todd is probably the most Brechtian of Stephen Sondheim's work. The story of a wronged man descending into madness and wrecking a terrible revenge on his persecutors, society as a whole and frankly any poor soul that happens to get in his way. The story is good, the music is enchanting and the ideas are interesting. 

I much prefer Sondheim to Brecht as he is funnier and cleverer. Brecht's ideas of alienation and distancing are not without merit, but to be honest, I think Sondheim is rather more successful in getting his ideas across to a wider audience. "Pacific Overtures" is a particular favourite and probably one of the best meditations on the differences between cultures that I have ever come across.  I forget a Brecht play half an hour after it's finished*, but can remember Sondheim shows that I saw once ten years ago.  

Funny old thing memory. 

But with that rather tenuous connection to Royal Marines out of the way, let me present some poorly lit shots of what I'm working on the moment. 

I finished my exams on Friday and while they were not an unalloyed success, I am very, very pleased to see the back on them.  I'm happy that I passed five of them, the sixth chap might be a little close. Fingers crossed. 

The day after, Mrs. Kinch tootled out to work, while I sat on the couch and contemplated my hangover. I also did some work on these fellows, touching up the white crossbelts and because wasting time is fun, I painted the individual panels on their sun helmets. 

This was probably surplus to requirements because the helmets were already white and had benefited from a light grey wash to bring out the detail. More to the point, they should have been a light brown as they were stained with tea, but I like a nice bright white pith helmet and carried on regardless. 

I've done nineteen of these chaps, rather more than I need for Egypt, but I thought that since I was painting them anyway, I might as well do enough for a full platoon of troops in The Sword and the Flame.  Irritatingly, I seem to have lost one along the way, so I shall have to dig out another. 

*I am actually struggling to remember the details of Mother Courage right now and failing miserably.