Barrowman John - Anything goes : the autobiography

Praise for Anything Goes

Anything Goes is a refreshingly honest, funny and engaging read that hooks readers from the opening chapter.

Womans Way

The book has the right saucy, sassy, somewhat overexcited quality for an afternoon on the sofa with a box of violet creams.

Daily Telegraph

Multi-talented John Barrowman, the star of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, tells of behind-the-scenes celeb high jinks, hilarious memories and the sometimes moving story of his two decades of work in the film, TV, music and theatre industry in this open and entertaining autobiography.

The Herald

Buy this out of curiosity, buy it for the insight into the worlds of stage and television, but most of all, buy it for his absolutely hilarious stories of a Glasgow childhood with a granny youll just adore.

Daily Record

John Barrowman is on a bit of a roll at the moment. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold and his heartfelt autobiography is no exception This is a charming read that really gives us insight into John Barrowman.

Beige

JOHN BARROWMAN
Anything Goes

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY

with Carole E. Barrowman

Michael OMara Books Limited

This edition first published in Great Britain in 2009 by

Michael OMara Books Limited

9 Lion Yard

Tremadoc Road

London SW4 7NQ

This electronic edition published 2009

ISBN 9781843174257 in EPub format

ISBN 9781843174264 in Mobipocket format

Copyright John Barrowman 2008, 2009

The right of John Barrowman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All pictures courtesy of John Barrowman, and reproduced with his kind permission, apart from page 20 (above) and page 24: BBC

Every reasonable effort has been made to acknowledge all copyright holders. Any errors or omissions that may have occurred are inadvertent, and anyone with any copyright queries is invited to write to the publishers, so that a full acknowledgement may be included in subsequent editions of this work.

You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Designed and typeset by e-type

Plate section designed by www.envydesign.co.uk

www.mombooks.com

I ve always thought people would find a lot more pleasure in their daily routines if they burst into song at significant moments. So, if youre reading this while travelling on the Tube, standing at a bus stop, queuing at your local bookstore, or even sitting on the loo, dont resist the urge. As Mama Rose famously said in the musical Gypsy: Sing out, Louise!

Musical theatre gave my professional career its start and musicals remain one of the unifying passions in my life, which is why Ive organized this book according to songs from some of my favourite shows. As youll soon discover, each chapter has a song for its title, representing a significant event, a life lesson, or a tale or two from a particular time. Like many of my favourite musicals, the narrative of my story avoids a straight chronology and shifts backwards and forwards through my life. When youve finished reading, I hope youll have a clearer, more detailed picture of who I am as a person and as a performer than from anything else youve read about me.

To be honest, heres what I really hope that by arranging the book in this way, youll feel as if you and I are lounging in our pyjamas on the couch in my Cardiff living room, sharing a bottle of champagne or a pot of tea, with music on in the background, having a blether and a laugh about my life so far.

This book has been a collaborative effort with my sister Carole. She spent most of a summer and lots of iChat time listening, laughing, enquiring and reminiscing with me. I recorded my stories and memories on my iPod, and Carole gave them structure and shape. In order to achieve this, though, she thoroughly neglected her family for a while. As a result, Carole and I would like publicly to thank Kevin, her husband, the Associate Dean of Humanities and Professor of History at Alverno College, as well as the Barrowman Casey households backbone and the one who keeps all of them in clean socks and hot meals. Carole also wants to give lots of hugs and many thanks to Clare and Turner, who have learned to put up with having a writer for a mother with humour and aplomb, and who can live without her for weeks without hurting each other or their dad.

Of course, like all good musical productions, this book owes a great deal to a supporting cast that Id like to acknowledge before this show begins. Firstly, Id like to thank warmly all the folks at Michael OMara Books for their patience, their commitment to the project, and their hard work in helping achieve its vision, especially Kate Gribble, Ana Sampson and Alison Parker. Thank you to my manager Gavin Barker, for all he does behind the scenes, and to my partner Scott, for keeping me grounded with a generous supply of love and support.

For their contributions to this production and all that they add to my life, a special thanks to my big brother Andrew, his wife Dot, and my nephew and nieces Andrew, Yvonne and Bridgett; to all the Gills; and an equally deep thank you, as always, to Bev and Jim Holt.

To my driver Sean, thanks for always getting me to the show on time, despite the distraction of yellow cars.

To my fellow cast members, crew and production staffs, past and present, whether on stage or on screen, thank you for sharing your stories, your talents and your friendship with me over the years. Youre all the tops!

Finally, and most importantly, Carole and I would like to dedicate this book with love and gratitude to our mum and dad, Marion and John Barrowman, without whom there would never have been any stories to tell.

Now, turn the pages and sing along.

John, 2008

T he scene opens with a high shot of Covent Garden. Tourists are clustered around a street performer who has a sword balanced on his forehead and tea plates spinning on a tray in each hand. The weather is unseasonably warm for June, so a few of the foreign tourists wandering in the crowded, cobbled square are carrying colourful umbrellas for shade. From this lofty angle, it looks as if someone has tipped a box of Smarties on the ground below.

Enter our leading man stage left.

That would be me.

A sopranos voice rises from the cafe tucked underneath the open-air market, a cocky vendor scolds a shopper for ignoring his patter; all around, laughing children, honking taxis, boisterous students and the release of air from the brakes of a nearby double-decker tour bus blend to create a cacophony of sounds. This is summer in Londons West End.

A teenage girl accompanies our leading man.

That would be my niece Clare, my sister Caroles daughter. Every year since they were quite young, she and her brother Turner have spent time with me during their school holidays; an invitation thats open to all my nieces and nephews when theyre old enough to travel on their own.