Cast of Characters

The Ex Files

Edvard.  We were together for an intense 6 months.  Me: was very impressed with how cool this guy was, was totally involved in punk underground culture and was super nice as well.  Him: not quite sure what he wanted from life, liked drugs a lot, lived with his mum in Oslo, one of the most dour cities I've ever been to.  It was not a match made in heaven but now we are friendly enough.

Eric.  We were together for 4 years. Currently (and always has lived) in Paris so when we were together we were back and forth on the Eurostar. Eric is a great friend of mine now, and he introduced me to great music and interesting ways of thinking. His mother still wears the same Chanel suits she probably fit into in the 70s.

Francesco.  We were together for over a year. An outgoing and really fun guy, very handsome, but struggled tremendously with his own identity, which eventually led to our breakup. I was uncompromising with him most of the time, which didn't help. Then he insisted on being friends, which I acquiesced to, only to have him dump me again a year later when he met someone new. Needless to say, I'm not speaking to him again.

Nicolas.  Fellow volleyball player and French guy that looks like a living cartoon.  We were on and off and on and off for a while.  Now off, but good friends.

Friends in Europe

Anders.  (Sweden)  AKA "Abdahs".  He has been know to refer to himself as being "like Scarlet O'Hara".  This is an apt description.  One of my closest friends who never fails to make me laugh - espeically about his bingo habit.  Lost his job after 14 years at the same place, now a student again and much happier.

Ben.  (Switzerland)  Very cute guy of Malaysian heritage who spent most of his adult life in the UK.  He and I were the only out gayers at a zombie job I had, but he left to go off and live among Swiss people for some odd reason.  He may be a traitor but he's still my friend.

Hakan.  (Sweden)  Met him on a queue in JFK Airport when our plane was cancelled and we had to sleep in the airport.  Went to Buenos Aires eventually and hung out for a bit, now meet in Sweden.  Very witty guy and has become a good friend.

Jan-Erik.  (Sweden)  Originally met him in 2001 when he and I started work on this stage adaptation of a famous horror movie.  We slaved over it for 2 years only to have the producer lose interest.  I haven't met any composer as talented as him before or since so I'm still working to make sure his talents are being heard.  Has a great partner (Anna) and three adorable kids.

Juha.  (Finland)  Chat buddy of mine from a town close to the Arctic Circle.  His idea of a hard day at work is not enough time to play mini-golf or read Donald Duck comics.  Very sweet guy with a healthy sense of humour and an appreciation for cocktails.

Ricardo.  (Portugal)  Originally met in some gay networking site around 2002 and have been friends ever since.  Met him for the first time in 2006 and almost never met him again, as he almost drove the car off the road looking at trains at a roadside station.  Ricardo loves his trains.

Thorsten.  (Sweden)  Brilliant theatrical lighting designer living in the wrong time - he would make a very good hippie. The anarchic spirit in him though makes him a pleasure to be around.  We are collaborating on setting up a theatre production company as of Summer 2008.

Friends in UK (and their origins)

Diana and Bhupi.  (Argentina/kind of UK) She's from Argentina, he's from India/Kenya/UK (take your pick), they're married and they are crazy!  Both work in The City but know how to have a great time.  I went to their wedding in Buenos Aires in October 2006 and that started a love affair with Argentina that is going to make me go back again and again.  Diana taught me how to make empanadas.

Lisa.  (UK)  I used to work with her and now we've become friends.  Recently lost a ton of weight and has guys buzzing around her like flies to a hot and sticky apple pie left on a windowsill to cool (lucky bitch).  Now based in New York.

Mala.  (UK)  Originally met her through Francesco, now a friend of mine in her own right.  An incredibly glamourous woman who's not afraid to run around the world by herself, having adventures that she wants played out her own way.  A really inspirational woman.

Nik.  (UK)  An English guy who I used to work with at a theatre call centre.  All the gays there were madly jealous of our friendship (he's straight) and demanded to know everything about him.  I was quite proud. 

Rik.  (US)  Originally hailing from Erie, Pennsylvania, and proud of it, I met him in the indie clubs around London soon after I first moved there in 1992.  I was frightened of his tough appearance but once I got to know him actually found him to be a pussycat, a very small, domestic one.  I even put a mention of Erie in a musical I directed once just as an in-joke for him to see on the opening night.

Friends in the Americas

Alisa.  My best friend in high school.  I hadn't seen her in person for years but when I met her again in 1/07, it was like I'd seen her the day before.  She's an actress and a cabaret singer working zombie jobs between gigs.  We actually appeared in a few musicals together in high school and probably bickered the entire time.

Chris.  American guy who I met when he was visiting London while studying at Trinity College in London. Then moved onto Cairo, Beirut, Arusha (in Tanzania) and now lives in New York. Saved my arse when he invested in one of my first shows, which kickstarted my career as a director.

Eddie. (France) Plays on my volleyball team. Hisancestry isfrom Guadeloupe. A very sweet and funny guy who takes everything I say too literally. Came to New York in the summer of 2007 and witnessed Wisteria Lane at it's finest. 

Joel.  He and his wife lived in the same building I stayed in when I went to Argentina in 2006, and I became friendly with him over some wine and some ping pong.  A very nice guy who taught me a lot about Buenos Aires and how the locals like to live.

Owen.  Brilliant lyricist and book writer who really needs a good break. We are both mutually interested in musicals, horror movies, sci-fi, and men. He used to only smoke cigarrettes shipped from American Indian reservations, which were lethal.

Robert.  Blogger originally from Tennessee and now living and working in Buenos Aires.  Originally drawn to South America by love, but fell in love with Argentina afterwards.  Always intriguing and enlightening.

Others

Giancarlo. (Italy) We met each other at volleyball practice here in London. Currently lives in Verona, Italy. Alternatively nice and very strange all at once.

Joakim. (Sweden) Star volleyball player hailing from Gothenburg. Hard to describe him.... tall? Adidas-addict? Crack whore? Likes a beer and is a purveyor of totally shameless gossip. If he were Perez Hilton, he would destroy entire careers with a few lines of XML.

Michael.  Sublet the spare room at my house from Jan 2006 until September 2007. 

Swen.  Grew up in East Germany and moved to London in 2000.  Currently dating a guy who unfortunately I can barely even tolerate, and after a few incidences, just got tired of having him in my life.  It's too much drama for one person to handle.