Charity
A LULLABY across the Ocean
A message from Nicola...
A lullaby for Harry. This was recorded at 1.45 am on the first night WWII veteran and political activist Harry Leslie Smith was gravely ill in hospital in Ontario.
His son John was holding vigil by his bedside alongside hundreds of thousands of people around the world through his Twitter account @Harryslaststand.
I was incredibly moved by the outpouring of love and care for a person who had inspired so many people and fought against austerity throughout his life.
In the classic 1964 Mary Poppins movie, Mary sings STAY AWAKE in order that the Banks children actually rest and sleep.
At the point I recorded it, Harry was struggling to rest, so I sang this for him as my wish for him to sleep without pain.
Harry passed away on November 28th 2018.
Harry Leslie Smith R.I.P.
- Useful Info
I’ve been a professional actress for 32 years, but my parents will tell you
that I was a little Sarah Bernhardt from a very early age.
Since training at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, I’ve had some wonderful experiences. My early career was full of Shakespeare…. in schools, castles, on radio 4, the Bristol Old Vic and in a pub theatre with director Andrew Hilton
(of Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory) . All that was a three year training in itself.
Other highlights include working at the National Theatre on two of Tennessee Williams unperformed plays…a real thrill to see his handwriting on the copies of his original manuscripts. I loved doing Sonnet Walks for Shakespeare’s Globe, using my voice for Manga cartoons and talking book versions of some Horrible Histories, having a one woman show written for me, working at Britain’s longest running weekly Rep and making my feature film debut alongside my 5 year old son.
Gallery Shot Top Center Image Credit: Copyright Jayne Lloyd