I'm normally not a huge impulse shopper, mainly because for the last 6 months before London I was saving for London and in London I have lots of things I need to pay for that aren't really impulsive, but planned out. No spur of the moment trips to Primark (this awesome cheap clothing store) for me!
But when someone posted on twitter (tweeted, if you will) that lastminute.com was having a sale on Love Never Dies tickets. No, no, rest assured I wasn't going to sit through that torture again, but it was a 48 hour sale, and so I decided to check out what kinds of prices they were asking for Phantom, you know, just to see. Aaaand it just so happened they were selling top price Stalls and Royal Circle for 20 pounds off. Granted, this still didn't make them as cheap as most of the Grand Circle tickets I get, but these are guaranteed to be closer to the actions. I searched for a day that I could reasonably go.
Now, perhaps picking the Wednesday before we leave for Dublin wasn't my best idea, especially since I have a presentation to do today, but that was scheduled after I bought the ticket. So I was all set to go (though I didn't find out my seat till last night, half an hour before the show), but disaster struck as yesterday morning, Sofia Escobar tweeted "Woke up with a scratchy throat :( won't be performing tonight :'("
I was momentarily upset, because I really wanted to see her again, but then my mind clicked. It said, "Hey Tina, weren't you checking the understudy's twitter, seeing if she was ever performing on a day you could go so you could see a different Christine?" And I said, "yeah, mind, you're right!"
So, luckily, I wouldn't have to make another spur of the moment purchase to see Katy Treharne perform. I had heard good reviews, and really any chance to see John Owen Jones is a win for me.
So I get to the theatre and collect my ticket. D7, stalls. alright, 4th row, not bad, I think. I get into the theatre to discover that Her Majesty's loses the first row for the orchestra. Meaning I was 3rd row, just off center. Which means I was sitting in front of where there is a lot of Phantom action. So. Prime.
Now I'm a bit bizarre. I can see the wheels in people's head's turning as they see that I'm alone. Not a huge deal, but most people don't go to see mega musicals alone. Not a big deal.
I'm sitting next to a couple that is talking about Love Never Dies. I turn and shake my head and say it isn't worth it to go. They say "Les Mis it is!"
I'm sitting in front of and next to 2 other couples who have never seen the show. I know this because the girl next to me keeps gasping, and exclaims "bloody hell!" when the Phantom appears in the mirror in Christine's dressing room. At intermission I ask them as they're getting up to go to the bathroom if it is their first time. The guy goes, "Yeah! What, is this your second??" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I tell him, "No, this is a lot of times." They look at me in awe.
The couple behind me seems a bit confused so I turn around and try to explain things to me. See, this is the problem with programmes not being free in the UK. It does have the plot synopsis, which makes operatic songs easier to understand. Oh well. They were in awe of my knowledge and general fan-ness. The guy, who reminded me of Dad, asked me "So, do you like go to class at all?" when I told him this wasn't the first time I'd been in London to see it and while listing all the other shows I have seen or will be seeing.
So it was a fun night. I wasn't going to stage door, because I'm a bit ill again and needed to get home to pack and such, but I was watching Will Barratt perform and made a vow to go to the stage door and say something that wasn't "You were amazing!" before getting all shy and starstruck again. I mean, come on, I've seen it a million times, they shouldn't faze me.
I also decided, very soon in, that I had to at least see Katy Treharne and tell her she was incredible. I can't believe she's an understudy, because her voice is amazing. She's on par with most other Christine's I've seen in terms of talent. Blown. Away. And I got a great view of her triumph as well! It was really cool to see her costumes up close.
Anyway, at first I was the only one at the door. I thought, 'oh, this is awkward. They'll probably just walk right by..." But then another group of kids from Chicago, I later learned, came too. Katy walked out as they happened to be taking pictures in front of the stage door sign, and she was kind of like "Do I say I was Christine? Do they recognize me?" So she was just like, "Uh, do you want me to be in the picture?" So I took one for them. Then as she was maneuvering out of the crowd I was giving the camera back but turned to her with, I can imagine huge eyes, that I thought she was amazing. She was in a bit of a hurry though, so stupid me didn't think to get a picture with her. Maybe next time?
Next was Will Barratt. Remember how I was gonna say something to him? He kind of walked out and didn't really slow down cause I think he thought nobody was there for him, so he smiled at me a bit as I looked at him and kept walking. I turned around and sort of half shouted "You were excellent!" So he turned back and was like, "Oh, thanks! Glad you liked it!" And I was like "Uh, you're a really adorable Raoul..." And he kind of just smiled so I rushed through my little speech and said "Yeah, like when you're in the dressing room, and you tickle her, it's really cute..." And he smiled and was like "I do my best!" Then the stupid kids from earlier rushed over and INTERRUPTED ME and said "OMG CAN WE TAKE A PICTURE YOU ALL WERE GREAT!!!" Pretty sure they didn't know exactly who he was cause they didn't ask him to sign anything till he was like "Do you guys have programmes or anything you want me to sign?" Then he asked where they were from, etc. They were a big group and he takes time to talk to everyone, so I just left and decided I would return and catch John Owen Jones at a different time too. Since he takes forever and I needed to get home. I still consider this a victorious day.
Noelle brought her dog to the shop for the morning! SO CUTE
I was so close I couldn't get all the stage in one shot
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