Once the Musical - April 2014

Three months ago, it was announced that Declan Bennett was to leave Once, at which point, the discussions began as to who would be his replacement. Jokingly, while seeing Once for the first time myself, we had this discussion and brought up the possibility of Arthur Darvill, well known for his role as Rory Williams on Doctor Who, of being that person. He had just recently finished playing the lead role on Broadway and as far as anyone was aware, he had nothing lined up. Much to my delight and squeals, he was announced, barely a couple of weeks later, to be taking over the lead role for a limited engagement. Obviously, I had to go and see him perform and so, I booked tickets for the Easter weekend, which just so happened to tie in with my birthday! Happy Birthday Me!

Originally my friend, Harriet, was meant to be coming with me, but sadly, she had to pull out due to other commitments. So I thought I would take Rachael with me, as she desperately wanted to see Arthur as well. Then it clicked, I could take my friend, Kirsty, with me instead as she had mentioned to me, the weekend before, that she was planning to go and see it. Luckily, she said yes and before heading to the theatre for pre-show drinks, we had dinner and drinks! I should say thank you again to her for being so nice and paying for the meal!

As I mentioned, last time I went, before the show and during the interval, the audience is able to go on stage and buy drinks from the onstage bar. As we knew it would be too hard to get down from the upper circle for a drink in the interval, we decided to head there before the show. I should note now, on the tickets, it says the bar opens at 6pm, this is only for the theatre bars. The onstage bar does not open till 7pm when the auditorium opens. We took a few photos while on stage, waiting to hopefully see the preshow, but as they were not out 7:15pm, we decided to make our way up to the upper circle. The view from the back of the upper circle is actually pretty decent, thanks to the Phoenix Theatre to be one of the smaller ones in the West End. For the cost I paid, around £40 or so, I felt it was very good money for value.

Quick rant: if you have tickets for a show and it states it starts at a certain time, then make the effort to turn up and be in your seats at least five minutes before so! It is bloody irritating when people turn up thirty minutes into the show and do not come in quietly and therefore ruining it for other people!

I was so excited to be seeing this again and so soon. As already mentioned, Arthur was a big part of this. But I was also excited to be able to see the fabulous Zrinka Cvitesic again as she had just recently won Best Actress in a Musical at the Oliviers! You only have to see her deliver the line, "I am always serious, I'm Czech!" to understand why she won! It is one of my favourite lines in the show and has me laughing every time it is said!

The show, as always, was fantastic, amazing and so beautiful. The new cast members have fitted well into show and made it so you feel like they have always been there! The show is so incredibly funny that one woman was cackling so loudly that, as we found out later from a cast member, she made Arthur laugh onstage at a point when he was not meant to, and it is the only time it has ever happened to him! While it may have made him laugh, after a while, it became extremely irritating especially when it was just her laughing and none of the other audience members!

Arthur was absolutely amazing in the role. Dare I say, perhaps even better than Declan? I thought at times, he was perhaps slipping in and out of the required Irish accent needed for the role, but I was corrected by Kirsty, who has Irish roots, that he did in fact, pull off the accent very well and never slipped from it! Vocally, he was stunning and made the songs his own. My favourite song he performed was Gold and I just downloaded the Broadway version, which has been on repeat for a good hour already today! His voice also blended so well with Zrinka's, especially on Falling Slowly. They had fantastic chemistry, making you root for the characters to be a couple! There is not much more I can say on Zrinka, as she was, as always, so amazing in her role and last night just proved why she was so deserving on her Olivier Award!

After the show, we did head to the stage door. Sadly, Zrinka shot off past the fans before we even realised it was her and Arthur never came out. I was slightly annoyed at first as I wanted to see if I could get a "Happy Birthday" from them, but in the end, I was not so fussed as we had met them at the Oliviers the weekend before. And to be honest, even if you go to the stage door, there is never a guarantee you will get to meet any of the cast members!

Olivier Awards - April 2014

After what has been such an amazing year for West End theatres, it was time for the Olivier Awards again, the most prestigious awards for theatre. That also meant it was time for me and Rachael to head up to London to line the red carpet in hopes of meeting some of the most talented people the UK has to offer. And on the 13th of April 2014, that is exactly what we did, just outside the Royal Opera House, where the awards were once again being held. And it was most definitely a day worth remembering for so many different reasons.

Due to the names announced as nominees, performers and presenters, we made the decision to leave as early as we possibly could to give us a great chance of a great spot along the carpet. We arrived in Covent Garden around half eight and within 10 minutes we were queuing with around another 50 fans and autograph dealers, along the side the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. This year, a number system had been put in place by one of the fans to make sure no one pushed in once we were allowed to head over to the pens. The only problem with this was many people then disappeared for a long periods, which in turn, annoyed many people when they arrived back barely minutes before we moved into the pens along the red carpet. In the end, it didn't make much of difference, as due to the change in layout from last year, every one of those who had got a number and waited a while, which was nearly 200 people (I was number 47), got a spot at the front of the barriers.

In total, Rachael and I waited nearly eight and a half hours for the red carpet to begin and despite being very tired by the time it did, it was still worth it. During the our long wait, I ended up chatting to a crew member from the conventions I like to attend. We had such a great chat, especially about the upcoming London one, which has such a great guest list. Also got talking to another fan, who has seen me at other theatre events and recognised my Harry Potter hoodie! Kirsty ended up much further down the queue but we managed to end up standing together, thanks to me, Rachael and Harriet spreading out the moment we got our place in the pens.

This year, it appears we met far more people than last year, with only one person refusing a photo (well the publicist refused). We were extremely lucky to meet: James Alexandrou, Gok Wan, Barbara Windsor, Arlene Philips, Cynthia Eviro, Leigh Zimmerman, Ben Miller, Diana Vickers, Lesley Garrett, Nigel Planer, Katherine Kingsley, Beverley Knight, Stephen Mangan, Richard Fleeshman, Samantha Barks, Zrinka Cvitesic, James McAvoy, Arthur Darvill, Tom Hiddleston and Martin Freeman, who was the one we were unable to get a photo with. Even better, we have some great little stories for many of those we met!

Meeting Barbara was such an honour and I told her so, which she appreciated. She was just so lovely and yes, she really is that dinky! Think I embarrassed myself in front Arlene as I told her she was my absolute favourite West End choreographer (and she is). I informed Cynthia that myself and my husband would be attending I Can't Sing, the X Factor musical next month on his birthday and she wished him a happy birthday! Plan to get her to do so again as I intend on going to the stage door afterwards as I normally would. I asked Richard flat out if he Samantha Barks was his girlfriend (I swear I had no idea at the time) and he very sweetly told me, yes! Nigel seemed a little shocked I wanted a photo with him and not just of him! And as for my photo with Stephen Mangan, something had made us laugh and I ended up with it being my fave photo.

Zrinka remembered myself, Rachael and Harriet from the What's On Stage Awards and gave us a wave and smile before heading over to us. It was so nice that she remembered us and quickly asked us how we were! Quickly got to tell her I was going to see Once again on Friday for my birthday! Arthur Darvill, who is also currently in Once, was also there and hadn't stopped for anyone until he saw Rachael, at which point he came over and had a photo with her.

James McAvoy walked on with our sharpie. Rachael was literally screaming after him trying to get it back. We never did and I am actually intrigued to find out what happened to it. It is probably in the bin now! Luckily, someone else had a spare one and lent it to Rachael! As for meeting Tom Hiddleston, typically he was trying to get to everyone who was waiting, not that we had much hope we would get to meet him after what happened last year. However, it did happen even after Rachael threatened his publicist that I would kill him! Luckily he knew she was joking! Turns out he chose Rachael as the cut off point for our side, before Tom moved back to the other side! Tom even angled someone's phone so she would in the photo with him, despite posing for a photo with her afterwards!

Sadly, we missed out on quite a few people due to how manic the red carpet was. Alexandra Burke spotted us after we called out to her and promised to come over to us, which she did but sadly after to speaking to Harriet she went up the other way and we never got to meet her! Despite calling to Bernadette Peters, we did not get to meet her either, which upset us a lot as she was a main draw for us this year. Others we missed out on due to either not realizing they were on the carpet or due to them not hearing us call for them. Sadly this is how the red carpet goes, some people you meet, some you do not.

We had such amazing time this year and to come home to find that Zrinka had won best actress was fantastic! We were absolutely shattered afterwards but in our eyes, it was worth it to know we had got ourselves a fab spot which led to us being able to meet all these people! And yes, the moment we left, we all agreed that we are most definitely coming back next year!

Backstreet Boys - In A World Like This Tour - April 2014

Around two years ago, while on stage in London, the Backstreet Boys announced that Kevin would be returning to the group. This announcement led to me finally meeting the boys four months later. So obviously it meant I would be at their gig in London, having not seen them perform live as a five piece since the Millennium tour in 1999! I even renewed my fan club membership just so I could have access to the presale. Even when that day did finally come, I spent an hour trying to decide whether to use money in my savings, specifically for my trip to Paris, to book a ticket. If I had booked immediately I probably would have had a better seat, but even then, due to the stage design, I had a better seat that I thought I would! So most definitely worth the money!

I arrived specifically time so I could see the All Saints perform. Had loved them back in the day and have only really seen them perform live at Party In The Park in 1998. So it was fantastic to see them to do a longer set of all their classic hits. The girls were vocally amazing with tight harmonies! To be honest I felt they sounded better than they had over ten years ago! The reaction from the crowd was fantastic and they were really well received. There was a lot of love for them and I hope to see them produce some new material!

During the wait for the boys to come onstage, there was a number of clips advertising their many events they had lined up for this year, including the trailer for their movie. You are a regular reader of this blog, you may remember me mentioning how there was a film crew there the second time I went to see the boys at the studios two years ago. Well it turns out you can see me quite clearly in the trailer, with my red Palace hoodie on and very blonde hair. Could not miss AJ signing an autograph for me! However, I am no longer blonde, so good chance no one would know it was me, without me mentioning it!

Finally it was time for the boys to take to the stage. The lights went down and my god, the screams were loud! The boys exploded onto the stage and began their set with the fab track, The Call and then headed into the Millennium album track, Don't Want You Back, one of my faves. The boys were back and sounding vocally amazing. Proof why they have always been one of my favourite live acts to go and see. They don't need spectacle as their vocals have always been enough to pull in a sell out crowd.

 Before I continue, it should be noted that all these photos I am posting were taken with my DSLR. Turns out that if you are using one with an 18-55mm lens while sat in a floor seat, it is ok! Fab for me, cos I got some fab shots. But only as my usual camera, which a stupidly brilliant zoom, was broken by my kids and I did not know until I got to the venue. So it is a good thing I brought my DSLR with me! However, my usual camera is better for filming video clips as it is easier to focus and the sound is corrected immediately while filming to enhance the music and drown out the screams. I did film some clips and they can be found on my youtube account, with links via my twitter page.

Also want to take a second to praise the boys for the beautiful tribute they made to Q, their long time bodyguard, who sadly passed away last December. It was an absolute shock for all those who knew him and for the fans, especially those who had been lucky enough to meet him. He was a nice person, who was actually respectful towards the fans. The entire arena joined in with a moment's silence for him, though typically there is always one who feels the need to ruin these important moments. Turns that girl got a telling off from her boyfriend!

The setlist for the night was slightly different from the one I had read online but that was to be expected. Songs included: Incomplete, Permanent Stain, All I Have to Give, As Long As You Love Me, Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely, I'll Never Break Your Heart, We've Got It Goin' On, Quit Playin' Games, In a World Like This, I Want it That Way and Everybody (Backstreet's Back), among others. It was a trip down memory lane for the fans, with fantastic tracks thrown in from the latest album (which I will admit, I still have not brought, but will do at some point).

One of my favourite things about the concert was the use of their original choreography for the older numbers, especially the hat routine during All I Have to Give and the chorus to Everybody (Backstreet's Back). The last one especially brought memories to dancing the entire routine with my friend! Sadly I did end up missing the final song of the night, Larger than Life (another of my faves), as I was worried about missing my train home and I wanted to avoid the worst of the crowds! However, the show was amazing and I am so glad I booked a ticket to see them! It is fantastic to see them back as a five piece again, especially as part of their 20th anniversary celebrations!

HERE IS TO ANOTHER TWENTY AMAZING YEARS BOYS!