London Film and Comic Con - July 2014

July brought Showmasters' biggest convention back to London and it was their biggest and best yet with the one of the best line ups of guests they had ever had. It was also the busiest, with queues heading around Earl's Court for a good ten minute walk! Sadly, many people complained for many reasons and despite how busy it was and the typical "let's randomly stand in the middle of the aisle" people in attendance, we had an amazing time both days we attended.

Over the weekend, we met: Adjoa Andoh, John Hurt, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Madsen, Jenna Coleman, Jemma Redgrave, Summer Glau, Bernard Cribbins, Jason Mewes, Juliet Landau, Stan Lee, Lena Headey, TJ Thyne, George A Romero, Colin Baker, Jason Narvy and Paul Schrier. Considering how busy it was, I am amazed we managed to meet so many of the guests we wanted to over the weekend. While all of them were amazing, there were definitely some stand outs!

Jenna Coleman was definitely a must meet guest for us, after having missed a number of opportunities to do so. I found out after the convention that Jenna had not been feeling well the day she attended but kept going despite this. She was our first photo shoot of the day and she obliged to pose with our Captain America bear (she had a minor part in the first movie). Took us a couple of attempts to get her autograph due to her being at lunch and us being given the wrong time that she would be back, but eventually we got her. She was lovely, a little quiet and sweet enough to a cheeky little photo with Rachael. 

Summer Glau and Lena Heady were both lovely. Mattie thought they both pretty and wanted to be one who had the photos with them and not me! Lena actually got upset when he ran past her at the photoshoot as she wanted a cuddle with him! Mattie was very pleased to be able to see them again when we got their autographs!

A very cool guest to meet was Jason Mewes! I am a huge fan of Dogma so it was absolute honour to meet Jason. He was very approachable and was fantastic with the kids. I have to admit I was worried he might swear or say something naughty! He encouraged Rachael to be in the photo with us, despite her having no idea who he was! What I loved most though was the fact he refused to sit behind the table and instead be in front of it so he was able to interact with the fans better!

A surprise fave guest was TJ Thyne. He is best known for his role in Bones, but I have to admit I have never seen it and chose to meet him for his minor role in Charmed. He was fantastic to meet and hugged everyone who came to get his autograph and willingly posed for photos as well. He wrote a fab autograph for me, referencing how his character got eaten by the Charmed ones!

Despite having met him in Cardiff a few months before, I chose to get a professional photo taken with Bernard Cribbins. I had only paid for one photo but ended up with two with both Mattie and Rachael in the shot. Whenever I have a photo, I always get the kids to stand the other side while I have it done, but this time Bernard encouraged them to be in the shot. No crew member or even the photographer argued with him about! He was fab with the kids and we ended up with two funny shots, one with him pulling Mattie's ears and the other with his hands on Mattie's head!

The last amazing guest of the weekend had to be the legend that is Stan Lee, who was appearing at his final ever European convention. He was the main reason why the convention was so busy. We were very lucky in comparison to many of those who attended as we had a photo booked and we were able to get his autograph which we had authenticated. We didn't have much interaction with him due to the number of people having photos and autographs, but I did manage to thank him for the autograph. 

The weekend was manic, busy and so amazing! Definitely the best convention we have attended so far. I shall be attending next year as always, though I doubt I will spending as much as I did this year!

The Book of Mormon - July 2014

I am going to put this out there right now and I am not ashamed to admit it either: I really hate South Park! I think it is disgusting, crude and not at all funny. So imagine my surprise when I found myself desperately wanting to see The Book of Mormon after seeing performances of the Broadway cast. Now being a huge fan of Frozen, finding out not long after the Oscars this year that Robert Lopez, one half of the writing team behind the Oscar winning "Let It Go", also happened to be one of the crazy minds behind The Book of Mormon.  It was the clincher I needed to be convinced to go and see the show. And I am very glad I did!

Tickets for the show are not cheap and finding good deals are not easy. However, in comparison to other shows, The Book of Mormon have a number of offers available. I took advantage of the No Booking Fee deal. I booked 12 weeks in advance via the official website and did not have to pay the booking fee. Best deal I could find with a guaranteed seat to the show. I ended up choosing the cheapest ticket available at £37.50 (if I remember correctly) for a ticket near the back of the circle of The Prince of Wales theatre. Luckily, no matter where you sit in this theatre, you generally have a good view.

The Book of Mormon follows the story of two young missionaries as they journey to Uganda. Simply put, it is an outright piss take of Mormons and their beliefs! It is absolutely hysterical! Though I do advise anyone who is in any way easily offended, I would not suggest you going to see it! The show starred at the time of me going to see it, Gavin Creel as Elder Prince, Jared Gertner as Elder Cunningham, Alexia Khadime as Nabulungi and an amazingly talented ensemble! It is definitely one of the most vocally impressive shows I have seen this year!

As always after the show I went to the stage door and met the cast. I got to speak Alexia about the fact she was, besides Idina Menzel, the only (at the time) actress I had not seen as Elphaba in Wicked. It was nice to finally to see her perform despite knowing who she was for quite some time now! It was fantastic to meet Jared and Gavin after the show, as I discovered from some fans that they were due to leave the show barely a couple of weeks later! I feel lucky I got to see them as they had done much longer than the standard year most leads do!

I definitely plan to go back and see the show at some point. But right now, listening to the Broadway cast album on repeat will have to make do! If you can, go and see the show! And watch out for the fantastic running joke of Elder Cunningham not being able to pronounce Nabulungi's name, resulting in some very weird and unexpected results (which I am told are made up on the spot)!

Tour de France - July 2014

The beginning of July saw the Tour de France come to the UK, the first since 2007. Being that British riders had won for the past two years, I thought I would take the chance to go into London to see the race come through the streets and cheer on our British riders! The race was Stage 3 of the tour, with the riders cycling from Cambridge to London, with the finish line being on The Mall, near to Buckingham Palace. 

My friend Kirsty and I chose to view the race on the Victoria Embankment, near to the Golden Jubilee and Hungerford Bridges. Kirsty arrived early to get us a good spot and I followed at around half two. Our spot gave us a view of them coming under the bridge and also towards the Houses of Parliament! Crowds were not too bad and slowly swelled leading up to the riders coming past, with hoards of people standing on the bridges! 

Despite our best efforts to figure out when they would turn, with someone following the race on the phone app and us trying to guess if it the last cars had past, the riders caught us by surprise, speeding past us. We cheered loudly and took photos, but we had no way of knowing who was who or who was leading! We held out right until the last riders, giving them a big cheer of encouragement. We even cheered for cyclists who were not part of the race, but were allowed to follow it on the condition they did so after the race had completely past. 

We got the news shortly after the last rider had past that there had been a crash just up the road from us, on the turn onto Parliament Square and by the time we went to leave, the race had finished! That absolutely amazed me! Definitely was an amazing experience!

Virtually Famous - June 2014

Virtually Famous is a brand new panel show, which was recently aired on E4, about videos which have gone viral online. It was presented by Glee star, Kevin McHale and the team captains were Seann Walsh and Chris Stark. Back in June, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a recording of the show. Having been in the audience for many shows when I was teenager, I thought I knew what to expect. It turned out I was completely wrong as having only been live shows or prerecorded in a live style, I had never attended a recording like the one I was about to experience and with a headache as well!

We arrived at Riverside Studios stupidly early. But a long wait would worth it if it meant seats near the front! During our wait, a researcher came out to ask we would "Keep or Delete" Cat and DIY videos. I have to admit, I really didn't think they asked the studio audience beforehand when shows say they do! So there is me proven wrong! I answered delete to both! Eventually we were led round to entrance and allowed into the studio when the set was. We nearly ended up away from the front of the audience but after my friend, Kirsty, complained, our entire row was moved to front rows, with me and Kirsty managing to get two seats directly in front of Seann's team, which turn out to be a great place to sit.

The teams for recording were: Chris Stark, James Acaster and Pixie Lott and Seann Walsh, Troy the magician and Aisling Bea. Favourite Moments of the recording included: Pixie Lott ripping off sellotape from Chris' face and the look of pain on his face when she did; Seann's rant on cats, which I have to admit I agreed with; everyone's reactions when Troy pulled string out of his eye, which was absolutely disgusting; and the amazing Aisling Bea, who kept me and Kirsty laughing even when they were between takes!  The show was absolutely fantastic and Kevin was a brilliant presenter!

The show is about 50 minutes with adverts but the recording took around two hours, perhaps a little longer. Most of what is shown in the final cut is really only a small proportion of what actually happens during recording! Then on top of that, there is sometimes the need for retakes. By the time, it was reaching near the end, my headache had got really bad (all the laughing probably didn't help), so I was quite glad once it was finally done, though I had an absolute blast! Though at least I can be more prepared for the next time, if I ever attend a similar recording.

 After the show, we hung around the bar just outside the studio doors in the hope of meeting Kevin and the guests! As you can see from my photos, I was lucky enough to meet everyone but Chris! Aisling actually ended up thanking me and Kirsty on Twitter after I tweeted my photo with her, for keeping her going throughout the show! Obviously I was so happy to be able to meet and get a photo with Kevin. I was even more delighted when he agreed to sign an autograph for Rachael, on which he stated I was the best mum in the world! Fantastic end to a fantastic evening!

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - June 2014

Apologies for the delay in posting this blog and the many others to come. I have had a very busy few months with holidays, theatre trips and other amazing experiences!

The day after West End Live, I went to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre. This was one of my four shows I had booked with money I had received for my birthday back in April. On arrival at the theatre, I was informed that the area I was booked to sit in was in fact closed that night and that I would be upgraded to a better seat. I could not complain as I had paid £24.50 for my ticket and was upgraded as I found out later to a £67.50 and as it turns out, a sit with a much better view!

The musical, itself, is based on the 1988 movie and originally opened on Broadway in 2005, finally making its way to the West End earlier this year. The musical follows the attempts of two con men to hoodwink a millionaire heiress in the French Rivera. With Robert Lindsey and Rufus Hound as the leads, with the talents of Katherine Kingsley and Samantha Bond, it had a fantastic cast! The show itself was amazing and very funny! Robert and Rufus were fantastic and worked well together. I was quite impressed with them, only knowing them for comedy rather than musical theatre! Samantha Bond was also amazing, but as always the standout was the extremely talented Katherine Kingsley, who absolutely shone throughout the show!


After the show, I made my way to stage door, but sadly I only got to meet Samantha Bond, as the cast were having after show drinks that night! But no worries, I hope to attend the show again to see the new cast members!

We Will Rock You - May 2014

Another night at the theatre and yet another show to close this month. That show being We Will Rock You, which will close after 12 years on the West End. I have been meaning to go and see this show for ages, but I have never seemed to have got round to booking tickets (which are not cheap). So obviously with the announcement, and luckily with more advance notice, I booked a ticket for myself to go and see it before it did close. I managed to find a top price seat near the front of the stalls for a decent price, which had a fab view and in the end, a couple of rows empty around me.

Just before the start of the show, it was announced that Oliver Tompsett, who I had been so excited to see, was in fact not performing at the show and that Matt McKenna would be replacing him. Turns out that Oliver had turned up at the theatre to discover he was booked in for a holiday and he got sent home! How anyone can forget they were meant to be holiday is beyond me! I was a little disappointed not to be able to see him, but most of the time, you don't get a warning if a lead is not due to be on.

The show itself was amazing! The selection of songs chosen for Queen's back catalogue was cleverly chosen and worked well within the setting of the story. Ben Elton has put together a fantastic and funny story. The cast as a whole was amazing and the sets and the costumes were elaborate but perfect for the story. The story itself, is set in the future where Earth is now called iPlanet and is under control of Globalsoft and music is banned except for the computerised music provided. The story follows the rebels who no longer wish to conform and want to hear the lost music which set the earth free!

The story uses current references to pop culture, which changes from country to country to suit audience to whom they are playing. In the 12 years it has been playing, references have been updated to suit the current charts, with references to Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, both of whom were not a part of the music scene when the musical first opened. This is perhaps part of its staying power, that it can update and reference to current music scene, which suits the younger audience members. Even the Rebel Leader was named Gary Barlow!

To the cast themselves, who were amazing! Matt McKenna absolutely rocked it in the role of Galileo and I have to thank him for making giggle like a school girl when he started to singing me and my mate during one of the final numbers! Rachael Wooding and Amanda Coutts were outstanding in their roles and their voices are fantastic! Kevin Kennedy was brilliantly funny as Pop. However it is Brenda Edwards who amazed me! Despite knowing what a voice she had after seeing her on the X Factor many years ago, I did not know how talented an actress she was and absolutely killed the role of Killer Queen. Also have to say I loved her glitter lipstick!

After the show, it was off to the stage door in the pouring rain! It was chucking it down so much that we had to give up trying getting our programmes signed as the sharpie was not taking to the soaking pages. I plan to go back before the shows closes to rectify this! However, we did manage to get photos with most of the main cast members, most of whom seem to walk straight into the nearby bar for a post show drink! Bless Brenda, who was concerned about how soaking wet we were and still posed for photos with us!

 The show closes on the 31st of May, with tickets for the final ever performance already selling out, if Twitter is anything to go by. But if you get the chance, go see this amazing show before it closes!

I Can't Sing The X Factor Musical - May 2014

I have been so excited about going to see this ever since the first sneak peek at the Royal Variety Performance at the end of last year! Even more so, as it was a musical I could go and see with my husband, who is not as big a fan of musicals as I am! I booked tickets for the end of May on his birthday as his treat from me, but then two weeks ago or so, it was announced that the show was closing and before we were due to see it! Queue, a very unhappy husband and a very pissed off me!

It was beyond me why it was closing and at such short notice! It had glowing reviews from the critics and fans. It was playing to full or at least near full houses most nights! And from the two songs I had seen, it had fantastic music and an incredible cast! So why was it closing???

I was immediately on the phone sorting out a refund and straight back to the ticketing website to book tickets for one of the final performances. I managed to get tickets thankfully for the night before it closed but it was at the expense of my husband not being able to go, knowing we would not get a babysitter at such short notice. Thank god my mate Kirsty was free!

We had seats at the back of the stalls at the Palladium and despite the overhang of the circle, it was a pretty good view! The show begun a few minutes late with people still arriving just as it was starting. Despite a few odd seats here and there, it was a near full house!

The show was most definitely incredible. It had fantastic and extremely strong musical numbers throughout, performed by an incredibly talented cast, one of the strongest currently on the West End. It was ridiculously funny to the point that I was crying with laughter throughout! The sets were huge and cleverly used. I could go on and on about everything that was so right about it, but I want to pick out certain moments and cast members!

I want to start with the fact that the cast and show as a whole could find a way to joke about the fact they were closing. At one point in the show, Chenice is complaining about the pressure of the show, to which her dog Barlow (played amazingly by Simon Lipkin) notes all the fab things she has done that week as a result of being on the show and he ends with how she went to see the musical I Can't Sing "which the critics said would run and run". At this point huge laughter and cheers from the audience to the point the cast had to wait for it to calm down before continuing with the show!

Next, the amazing and incredibly talented cast. First, the amazing Nigel Harman, who only briefly appeared the first act but made it count when he did. Pulling up to the auditions and getting out of the car and then going back in to pull a car seat with a baby out was a genius move! He appeared for most of the second act, playing Simon as one hell of a camp man! But damn it worked!

Next to Cynthia Erivo, who absolutely shone as Chenice! She quite literally out sung every cast member! The notes that girl can hit amazed me! I said to Kirsty that she should be considered for the lead role in the Bodyguard after Alexandra Burke leaves the production and if she got it, I would be there in a heartbeat! She is THAT good!

But my biggest praise is going to Simon Lipkin who played Barlow the dog! He had probably some of the best lines in the show, some of which I am certain were improvised on the night. He knew how to work with the audience and how far to push it with the jokes. He quite literally was the scene stealer as for whenever he was onstage, chances were my eyes were drawn his way! Praise has to go to the amazing costume team for the fab skates on one leg Simon used to create the illusion the dog was running across the stage!

One of the best things about this show was just how much the audience were a part of it. It didn't matter if you were cheering, applauding, laughing or even screaming, it was so much part of the show! Interacting with the audience played a huge part of this show and it made it all the more enjoyable! So much so, that there was a standing ovation before the final song had even finished! The show was so good, I could go on and on about all the amazing things about it, but I won't, cos we would be here all day!

After the show, it was straight to the stage door, which was packed, more packed that I have ever seen for any show that I have gone to! There was so much love from those waiting for each and every cast member who stopped to sign autographs and have photos taken! I made it clear to Harry Hill, creator of the show, that this show was far too good to be closing! I also finally got my photo with Nigel Harman, ten years after meeting him for the first time! Even spoke about Crystal Palace's season with him as he is a fellow Eagles supporter!

Quite honestly it is still beyond me why this show is closing! It has been incredibly difficult to get shows up and running within the West End of late and to keep shows running for the long term even more so! But when it is a show that is loved by the critics and audiences, playing to near full houses most nights with standing ovations after each performance, it just makes no sense why it would suddenly close! Harry Hill could not even offer up an explanation, just saying "That's Entertainment!" and he is right. I do hope this show finds it way to a tour because so many people are missing out now it has closed!