What’s On Stage Awards 2012

Last year I had a fifth row ticket for the What’s On Stage awards at the Prince of Wales Theatre and it was all about Liam and Ramin. This year I was only one row from the back of the stalls, but it was more about being there than any particular star or performer. Unfortunately, I could only see the bottom two nominees for each award since the screen on the stage was a little too high, but other than that, it was actually a rather good seat. It meant that al the various actors and co. were seated in front of me and it made it even easier to star gaze.

For example, Brian May was sat five rows in front of me! I also spotted Alex Gaumond twice and then realised he was sat next to Brian May anyway aaaand Kerry Ellis was there too. Half the cast of Ghost were two rows in front; Andrew Langtree (who plays Carl), who was then joined by Mark Evans *thud* and then Richard Fleeshman who I’d assumed was in NY so that was pretty epic (turns out he flew back to collect his award, so wow, go him!). Anyhoo, Nigel Harman was a few rows in front too, as was James Corden and I spotted Tim Minchin a couple of times, though I wasn’t sure it was him until he went on stage to collect an award! Shayne Ward and Bill Kenwright were definitely in the bar during the interval and then I saw Shayne again in the auditorium again, four rows in front. I’m also pretty sure I saw Patrick Smyth in bar before the show started, but I was far too shy to speak to him no matter how frickin’ lovely he always is. He was talking to people though and it seemed rude (which is my excuse and I’m sticking to it). Michael Ball was another exciting spot, even though I’d already seen him on stage by that point.

I saw Patrick Smyth again when I was leaving, though, and that time I did say hello, how’re you (woot, go me!). I also nearly tripped over Sharon D Clarke’s dress on the way down the stairs and Richard Fleeshman (who really is rather gorgeous) was right behind me. Aaaaand I saw Hannah Waddingham and nearly bumped into Tamsin Grieg. Overall, a top night, even though I missed seeing all my favourite leading men.

I was still completely in my element and I was almost glad I was there on my own as I’m not sure anyone else would have really understood. That said, it would be nice to have a friend who was just as obsessed and overawed as me (yet can appreciate the need for selfishness when booking tickets ). Anyhoo, the stupid thing is, I’ve met half if not most of these people before, yet I was still ridiculously excited. Admittedly the reason I come to these awards is because I love theatre, so it sort of follows that I’d get excited at seeing so many of its stars all at once, but still!

And so to the evening itself; I knew about Kerry Ellis and the names of a few of the performing shows in advance, but I was delighted to find that Dean Chisnall was singing a song from Shrek. I absolutely adored his performance of Who I’d Be and I must have beamed the whole way through it. I’m now even more determined to see the show again once he takes over in the leading role (if only to erase the memory of the Parisian production ). The other big performance highlight was Hannah Waddingham singing Red Shoe Blues. She’s absolutely phenomenal and really deserved her win. The grand finale with Kerry Ellis singing her rocked up version of Defying Gravity, supported by Brian May was, erm, LOUD!!! It was also epically awesome (and I even spotted Shayne Ward taking a photo on his phone ) and a fabulous end to the night. She has an absolutely breathtaking voice and he’s Brian May!

The best acceptance speech award should have gone to Richard Bean who cracked me up completely, with the runner up prize for Amanda Holden and supporting actor Simon Cowell (unfortunately, since they were on the screen, I couldn’t actually see the acceptance, but from what I heard, it was hilarious! A special mention goes to Alfie Boe just because he’s Alfie frickin’ Boe and also because his semi-double act with Matt Lucas (who made a cameo as a phone call) always makes me laugh. Along the same lines, War Horse won the best West End show award and they brought one of the horses on during their acceptance speech. As someone who STILL hasn’t seen that show, it was rather breathtaking.

The presenters were brilliant too, even more so than I’d expected. I knew Sheridan Smith would be fabulous and I absolutely adore her anyway, but she had a brilliant rapport with Alan Davies too and I have to admit he was a lot funnier than I’d expected (even though I was watching QI on Dave last night and laughing plenty, so I probably should have expected great entertainment value), though perhaps a little ruder than necessary!

Anyhoo it was a fun night and I’ll definitely be heading back next year! I’m also now very much looking forward to the Oliviers (which I believe are being broadcasted on a public screen in Covent Garden) and, of course, I’m now wondering how to fit in more shows. I’m also now considering trying to make it to Chichester, which I’m pretty sure is a ridiculous idea, since anything really good will make it to the West End anyway, but I just keep hearing such wonderful things about it…! Still, at least I’ve got Edinburgh to look forward to in the summer. Woot!

Anyways, Noises Off is next up (woot, can’t wait!) followed by Don Giovanni at the ROH (it seems like such a short list now I’m cutting down to two shows a week ), so I’ll be back soon. In the meantime (keeeep dancing! – oops, wrong show) I’ll try and get some more of the backlog filled in. I now have a goal to try and get The America Trip blogs out before I reach the year marker and I’m fast running out of time. Perhaps I should change the deadline to ‘before The America Trip, The Sequel’, since at this rate that will give me until October to get sorted!

‘Til next time, however,

Peace, loVe loVe and happiness,

K xx

PS. I may have overdone the tagging on this post. Oops!

PPS. I know I don’t really talk about my beloved Steel Burkhardt that much anymore (though he is a massive part of the reason I’m still holding off on booking The America Trip, The Sequel), but trust me when I say he still holds a very special place in the theatre related section of my heart. I was therefore just a little bit heartbroken to discover on facebook that he has cut off all of those luscious long locks of his! I knew it was bound to happen eventually, but still . I adored his hair and I cannot describe how sorry I am to see it go *sob*.

Liam & Life

I wasn’t going to bother blogging tonight, but I’m all beamy and shakey from seeing Liam Tamne and I need to vent.

Les Mis was fabulous as always. I enjoyed Cameron Blakely as the new Thernardier and the rest of the cast were just as brilliant as before. Alfie Boe properly gave me tingles during Bring Him Home, which is rather an achievement since it was once one of my least favourite numbers. Hadley Fraser was also on top form and Craig Mather is growing on me more each time I see him. I also need to give a shout out to Daniel Huttlestone who played Gavroche, he was fantastic and one of the best child stars I’ve seen in a very long time. And then there was Liam… Ahh, Liam… I could go into raptures about him. I don’t even know what it is about him that affects me so much. I mean he’s talented, gorgeous and a sweetheart at the stage door, but then so are plenty of the other actors I follow. Liam is one of the only people to actually leave me shaking though! Even during the miserable bits I found myself grinning from ear to ear whenever he was on stage. Well except for the bit when he was on the red flag. That bit made me cry. (And I’m very aware that the fact it was him made me that bit more emotional). I think I can safely say my obsession with him is getting worse and as much as I need to get this off my chest (without irritating my friends too much), I do rather hope he doesn’t see this particular post (not that I think there’s much chance of that anyway, but you never know). I think I’ve probably embarrassed myself in front of him enough for one evening.

Tonight I did rather well, coming out of the theatre right by the stage door and getting a fab spot directly opposite the door. I saw Liam coming and, er, he saw me too. I’m kinda surprised he didn’t run the other way to be honest! Anyway, he chatted briefly, but I have no idea what about as I was too dazed. I managed to get my autograph (though I’m kicking myself for not getting him to personalise it) and a photo without fainting (though it’s a tad on the blurry side thanks to my shaking hands) so that was something. I know he asked where I was sitting and I told him at the top, but that I was going to come back at some point and sit in the front row. The woman next to me asked me to take a photo for her, but my hand was shaking so much it was really obvious. The people around me teased me about it and I just pointed at Liam and told them it was his fault. He seemed to find that entertaining enough and said goodbye before he moved on. I have to say, he was looking especially lovely tonight and I’m digging his current hair cut. It’s still longish, but more styled than it was last time. It really suits him. Also he was wearing a leather jacket, which is just hot. *sigh* I’m all a flutter! I did manage to calm down a little after he left, though and got my autographs and pictures with a few more of the cast including Hadley, Craig and Alfie.

I’ve really overbooked myself this fortnight, which isn’t great as I’m already exhausted and off to Birmingham for the weekend for my friend’s birthday where I’m unlikely to get much sleep. Hopefully I’ll still enjoy all my shows though. I gave in and booked to see The Belle’s Stratagem tomorrow and then there’s Respect La Diva on Thursday, followed by a ballet at the ROH, South Pacific and Betty Blue Eyes next week. And, er, Britain’s Got Bhangra, if I can manage to get the booking website to work.

I do wish I could blame my reaction to Liam on the exhaustion, after all, it is rather embarrassing, but I know full well that even if I’d slept for a week, I’d still be just as mad. I just hope he doesn’t think I’m completely insane. I mean, I don’t mean any harm, I just enjoy watching him on stage and getting a little smile from him afterwards. Not that I’d mind if he wanted to give me a hug some time, but I’m not that delusional. Or that forward! Anyways, I’m sure he loves me really… *watches tumbleweed blow past*

So I’ll leave it there before I end up rhapsodising about the way his voice makes me feel when he hits the big notes, or lamenting over not having realised his brilliance back in the Hair days when I could have ogled him naked (at least I’m pretty sure he did that bit, but having only had eyes for Steel and occasionally Darius, I really can’t be sure).

I will say, however, what I meant to say eleven days ago – Happy Birthday So Currently Captivated! (In fact, I might write a post for it anyway and backdate it. It seems a shame to let the anniversary pass without a marker). I can’t believe it’s been over a year now, though and I’m still going, still writing and still raving about/missing the hippies. It’s kinda funny really, that this post was written for exactly the same reason as the ones that started this blog in the first place, as an outlet for my ramblings and ravings so as not to drive my friends crazy with my passions and obsessions. I never really imagined that it would last, nor that I would have actual readers, but I’m oddly proud of what this blog has become. I haven’t kept a journal properly since I was a teenager and the years since then seem to have flown by at an incredible rate. It makes me feel better, though, to know that my thoughts and memories aren’t going to be lost forever. That in whatever small way, I’m keeping them alive, a record of the fact that I’m living my life to the full.

And I shall stop there too. Really, don’t know what’s up with me today and I can’t even blame Liam for this one!

Peace, loVe loVe, happiness and Liam!

K xx

PS. I sort of feel like this should be a drunken post, but regrettably, I have to inform you that I’m stone cold sober. I guess I’ll just have to call it an over-tired post instead!

Les Miserables

May I just say, I frickin’ LOVE Liam Tamne *happy sigh*. And now to start from the beginning…

Les Miserables is, without doubt, one of the best musicals currently on stage (at the Queen’s Theatre) and it’s been far too long since I last saw it in the West End, sometime around 2004ish. I’ve wanted to see it again for some time now and the cast change was a fabulous excuse. The show did not disappoint and neither did the performers.

I’m not going to go too thoroughly into it as from my recollections, nothing has changed all that much since I last saw it and I have little to review beyond the cast. My favourite scenes are still my favourite scenes (the end of the fight on the barricade, the students in ‘Empty Chairs…’, anything with Eponine singing in it) and my favourite songs are still my favourite songs (‘On My Own’, ‘One Day More’, ‘A Little Fall Of Rain’). I love the way they do the barricade and I think the set along with the revolving stage is brilliant. There are some seriously beautiful moments and I cried during several scenes.

The big draws for most people are Alfie Boe and Matt Lucas and they were both fantastic. Alfie is just incredible and it was a delight to listen to him. Matt doesn’t quite have the voice, I don’t think, but his charisma and comic timing more than make up for it. I found myself surprisingly impressed. I’d never heard of Craig Mather before this, but he was a wonderful Marius. Lisa-Anne Wood, opposite him as Cosette, was equally enjoyable to watch. Eponine has always been my favourite character and Alexia Khadime more than did her justice. Her voice was beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed her performance. Hadley Fraser was another of the main reasons I was excited for this cast and dear heaven was he worth waiting for. I’ve only ever heard him sing at concerts and mostly they’ve been chilled out acoustic-y sort of numbers. Then I heard him sing ‘Stars’… He was just phenomenal and the fact that he can hold his own opposite Alfie Boe is a marker of quite how talented he is.

And then there was Liam. Lovely, luscious Liam… Despite all the excitement of the first act with Alfie and Hadley, I couldn’t quite ignore the fact that I was clearly waiting for Liam’s entrance with baited breath. It wasn’t until I saw him on stage that I realised quite how much I’ve been looking forward to seeing him, or how much I’ve missed it. His voice does things to me that few others can manage (Gary B, Adam Lambert and Ramin are the only others I can think of right now) and I’ll admit it helps that he’s rather nice to look at.

The stage door afterwards was busy, as expected, with barriers and crowds of people. Still, I managed to get my spot and Liam didn’t leave us waiting long. When he reached me he was halfway through signing my programme before he looked up and realised it was me, but he did and I’m still grinning about it. I mean, it’s been months! And even with the pink hair, I wasn’t really expecting him to remember me. It’s all a bit hazy now, but he was lovely and friendly and chatted briefly. I told him I’d been to see Stevie Webb last night and he asked if it was good and told me he’d promised he would go and see it. He was gone far too soon for my liking but Hadley followed soon after and I finally managed to get my photo with him. I got a few other autographs while I waited, though I missed Craig Mather as I didn’t recognise him in time. The wait for Matt and Alfie was rather a bit longer and I managed to drop my camera in the process. It seems to be ok, though it’s a little bashed up at the corner. I did get chatting to a lovely girl at the barrier though, which was nice. I also managed to get a picture and autograph after the two star men in the end and they were both delightful.

I don’t need to tell you that I highly recommend going to see Les Mis if you haven’t already, but if at all possible it is definitely worth seeing this cast. I’d say that for Alfie alone, but with Hadley as well (and Liam, though he has far too small a part!) it’s really not to be missed. I’ll definitely be going to see it at least once more with various friends who’ve put in requests, but I’m sort of tempted to go again on my own and splurge on a good seat. I suppose I’ll have to see what happens and at least I won’t be bothered if I end up going after Matt Lucas leaves, just so long as my three favourites are still around (let’s face it, I’d go again just for Liam).

Anyhoo, I’ve got a bit of a break now, at least for a couple of nights between now and Sunday when I’m off to the Dress Circle Gala. I think at this point, though, getting some sleep would be a Very Good Thing. I never even came close to falling asleep during the show, but there were a few points when my eyes became a bit dry and starey and then there’s the fact that I still need to make it through work tomorrow and won’t get much of a lie in on Saturday.

So, for now, I shall leave it there and go and grin to myself about the fact that LIAM REMEMBERED ME. Not that I’m excited about that or anything…!

Peace, loVe loVe and happiness,

K xx

Olivier Awards 2011

The 35th Olivier Awards were an absolute pleasure to attend. Ramin singing ‘Til I Hear You Sing’ without the mask, Emma Williams and Michael Xavier singing the beautifully poignant ‘Everything We Know’ from Love Story (complete with one of their heart-wrenching kisses) and Alfie Boe… Then there was John Owen-Jones performing ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ with none other than Sierra Boggess which was one of the most exciting things I have ever seen. I’ve yet to see John as the Phantom, so this was a wonderful teaser and seeing Sierra play the young Christine was practically a dream come true. I heard on twitter that they were performing together, but I didn’t even allow myself to hope for a Phantom song. It was pure theatrical bliss and that was just the first act!

The awards ceremony at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane was a full on star studded event both on and off the stage. Presented by Michael Ball (I will see him sing live one of these days) and Imelda Staunton (who I’m afraid will probably always be Dolores Umbridge to me), it featured a host of magnificent performances, many of which came from the very best of musical theatre.

I’m not going to list the winners here (mostly because I can only remember one or two) but I will provide a quick round up, at least from my point of view. Much as I adore Love Never Dies, I was not as disappointed as I’d expected that it didn’t win any awards. That said, I think Ramin was very much overlooked! I also would have loved Love Story to win at least one award, but unfortunately it was not to be. Other than that, I think ‘Hair’ was shamefully lacking from the Best Musical Revival category, but at least I saw the lovely Caissie Levy presenting an award as well as ensemble member Oliver Eyre performing a Sondheim number at the end.

Legally Blonde did deservedly well and I have to say I’m a little bit in love with Sheridan Smith, who won best actress in a musical. She seems like one of the most genuinly lovely people and I am determined to see her while she is in Flare Path (of course that has nothing whatsoever to do with the delicious James Purefoy… *ahem*).

The top of the bill for this evening was Barry Manilow, who I have to admit, I have no real fondness for. He did sing with Kerry Ellis though and I thought she was wonderful. She’s touring a show called ‘Anthems’ with Brian May and I have to say I’m a little bit tempted by it. The most exciting performance of the night, however (ignoring my personal excitement at the Phantom related numbers), had to be the incomparable Angela Lansbury.

Overall, it was a special evening, made even more exciting by the fact that for once I got to really glam up for the evening in a cocktail dress and glitzy heels. As if that wasn’t enough, a free programme plus a glass (well plastic cup, but that’s beside the point) of complimentary champagne, delivered to my seat was positively delightful!

I have to say that once again, I found myself wondering how on earth I can possibly fit in even half of the shows I would like to see in the near future. These awards ceremonies, for me at least, seem to do a fantastic job at highlighting all the fabulous shows that I somehow managed to miss.

On the plus side, however, I have another ROH show to look forward to this week and next and in less than two weeks I will be jetting off to America and the bright lights of Broadway. In fact, this time next fortnight, I very much hope to be looking forward to seeing Hair on tour for the second time (though I don’t actually have a ticket, so it may well not happen!).

Finally, I must apologise profusely for my lack of blogging recently. I have several half finished drafts that will hopefully be completed and published over the next few days, but I make no promises. My only defence is that I am still trapped in the death grip of a fanfiction plot bunny which will barely allow me a moment to spend writing about anything else.

So with that rather bad excuse hanging in the air I shall leave you with one solitary promise that I WILL be up to date before I leave for my ridiculously exciting run of (at least) eight shows on American soil.

Until next time,

K xx

 

What’s On Stage Awards 2011 (Part 1)

My weekend in the middle of nowhere (on a farm somewhere in Herefordshire) was actually rather enjoyable, despite the hour and a half train delay on the way up. It was nice to catch up properly with my friends and we had a fabulous time playing ‘Taboo’ over cheese and wine on Saturday night. I felt rather bad heading out early to get back to London in time for the What’s On Stage awards ceremony, but I’m so glad that I did.

The event, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, home of Mamma Mia (which I still have yet to see) was hosted by Christopher Biggins, Miranda Hart and the fabulous Sheridan Smith who well deserved her award for Best Actress in a Musical. It was a light hearted evening of entertaining presentations, amusing acceptance speeches and wonderful performances.

The first highlight of the night, for me at least, was Michael Xavier and Simon Thomas singing ‘Agony’ from Into the Woods. I didn’t know anything about the musical before I saw this and I now wish that I’d known a bit more a bit earlier so I could have seen it. If it comes around again, I will definitely have to make sure I catch it. The costumes alone had me excited, never mind the song itself.

Then of course there was Dougal Irvine’s Departure Lounge. I spent most of last week wondering which song they were going to sing and decided it was probably a toss up between ‘Brits on Tour’, ‘Why Do We Say Gay?’ and ‘Spanish Hospitality’. They went with the latter and it was an absolute pleasure to watch. Chris Fountain wasn’t there and Jack Shalloo took over the role of JB, while Luke Kempner played Pete in his place. Of course, I was delighted to see Liam singing again, but I hadn’t expected to enjoy the whole performance so much. I was almost as happy about seeing Stevie Webb back in the role of Ross as I was about seeing Liam. Silly as it may sound, it was like seeing an old friend again after far too long. If there is one show that deserves a run on a West End stage, it’s that one.

In terms of other performances, there was a number from Rock of Ages, which, though enjoyable, didn’t exactly blow me away. At the moment it’s the only show that I’m not 100% certain about seeing on Broadway, particularly as I can’t find a special offer for it.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg was fabulous and is definitely a must see. Which is extra special as I’ve been hoping for an opportunity to go back to the Gielgud. Plus, as if that wasn’t enough, Aki Omoshaybi is in the cast as well (another ex-Hair cast member).

Speaking of Hair, Caissie Levy performed a song called ‘With You’ from the hotly anticipated ‘Ghost’. She was spellbinding as always and the song was poignantly beautiful, both musically and in terms of the lyrics. It was one of the best performances of the night.

Alfie Boe closed the show with ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables and apparently (according to Cameron Mackintosh, so I think he can probably be trusted to have his facts straight) Alfie will be joining the cast at the Queen’s Theatre in the summer, so it may finally be time for me to revisit Les Mis in the West End. His voice really is something special, it’s just so smooth and crystaline. It’s an absolute pleasure to listen to him and I think I may have to purchase his album in the near future.

Anyways, I have plenty more to say, including some star spotting and a bit of raving about Ramin Karimloo (plus some exciting news), but that shall have to wait for part two, which should follow along soon.

So until then,

K xx

PS. Apologies for the over-tagging on this post, I got carried away.