John Barrowman and Friends
...ok, mainly his friends. But whatever.
First of all, getting there was not at all fast. In fact, it was down right slow. We caught the 3pm coach, so I had hoped we would get there about 5ish. Did we HELL. It took 45 mins just to get out of Oxford. I was not pleased, and managed to irritate both C [yes, I do mean you this time. Obviously. Hi.] by looking at my watch too often and myself by sighing too much. FINALLY we get to London but don't get off the coach in the right place because I manage to only recognise the area as it is pulling away. Mild angst and fast walking ensue. I never thought I would ever be pleased to get on the Tube, and consider it fast, simple and reliable, but that day did in fact arrive.
We got to the station and didn't really know where we were going next, and nearly wandered off in the wrong direction. Which in reflection was very silly, because the theatre was literally about 100 metres from where we were standing, confused and examining a Google Maps print out. The end of the line was probably further from the front door than the station.
So, we stood in the STEVE which I was very satisfied about a) getting to eventually, even if it was 5.45 and b) how a whole bunch of people did show up after us. That always makes me feel better. There was a moment when spaceygal64 came and found us to give us the tickets (thank you very much!) and had one of those meeting-someone-off-the-interwebs moments where everyone involved stares at each other, like, you think this is the person you're looking for, you're practically certain this is the person you're looking for, but you don't want to speak first if it turns out they are someone else entirely. But it was and that was ood and relieving also.
They let us into the building early, which was nice because it was gettingg quite cold, though I was a bit weirded out when they told us to tear the stubs off our own tickets before giving them in, like I would go along with it like a gullible fool and then they would laugh and not let me in because my ticket stub had been removed. PARANOIA. But that didn't happen.
The auditorium was nice, but I was a tiny bit confused about where the singers would actually be singing from and whether we could sit where we liked, and was also conused by some people choosing to sit further back and along the sides when there were plent of middle centre seats still availiable. Went with the general "sit as far forward and centre as possible" policy, so we sat just behind the reserved seats which turned out to be a good idea :D
John came out a little before the performance started, which it turned out was going out live on the radio. He was looking lovely, happy and smily, as usual. OF COURSE, he was wearing a stripy shirt :P It was pale blue with dark blue stripes, or perhaps it was dark blue with pale blue stripes ;) He was also wearing a velvet jacket and jeans, and a slightly sparkly belt. As if he needs to call even more attention to his crotch!
John wasn't actually singing, because he had a throat infection. When he announced this, some people in the audience gasped and I also heard some moans of pain. Which was a litle bit of an over reaction IMO. It wasn't like anyone had paid to hear him sing or anything. But his friends were very definitely singing. Like, a lot.
General feeling: It was very good, and very good fun. With lots of cute to hot guys. Including Scott Gill.
First Half
The orchestra played a overture before John introduced the show, explained he wouldn’t be singing and told an anecdote. Then, first song- “Walk Away”, performed by Peter Grant, who walks out when John annouces him
Peter Grant IS GORGEOUS.
He is very pretty- chiselled face, golden hair, in a kinda Zac Efron way, only better. And much much better at singing, his voice was rich and lovely. He was wearing a suit, with a really cool, red is-it-a-cravat?-It-might-be-a-cravat,-that-must-be-a-cravat cravat. And he looked so young, I thought maybe he was about my age. A Google search later; he’s only 21!
Next up, Shona Lindsay, who was Christine to John’s Raul, to sing “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from Phantom. She’s also blonde and pretty and was wearing a white and sparkly dress. Her voice was very grand, intentionally breathy in places, but I thought there was a bit too much vibratto and trilling. But still, it was a good performance of a lovely song.
Barrowman goes to introduce the next singer, Matt Rawle, who is currently in Zorro. He says, “Especially for you and me he’s put away his sword for one night only…” There is a beat, in which I was like, Did he just say that?? What?! On Radio 2? Are we allowed to laugh? Why is no one else laughing? And, then John chuckles, and the slightly crazy laughter is allowed to come out. And then Matt Rawle is introduced and walks out to sing “Being Alive” from Company.
Matt Rawle is FREAKING HOT.
He’s got lovely dark hair, a bit of facial hair, and was wearing a suit with an overly large purple bow tie and a black and white hankerchief. He smiles with his mouth and his eyes all the time, and had a look on his face that suggests he would be brilliant in a question and answer session. He spends a large amount of the song singing directly at John. Which is fun.
The song itself is brilliant. I hadn’t heard it before but I really really like it, as well as him, now. His voice is powerful, effortlessly strong.
Next up, Sally Ann Triplett, singing “Not A Day Goes By” from Merrily We Roll Along. She’s a bit older, a brunette, and wearing a black dress with a gold coloured sparkly belted waist band thing. I like her voice and it’s a good performance but though I like the song well enough I don’t get so into her performance all that much. Its less engaing, and also I was still a bit entranced by Matt Rawle.
Doesn’t matter though, because after her Matt Rawle comes back to sing the Christine/Raoul duet “All I Ask Of You” from Phantom with Shona Lindsay. My first thought is Oh no, they won’t do the reprise sob because the reprise is my favourite bit, and one of my favourite bits in Phantom. I love it an awful lot. Still, it’s a really beautiful song that I do know and like. And, for the first time, Matt Rawle makes me really like Raoul. I’m not even kidding. I’ve never cared all that much about Raoul- apart from in the last scene- I’m a Phantom girl. But he seriously had me interested and totally revising my opinions on him. The gorgeous man made me care. As much as I really wish I could have seen Barrowman play Raoul, I would pay decent money to see Matt Rawle do it. Has he done it already? I don’t think he has…
The duet is beautiful, but there's this great moment when they stop singing and the ochestra keeps playing- in a performance, the two characters should be kissing, and they kinda sniggered silently, making faces and grinning suggestively at each other.
Afterward, the Andy Vinter trio (piano, drums and double bass) played “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” from Shall We Dance? At this point, the leader of the orchestra, an awesome female violinist, was mouthing along and tapping the air, which was really cute to watch. And straight afterwards the whole orchestra played Manhatten Skyline from Saturday Night Fever.
Then its back to the singing, and guess who it is? The delightful, the delectable, the de-lovely… Daniel Boys!
Daniel Boys is much more attractive and a much better performer than he came across on the TV. I didn’t support him much as a potential Joseph, but WOW. He is freaking AMAZING, his voice is so so goood. He is also on John’s new album and will be on his tour, which is most excellent, because I love him quite a bit now. BUT ALSO: he is currently staring in AVENUE Q. Which I already really really wanted to see. But now! Well. I must must must see him in it.
He sings “Moonriver”, which is a song I don’t know but I feel I have heard before. Straight afterward he sings “Don’t Rain On My Parade” which is when the older lady next to me starts practically dancing in her seat. Which is more lovely and endearing than weird.
Then it’s the interval. Apparently the listeners of Radio 2 got Frank Sinatra, but I got crisps and chocolate because by this stage I was starving to death. My stomach was trying to digest itself, not in a I’m kinda peckish way, but in an incredibly painfully twinges way. So I get out of there, pretty swiftly, and get back there soon enough also, thankful to FINALLY have something to eat (at this point, since breakfast I had eaten a piece of chocolate cake, a couple of swets and a handful of chocolate buttons only.) Was tempted by alcohol but then couldn’t be bothered, and wasn’t sure whether C would be able to drink since she needed to drive later. Much later, but still.
Anyway. I get back to the seats and C hisses, “Scott was sitting there!”
I stare at her and gibber for a while as she tries to explain that it has turned that for the last 45 minutes we have been sitting about 2 metres from Scott and we didn’t notice. Precisely, he was two rows in front of me and three seats to the left, ie not close enough for me to reach out and touch him, but if I had reached forward toward him and he had reached back we could have held hands. Then, he came back. And I stared at him. Like, a lot.
Scott, if you are unaware, is STUNNING.
He was wearing jeans, a green top and a soft grey sweater, and was looking. Just. So. Gorgeous.
And, it turns out that when I had been leaning forward to try to see John’s bobbing head when he was sitting down I would have been looking straight past him.
AND, he’s clearly with this guy I had noticed earlier (because he was wearing an aron sweater with the US flag on it and it looked...interesting... and slightly bizarre) who I suspect is Scott’s brother because they were chatting and in each other’s personal space and had similar colouring. Does Scott have a brother? Jumper guy was also there with an older woman that was clearly his mother.
So yeah. I tried to take a couple of pics on C’s camera, though one turned out to be an accidental video. I spent the rest of the interval staring at Scott. And, let’s face it, a large amount of the second half.
I mean. He was RIGHT. THERE.
OK, enough Frank Sinatra. Onto the
Second Half
The orchestra played another overture, and then Barrowman talked about Cole Porter, and then Sally Ann Triplett returned to sing “Anything Goes”. She had put on a bright white pant suit and I found this performance much more engaging than her previous one. Maybe it was the cheery theme, having eaten something or discovering Scott in the audience, but this was really nice. Maybe also because she was smiling a lot, because it turns out that her autocue died and she forgot some of the words!
Barrowman managed to explain this coherently for the radio, but what was particularly funny was that when he stood up he was laughing so so much, but was trying hard not to complete lose it live on air. Then he explained it and paused to laugh nearly silently again, doubling over and everything.
Then, my newest obsession Matt Rawle took to the stage again to sing “High Flying Adored”. Which is turns out is a really great song. I love it. And then, brilliant Daniel Boys was back to sing “Maria” from West Side Story. He was wearing something different including a cute waistcoat. (I think I am developing a bit of a thing for guys in waistcoats). But, aside from being cute, Daniel Boys can seriously sing. It was phenomenal.
Next, the gorgeous Peter Grant came back to sing “Days Like These” which was apparently on the Italian Job. The three of them in a row! And Scott being a bonus beautiful man! I was smiling so widely.
There was another piano piece, “You Must Believe In Spring” played by Andy Vinter. The other, younger, pianist was also rather cute btw, and nodded along to the music he wasn’t playing.
And afterward, Daniel Boys was back to sing a truly brilliant song from Les Mis. It was so so good- powerful and strong, beautiful and so emotional. His voice is just spectacular. Shona Lindsay did one called “Anything But Lonely” which was lovely, very tender, though it couldn’t really compete with its predecesor.
And then, the orchestra did another overture for the finale.
When it was finished, I may have lingered ever so slightly to keep looking at Scott, but I am not ashamed. He's just so lovely. I’m sure it didn’t traumify him overly :P
Overall, it was so so much fun and I really loved it! Had a great time, couldn’t stop smiling, and now really want to see Zorro, and Avenue Q even more, and I can’t wait to see John actually sing next year! :D
First of all, getting there was not at all fast. In fact, it was down right slow. We caught the 3pm coach, so I had hoped we would get there about 5ish. Did we HELL. It took 45 mins just to get out of Oxford. I was not pleased, and managed to irritate both C [yes, I do mean you this time. Obviously. Hi.] by looking at my watch too often and myself by sighing too much. FINALLY we get to London but don't get off the coach in the right place because I manage to only recognise the area as it is pulling away. Mild angst and fast walking ensue. I never thought I would ever be pleased to get on the Tube, and consider it fast, simple and reliable, but that day did in fact arrive.
We got to the station and didn't really know where we were going next, and nearly wandered off in the wrong direction. Which in reflection was very silly, because the theatre was literally about 100 metres from where we were standing, confused and examining a Google Maps print out. The end of the line was probably further from the front door than the station.
So, we stood in the STEVE which I was very satisfied about a) getting to eventually, even if it was 5.45 and b) how a whole bunch of people did show up after us. That always makes me feel better. There was a moment when spaceygal64 came and found us to give us the tickets (thank you very much!) and had one of those meeting-someone-off-the-interwebs moments where everyone involved stares at each other, like, you think this is the person you're looking for, you're practically certain this is the person you're looking for, but you don't want to speak first if it turns out they are someone else entirely. But it was and that was ood and relieving also.
They let us into the building early, which was nice because it was gettingg quite cold, though I was a bit weirded out when they told us to tear the stubs off our own tickets before giving them in, like I would go along with it like a gullible fool and then they would laugh and not let me in because my ticket stub had been removed. PARANOIA. But that didn't happen.
The auditorium was nice, but I was a tiny bit confused about where the singers would actually be singing from and whether we could sit where we liked, and was also conused by some people choosing to sit further back and along the sides when there were plent of middle centre seats still availiable. Went with the general "sit as far forward and centre as possible" policy, so we sat just behind the reserved seats which turned out to be a good idea :D
John came out a little before the performance started, which it turned out was going out live on the radio. He was looking lovely, happy and smily, as usual. OF COURSE, he was wearing a stripy shirt :P It was pale blue with dark blue stripes, or perhaps it was dark blue with pale blue stripes ;) He was also wearing a velvet jacket and jeans, and a slightly sparkly belt. As if he needs to call even more attention to his crotch!
John wasn't actually singing, because he had a throat infection. When he announced this, some people in the audience gasped and I also heard some moans of pain. Which was a litle bit of an over reaction IMO. It wasn't like anyone had paid to hear him sing or anything. But his friends were very definitely singing. Like, a lot.
General feeling: It was very good, and very good fun. With lots of cute to hot guys. Including Scott Gill.
First Half
The orchestra played a overture before John introduced the show, explained he wouldn’t be singing and told an anecdote. Then, first song- “Walk Away”, performed by Peter Grant, who walks out when John annouces him
Peter Grant IS GORGEOUS.
He is very pretty- chiselled face, golden hair, in a kinda Zac Efron way, only better. And much much better at singing, his voice was rich and lovely. He was wearing a suit, with a really cool, red is-it-a-cravat?-It-might-be-a-cravat,-that-must-be-a-cravat cravat. And he looked so young, I thought maybe he was about my age. A Google search later; he’s only 21!
Next up, Shona Lindsay, who was Christine to John’s Raul, to sing “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from Phantom. She’s also blonde and pretty and was wearing a white and sparkly dress. Her voice was very grand, intentionally breathy in places, but I thought there was a bit too much vibratto and trilling. But still, it was a good performance of a lovely song.
Barrowman goes to introduce the next singer, Matt Rawle, who is currently in Zorro. He says, “Especially for you and me he’s put away his sword for one night only…” There is a beat, in which I was like, Did he just say that?? What?! On Radio 2? Are we allowed to laugh? Why is no one else laughing? And, then John chuckles, and the slightly crazy laughter is allowed to come out. And then Matt Rawle is introduced and walks out to sing “Being Alive” from Company.
Matt Rawle is FREAKING HOT.
He’s got lovely dark hair, a bit of facial hair, and was wearing a suit with an overly large purple bow tie and a black and white hankerchief. He smiles with his mouth and his eyes all the time, and had a look on his face that suggests he would be brilliant in a question and answer session. He spends a large amount of the song singing directly at John. Which is fun.
The song itself is brilliant. I hadn’t heard it before but I really really like it, as well as him, now. His voice is powerful, effortlessly strong.
Next up, Sally Ann Triplett, singing “Not A Day Goes By” from Merrily We Roll Along. She’s a bit older, a brunette, and wearing a black dress with a gold coloured sparkly belted waist band thing. I like her voice and it’s a good performance but though I like the song well enough I don’t get so into her performance all that much. Its less engaing, and also I was still a bit entranced by Matt Rawle.
Doesn’t matter though, because after her Matt Rawle comes back to sing the Christine/Raoul duet “All I Ask Of You” from Phantom with Shona Lindsay. My first thought is Oh no, they won’t do the reprise sob because the reprise is my favourite bit, and one of my favourite bits in Phantom. I love it an awful lot. Still, it’s a really beautiful song that I do know and like. And, for the first time, Matt Rawle makes me really like Raoul. I’m not even kidding. I’ve never cared all that much about Raoul- apart from in the last scene- I’m a Phantom girl. But he seriously had me interested and totally revising my opinions on him. The gorgeous man made me care. As much as I really wish I could have seen Barrowman play Raoul, I would pay decent money to see Matt Rawle do it. Has he done it already? I don’t think he has…
The duet is beautiful, but there's this great moment when they stop singing and the ochestra keeps playing- in a performance, the two characters should be kissing, and they kinda sniggered silently, making faces and grinning suggestively at each other.
Afterward, the Andy Vinter trio (piano, drums and double bass) played “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” from Shall We Dance? At this point, the leader of the orchestra, an awesome female violinist, was mouthing along and tapping the air, which was really cute to watch. And straight afterwards the whole orchestra played Manhatten Skyline from Saturday Night Fever.
Then its back to the singing, and guess who it is? The delightful, the delectable, the de-lovely… Daniel Boys!
Daniel Boys is much more attractive and a much better performer than he came across on the TV. I didn’t support him much as a potential Joseph, but WOW. He is freaking AMAZING, his voice is so so goood. He is also on John’s new album and will be on his tour, which is most excellent, because I love him quite a bit now. BUT ALSO: he is currently staring in AVENUE Q. Which I already really really wanted to see. But now! Well. I must must must see him in it.
He sings “Moonriver”, which is a song I don’t know but I feel I have heard before. Straight afterward he sings “Don’t Rain On My Parade” which is when the older lady next to me starts practically dancing in her seat. Which is more lovely and endearing than weird.
Then it’s the interval. Apparently the listeners of Radio 2 got Frank Sinatra, but I got crisps and chocolate because by this stage I was starving to death. My stomach was trying to digest itself, not in a I’m kinda peckish way, but in an incredibly painfully twinges way. So I get out of there, pretty swiftly, and get back there soon enough also, thankful to FINALLY have something to eat (at this point, since breakfast I had eaten a piece of chocolate cake, a couple of swets and a handful of chocolate buttons only.) Was tempted by alcohol but then couldn’t be bothered, and wasn’t sure whether C would be able to drink since she needed to drive later. Much later, but still.
Anyway. I get back to the seats and C hisses, “Scott was sitting there!”
I stare at her and gibber for a while as she tries to explain that it has turned that for the last 45 minutes we have been sitting about 2 metres from Scott and we didn’t notice. Precisely, he was two rows in front of me and three seats to the left, ie not close enough for me to reach out and touch him, but if I had reached forward toward him and he had reached back we could have held hands. Then, he came back. And I stared at him. Like, a lot.
Scott, if you are unaware, is STUNNING.
He was wearing jeans, a green top and a soft grey sweater, and was looking. Just. So. Gorgeous.
And, it turns out that when I had been leaning forward to try to see John’s bobbing head when he was sitting down I would have been looking straight past him.
AND, he’s clearly with this guy I had noticed earlier (because he was wearing an aron sweater with the US flag on it and it looked...interesting... and slightly bizarre) who I suspect is Scott’s brother because they were chatting and in each other’s personal space and had similar colouring. Does Scott have a brother? Jumper guy was also there with an older woman that was clearly his mother.
So yeah. I tried to take a couple of pics on C’s camera, though one turned out to be an accidental video. I spent the rest of the interval staring at Scott. And, let’s face it, a large amount of the second half.
I mean. He was RIGHT. THERE.
OK, enough Frank Sinatra. Onto the
Second Half
The orchestra played another overture, and then Barrowman talked about Cole Porter, and then Sally Ann Triplett returned to sing “Anything Goes”. She had put on a bright white pant suit and I found this performance much more engaging than her previous one. Maybe it was the cheery theme, having eaten something or discovering Scott in the audience, but this was really nice. Maybe also because she was smiling a lot, because it turns out that her autocue died and she forgot some of the words!
Barrowman managed to explain this coherently for the radio, but what was particularly funny was that when he stood up he was laughing so so much, but was trying hard not to complete lose it live on air. Then he explained it and paused to laugh nearly silently again, doubling over and everything.
Then, my newest obsession Matt Rawle took to the stage again to sing “High Flying Adored”. Which is turns out is a really great song. I love it. And then, brilliant Daniel Boys was back to sing “Maria” from West Side Story. He was wearing something different including a cute waistcoat. (I think I am developing a bit of a thing for guys in waistcoats). But, aside from being cute, Daniel Boys can seriously sing. It was phenomenal.
Next, the gorgeous Peter Grant came back to sing “Days Like These” which was apparently on the Italian Job. The three of them in a row! And Scott being a bonus beautiful man! I was smiling so widely.
There was another piano piece, “You Must Believe In Spring” played by Andy Vinter. The other, younger, pianist was also rather cute btw, and nodded along to the music he wasn’t playing.
And afterward, Daniel Boys was back to sing a truly brilliant song from Les Mis. It was so so good- powerful and strong, beautiful and so emotional. His voice is just spectacular. Shona Lindsay did one called “Anything But Lonely” which was lovely, very tender, though it couldn’t really compete with its predecesor.
And then, the orchestra did another overture for the finale.
When it was finished, I may have lingered ever so slightly to keep looking at Scott, but I am not ashamed. He's just so lovely. I’m sure it didn’t traumify him overly :P
Overall, it was so so much fun and I really loved it! Had a great time, couldn’t stop smiling, and now really want to see Zorro, and Avenue Q even more, and I can’t wait to see John actually sing next year! :D