Panto: Aladdin jan 8th 2008 & Fangirl Sandwich ;)
Well yesterday finally arrived and after almost a year of waiting i can't believe it's come and gone already. I booked tickets to see John Barrowman in panto the day i learned that he had agreed to take on the role of Aladdin in the Birmingham Hippodrome's production of the panto of the same name. Way back in June i think the tickets were booked i can't remember now but anyways it was a long while ago.
Anyways yesterday started off for me with a 6:45am wake up call so i could get into my cosplay outfit for the Master, and also make sure i had everything that i needed or wanted to take with me, so armed with Ten Bear, Sharpies, Laser Screwdriver and also a couple of things to sign i left home at 8am ready to catch my train to Birmingham. The train journey took what seemed like forever considering i'd been up before the sun had risen. I spent my journey talking to a lovely lady on the train for the duration of my journey about John and his career amongst other random stuff. Which help ease my nerves somewhat but didn't help with my feeling sick. Which to begin with i was thinking was just nerves and travelling the wrong way around in the seating on the train.
I arrived in Birmingham at about 12:33 and immediately got out my directions which i either had a bad case of cocking them up when i copied them out or i was just starting to panic so much that i got lost and ended up walking around aimlessly for almost 45minutes before i finally stumbled across the Hippodrome, which believe me was a relief to see the huge poster of John as until i was right on top of the place i couldn't see the signs or name of it.
Anyways once inside i bought two copies of the program as i always do, out of habit, one for signing and one for reading. I then proceeded down to the stage doors to await the show. I felt a bit out of sorts inside, still feeling ill, but still putting it down to my nervousness of it being my first ever Panto, the first time ive ever seen John perform and also due to the fact that beyond your average child dressed up i was in cosplay as the Master and therefore felt a bit of a tit until later when i was meeting with Lisa again.
Showtime and i'm in my front row seat right on the right of the stage where the steps are leading up to it. I was litterally 6 steps away from John the whole time. God was that fun.
Anyways as much of the performance i can remember is not a great deal to be honest with you. I know that John had some wonderful costumes including various colours of very nice form fitting velvet pants which seemed to just get tighter with each costume change. The white ones appearing to be the most revealing out of them all although the red ones he wore i felt were far tighter.
Anyways that asside i was obviously enthrawled by the velvet pants and i was clearly staring as at one stage when John came over to my side of the stage he gave me one of his winning smiles and a wink. I was so embaressed. lol i'd been caught admiring his assets. which given that when he was over on my side of the stage alot of the time i got to admire his butt and other atributes its kinda a given that i was going to be looking.
Anyways that asside, John was brilliant as were the rest of the cast. I was highly entranced by Pete Gallagher who was playing Abanazar. He was awesome in the role of the bad guy. He really got the audience going. At oen stage he comes to my side of the stage and starts descending the steps at quite a pace until he stops and almost falls over my feet which i had up on the steps to keep them out of the way. I was also suffering with a painful right foot but im not sure what id done to it. Anyways he stops as he almost falls over them and glares right at me and the people sat at my side. talk about intimidating or what. lol i litterally cowered back in my seat but never took my eyes off him, lol i distinctly remember thinking while he was staring at me, "What?" lol anyways. he wasn't to be the last of my casualties as i also almost took out half the ensemble as they came charging up the steps from behind me, so yeah they nearly ended up face first in the stage.
Luckilly i didn't cause anyone any harm or hinder them too much during the performance. I almost had a heart attack when John came to the top of the steps right in front of me and held his hand out, for the young girl who i could see out of the corner of my eye who had been chosen for the keeper of the lamp earlier by the crew. So she went up the steps, my feet being well out of the way here.
During the special effects of the play the flying carpet made me feel really ill, to the stage i tried taking the glasses off, but the view on the screens was actually worse to look at. I then recovered from that, but the spiders, flying bolders, bats and the bloody huge crocodile thing had me cowering in my seat.
Not to mention the bloody genie which scared the crap out of me on several occaisons. Seriously freaky he was.
I was a bit close to the stage as far as special effects were concerned as pyrotechnics had sparks raining down near where my feet were, the dry ice smoke effects at several intervals completely obscurred my vision a couple of times and the Bloody party poppers for the big bag finale scared the crap out of me. Going off right in front of me and firing over head.
Loved John's dancing and in the finale, encore song John tried to do some kinda break danicing kinda move and sorta laid on the stage to do some kind of body move, kinda ripple effect sorta thing. not really sure what he was doing off hand it was hard to see. But he ended up hurting his back, and ended up going to the left hand side of the stage laughing because he'd cocked it up. He then recovered quite quickly and joined back in with the routine and he was messing around laughing at his other co stars.
The performance over then saw me waiting for Lisa to arrive as she was a bit delayed. Where we then went to wait by the stage door to see about meeting John. As we rounded the corner we bumped into the woman who played jasmine and she told us before darting off that "If we were quick we'd catch Aladdin." so anyways before we actually arrived at the stage door we could already hear John asking people who wanted things signing.
coats and bags were abandoned in the corner after i'd started to have a major panic attack. I couldn't find anything in my bag, my sharpies refused to be found. but eventually lisa lent me one and i waited to have John sign my 8x10 i'd taken and also my program. I was the last one for anything signed, and i got worse with nerves when he looked right at me and took my pictures and stuff. I really dont recall much of what i said, but when he took the 8x10 he told me "that it was one of his favorite pictures of himself." which i probably said something like i like it too. Although i know i thought its always near my bed, but didn't say that. He then asked me if i wanted the program signing aswell, to which i said yes please. So all the signatures done he then started photographs for people.
this was the first pic i've taken with my new camera at night time and well i'm surprised it came out at all i was shaking so much and this one was before id even got my program signed.
So i abandoned the program with the rest of my belongings and Lisa said something along the lines of get rid of your bag aswell so you can have a naked photo with John. lol this really didn't help my nerves with the images that conjured up. Although as lovely as that would be from the persepctive of John i'd really rather not appear naked on camera. shudders at that thought. So bag abandomed i handed my camera over to lisa and explained the settings while we waited for our turn. To say that i fell apart when John put his arm around me would be a bit of an understatement. lol God he is such a tactile person. He was lovely and warm and very friendly, and quite patient cosidering i was having a mini breakdown.
myself and lisa then swapped places and i somehow managed to take her a decent photo and then after that, John also said as we were getting ready to give camera's back that Lisa was the Doctor and he then looked and me and said "The Doctor and you are..." I finished it off for him saying that i was "The Master." which he said "I'd not seen that one." although had i not been panicking so much and managed to find my laser screwdriver he would have known instantly. Realising we were together John asked if we wanted a photo of the two of us together with him.
which produced much inner squeeing, and we jumped at the chance. Two other fangirls took our cameras and started to take the pictures. I say pictures because my camera, true to form decided it was going to act up. Picture 1, the girl taking it moved the camera slightly before it'd finished, so john told her she had to take it again. It then didn't flash, so i tried to go and check the settings, but John wouldn't let me go. lol he pulled me back. I then realised i had a kinda death grip on the back of his coat. John then said to i assume me but it could also have been the person with the cameras. "You're not going anywhere until i tell you to." lol was quite comanding aswell. I didn't move again until he was satisfied that the pic had been taken properly. So i think all together we had about 3 or 4 photo's taken between at least 3 cameras.
I managed to thank John after i'd let him go and he'd let me free. Not that i was trying to run away really because its far from it i could have quite happily stood in his arms all night, although i dont think my heart would have taken it.
photo 1
Lisa's pic has the girl in the pic skirt in the background, she was the girl chosen to go on stage and be the keeper of the lamp who set the Geni free and Photo attempt 2 with my camera. John then thanked us for coming and disapperred off to whereever everyone else was going. presumably in search of food but who knows.
We then fangirled a bit with the two girls who seemed to have recognised Lisa and wanted to take her photo earlier while i was getting my pics signed. They had stayed at Ty Rosa in cardiff the hotel me and lisa stayed in when we went in september and met David Tennant. After they'd gotten mine and Lisa's lj names from Lisa as i was still not in any fit state to do anything much as i was still having a panic attack from just being in John's arms.
Finally composed myself enough i found my red Sharpie and was determined to get Pete Gallagher's autograph and to appologise for almost tripping him up. I then made the most monumentally stupid anouncement of my life. I announced to anyone listening that "You were the man that taught Gethin Jones how to dance." god how stupid did i feel then. He just laughed and asked me how the hell i knew that to which i replied "Because i'm a sad git and watched every episode of strictly." and also mentioned something to do with John's mailing list. Lisa jumped to my defence here and said that Strictly was the best thing on over christmas and that they had put his name up and said that he was an actor and coach on screen during the shows which he seemed to find funny. Apparently i wasn't the only one to mention Gethin in connection with him.
The two girls fangirling over Lisa and me then also took my photo with Pete, as did Lisa with her camera as i'd put mine away at this stage.
so after we'd had our photo taken when he then signed my program and i appologised for almost triping him up when he came down the steps and he said that it was the first time in 3 weeks i think that he'd come down the steps in a matinee as most people turn away when he does and he doesn't get a reaction. He said it was ok that it was fine that i hadn't tripped him up.
he then thanked us for coming and also headed off into the night in the same direction as everyone else.
After than and gathering my nerves and everything myself and lisa went for a catch up and a rather nice meal. where we exchanged belated christmas gifts including for her a mock up of the Journal Of Impossible Things to go with the pocket watch i got her for christmas, and a set of handwarmers. i'd also taken two sets for John and Scott but never got the chance to hand them over as i was freaking out again. lol maybe next time.
She got me a rather lovely red fleece jumper with is wonderfully warm. We spent several hours fangirling in the restaurant before we had to part ways again. It's been 3months since we last saw one another and it didn't feel like a day had passed since. Roll on the next three as it's three months to the day next time when we go to see John in concert.
I'll be going back to birmingham again to do the whole panto experience again with two girls from work next tuesday. I can't wait.
So all in all my first ever Panto was an experience i will never forget.
Anyways yesterday started off for me with a 6:45am wake up call so i could get into my cosplay outfit for the Master, and also make sure i had everything that i needed or wanted to take with me, so armed with Ten Bear, Sharpies, Laser Screwdriver and also a couple of things to sign i left home at 8am ready to catch my train to Birmingham. The train journey took what seemed like forever considering i'd been up before the sun had risen. I spent my journey talking to a lovely lady on the train for the duration of my journey about John and his career amongst other random stuff. Which help ease my nerves somewhat but didn't help with my feeling sick. Which to begin with i was thinking was just nerves and travelling the wrong way around in the seating on the train.
I arrived in Birmingham at about 12:33 and immediately got out my directions which i either had a bad case of cocking them up when i copied them out or i was just starting to panic so much that i got lost and ended up walking around aimlessly for almost 45minutes before i finally stumbled across the Hippodrome, which believe me was a relief to see the huge poster of John as until i was right on top of the place i couldn't see the signs or name of it.
Anyways once inside i bought two copies of the program as i always do, out of habit, one for signing and one for reading. I then proceeded down to the stage doors to await the show. I felt a bit out of sorts inside, still feeling ill, but still putting it down to my nervousness of it being my first ever Panto, the first time ive ever seen John perform and also due to the fact that beyond your average child dressed up i was in cosplay as the Master and therefore felt a bit of a tit until later when i was meeting with Lisa again.
Showtime and i'm in my front row seat right on the right of the stage where the steps are leading up to it. I was litterally 6 steps away from John the whole time. God was that fun.
Anyways as much of the performance i can remember is not a great deal to be honest with you. I know that John had some wonderful costumes including various colours of very nice form fitting velvet pants which seemed to just get tighter with each costume change. The white ones appearing to be the most revealing out of them all although the red ones he wore i felt were far tighter.
Anyways that asside i was obviously enthrawled by the velvet pants and i was clearly staring as at one stage when John came over to my side of the stage he gave me one of his winning smiles and a wink. I was so embaressed. lol i'd been caught admiring his assets. which given that when he was over on my side of the stage alot of the time i got to admire his butt and other atributes its kinda a given that i was going to be looking.
Anyways that asside, John was brilliant as were the rest of the cast. I was highly entranced by Pete Gallagher who was playing Abanazar. He was awesome in the role of the bad guy. He really got the audience going. At oen stage he comes to my side of the stage and starts descending the steps at quite a pace until he stops and almost falls over my feet which i had up on the steps to keep them out of the way. I was also suffering with a painful right foot but im not sure what id done to it. Anyways he stops as he almost falls over them and glares right at me and the people sat at my side. talk about intimidating or what. lol i litterally cowered back in my seat but never took my eyes off him, lol i distinctly remember thinking while he was staring at me, "What?" lol anyways. he wasn't to be the last of my casualties as i also almost took out half the ensemble as they came charging up the steps from behind me, so yeah they nearly ended up face first in the stage.
Luckilly i didn't cause anyone any harm or hinder them too much during the performance. I almost had a heart attack when John came to the top of the steps right in front of me and held his hand out, for the young girl who i could see out of the corner of my eye who had been chosen for the keeper of the lamp earlier by the crew. So she went up the steps, my feet being well out of the way here.
During the special effects of the play the flying carpet made me feel really ill, to the stage i tried taking the glasses off, but the view on the screens was actually worse to look at. I then recovered from that, but the spiders, flying bolders, bats and the bloody huge crocodile thing had me cowering in my seat.
Not to mention the bloody genie which scared the crap out of me on several occaisons. Seriously freaky he was.
I was a bit close to the stage as far as special effects were concerned as pyrotechnics had sparks raining down near where my feet were, the dry ice smoke effects at several intervals completely obscurred my vision a couple of times and the Bloody party poppers for the big bag finale scared the crap out of me. Going off right in front of me and firing over head.
Loved John's dancing and in the finale, encore song John tried to do some kinda break danicing kinda move and sorta laid on the stage to do some kind of body move, kinda ripple effect sorta thing. not really sure what he was doing off hand it was hard to see. But he ended up hurting his back, and ended up going to the left hand side of the stage laughing because he'd cocked it up. He then recovered quite quickly and joined back in with the routine and he was messing around laughing at his other co stars.
The performance over then saw me waiting for Lisa to arrive as she was a bit delayed. Where we then went to wait by the stage door to see about meeting John. As we rounded the corner we bumped into the woman who played jasmine and she told us before darting off that "If we were quick we'd catch Aladdin." so anyways before we actually arrived at the stage door we could already hear John asking people who wanted things signing.
coats and bags were abandoned in the corner after i'd started to have a major panic attack. I couldn't find anything in my bag, my sharpies refused to be found. but eventually lisa lent me one and i waited to have John sign my 8x10 i'd taken and also my program. I was the last one for anything signed, and i got worse with nerves when he looked right at me and took my pictures and stuff. I really dont recall much of what i said, but when he took the 8x10 he told me "that it was one of his favorite pictures of himself." which i probably said something like i like it too. Although i know i thought its always near my bed, but didn't say that. He then asked me if i wanted the program signing aswell, to which i said yes please. So all the signatures done he then started photographs for people.
this was the first pic i've taken with my new camera at night time and well i'm surprised it came out at all i was shaking so much and this one was before id even got my program signed.
So i abandoned the program with the rest of my belongings and Lisa said something along the lines of get rid of your bag aswell so you can have a naked photo with John. lol this really didn't help my nerves with the images that conjured up. Although as lovely as that would be from the persepctive of John i'd really rather not appear naked on camera. shudders at that thought. So bag abandomed i handed my camera over to lisa and explained the settings while we waited for our turn. To say that i fell apart when John put his arm around me would be a bit of an understatement. lol God he is such a tactile person. He was lovely and warm and very friendly, and quite patient cosidering i was having a mini breakdown.
myself and lisa then swapped places and i somehow managed to take her a decent photo and then after that, John also said as we were getting ready to give camera's back that Lisa was the Doctor and he then looked and me and said "The Doctor and you are..." I finished it off for him saying that i was "The Master." which he said "I'd not seen that one." although had i not been panicking so much and managed to find my laser screwdriver he would have known instantly. Realising we were together John asked if we wanted a photo of the two of us together with him.
which produced much inner squeeing, and we jumped at the chance. Two other fangirls took our cameras and started to take the pictures. I say pictures because my camera, true to form decided it was going to act up. Picture 1, the girl taking it moved the camera slightly before it'd finished, so john told her she had to take it again. It then didn't flash, so i tried to go and check the settings, but John wouldn't let me go. lol he pulled me back. I then realised i had a kinda death grip on the back of his coat. John then said to i assume me but it could also have been the person with the cameras. "You're not going anywhere until i tell you to." lol was quite comanding aswell. I didn't move again until he was satisfied that the pic had been taken properly. So i think all together we had about 3 or 4 photo's taken between at least 3 cameras.
I managed to thank John after i'd let him go and he'd let me free. Not that i was trying to run away really because its far from it i could have quite happily stood in his arms all night, although i dont think my heart would have taken it.
photo 1
Lisa's pic has the girl in the pic skirt in the background, she was the girl chosen to go on stage and be the keeper of the lamp who set the Geni free and Photo attempt 2 with my camera. John then thanked us for coming and disapperred off to whereever everyone else was going. presumably in search of food but who knows.
We then fangirled a bit with the two girls who seemed to have recognised Lisa and wanted to take her photo earlier while i was getting my pics signed. They had stayed at Ty Rosa in cardiff the hotel me and lisa stayed in when we went in september and met David Tennant. After they'd gotten mine and Lisa's lj names from Lisa as i was still not in any fit state to do anything much as i was still having a panic attack from just being in John's arms.
Finally composed myself enough i found my red Sharpie and was determined to get Pete Gallagher's autograph and to appologise for almost tripping him up. I then made the most monumentally stupid anouncement of my life. I announced to anyone listening that "You were the man that taught Gethin Jones how to dance." god how stupid did i feel then. He just laughed and asked me how the hell i knew that to which i replied "Because i'm a sad git and watched every episode of strictly." and also mentioned something to do with John's mailing list. Lisa jumped to my defence here and said that Strictly was the best thing on over christmas and that they had put his name up and said that he was an actor and coach on screen during the shows which he seemed to find funny. Apparently i wasn't the only one to mention Gethin in connection with him.
The two girls fangirling over Lisa and me then also took my photo with Pete, as did Lisa with her camera as i'd put mine away at this stage.
so after we'd had our photo taken when he then signed my program and i appologised for almost triping him up when he came down the steps and he said that it was the first time in 3 weeks i think that he'd come down the steps in a matinee as most people turn away when he does and he doesn't get a reaction. He said it was ok that it was fine that i hadn't tripped him up.
he then thanked us for coming and also headed off into the night in the same direction as everyone else.
After than and gathering my nerves and everything myself and lisa went for a catch up and a rather nice meal. where we exchanged belated christmas gifts including for her a mock up of the Journal Of Impossible Things to go with the pocket watch i got her for christmas, and a set of handwarmers. i'd also taken two sets for John and Scott but never got the chance to hand them over as i was freaking out again. lol maybe next time.
She got me a rather lovely red fleece jumper with is wonderfully warm. We spent several hours fangirling in the restaurant before we had to part ways again. It's been 3months since we last saw one another and it didn't feel like a day had passed since. Roll on the next three as it's three months to the day next time when we go to see John in concert.
I'll be going back to birmingham again to do the whole panto experience again with two girls from work next tuesday. I can't wait.
So all in all my first ever Panto was an experience i will never forget.