Jerry Herman concert and a bit of medical news for the colonials
Well, spent most of Sunday doing the 24-hour flu of grottiness and not being able to keep water down. However, recovered sufficiently to haul self off the sickbed and get to Jerry Herman concert. (which we were informed when we got there that it was going to be the Christmas concert, which had several of us pondering if it's the new Radio 2 dictat about the Christmas Friday Night is Music Night - must involve Barrowman)
Which was brilliant. Clarke Peters brilliant, Maria Friedman and Debbie [edit to get name in a bit] all fabulous. BBC Concert Orchestra brilliant. JB somewhat silly and of course *fabulous*.
:cough: Well, aside from him constantly fluffing the autocue. Seriously. Every other link he had to re-do. Including one from the beginning he did at the end. Special mention going to the moment when the autocue actually failed quite early on and he was having to read from the script. Which he then handed to Clarke Peters for his first song. Halfway through the song, Clarke chuckled and changed the song's words to 'the words are now back and the autocue's working' so started again. :snicker: This of course significantly endeared him to the audience. (amazing voice helped, of course)
Special mention to 'I Am What I Am'. Which, as several of the JB fans put it before the show started 'chances that it won't be John singing it? oooo, about 99,999 to 1.' Of course, John was singing it. Except it wasn't introduced (they vary between announcing the songs before or doing a quick line after), so we had one song, then John walks onto the stage. Trailing a pink feather boa held in one hand. Audience sees this, *many* hoots and whistles. Gets to centre stage, puts it round his neck with suitable panache, then launches into an absolute show-stopper of a performance. Standing ovation. Which was to be expected, since not only was it an amazing performance, a good proportion of the audience are there to see him, and it's become his signature tune. However? John looked a wee bit shocked and gawped some at the response - clearly he hadn't been expecting such a massive response, since you only normally get that at the end of a performance - even Maria Friedman hadn't got it for 'Hello Dolly' earlier (which also involved a boa) - and it took him a good minute to get a response out. A man who has 20 years stage experience of being exceedingly popular, nearly always has a comeback, and can be ridiculously quick with such, reduced to gawping at audience reaction. *bless*.
Many of the JB crowd there. With added commentary and the usual 'hmm, anyone seen Scott or Gavin? I can't see any striped shirts...' (for those not quite as obsessed : Scott and John have regularly been seen in the other's shirts, and both of them have a big thing for stripes). Turned out Scott was apparently in for the first half but disappeared backstage for second half, since his seat was empty. Further fashion whatsit : John in plain shirt and suit in second half shocker. We didn't think he possessed the ability to not wear at least one striped item.
Stage scrum? er... rather large, except it was mostly made of middle-over 40s respectable theatre-going crowd, with a lot of men in suits. This does not happen. Women, yes, but the men in suits? :blinks: And yes, he was adorable as usual, doing his usual 'signatures first, then photos - but I can only do one photo per person since I've got to get back to Cardiff for filming first thing'. Scott hurrying out early, with many a squee from the JB crowd of 'Scott went thataway'. No, we haven't developed a strange little side-fixation, honest. Oh shush. He's adorable, can you blame us?
Oh, and for the US lot : insurance-led healthcare may finally be getting changed.
Which was brilliant. Clarke Peters brilliant, Maria Friedman and Debbie [edit to get name in a bit] all fabulous. BBC Concert Orchestra brilliant. JB somewhat silly and of course *fabulous*.
:cough: Well, aside from him constantly fluffing the autocue. Seriously. Every other link he had to re-do. Including one from the beginning he did at the end. Special mention going to the moment when the autocue actually failed quite early on and he was having to read from the script. Which he then handed to Clarke Peters for his first song. Halfway through the song, Clarke chuckled and changed the song's words to 'the words are now back and the autocue's working' so started again. :snicker: This of course significantly endeared him to the audience. (amazing voice helped, of course)
Special mention to 'I Am What I Am'. Which, as several of the JB fans put it before the show started 'chances that it won't be John singing it? oooo, about 99,999 to 1.' Of course, John was singing it. Except it wasn't introduced (they vary between announcing the songs before or doing a quick line after), so we had one song, then John walks onto the stage. Trailing a pink feather boa held in one hand. Audience sees this, *many* hoots and whistles. Gets to centre stage, puts it round his neck with suitable panache, then launches into an absolute show-stopper of a performance. Standing ovation. Which was to be expected, since not only was it an amazing performance, a good proportion of the audience are there to see him, and it's become his signature tune. However? John looked a wee bit shocked and gawped some at the response - clearly he hadn't been expecting such a massive response, since you only normally get that at the end of a performance - even Maria Friedman hadn't got it for 'Hello Dolly' earlier (which also involved a boa) - and it took him a good minute to get a response out. A man who has 20 years stage experience of being exceedingly popular, nearly always has a comeback, and can be ridiculously quick with such, reduced to gawping at audience reaction. *bless*.
Many of the JB crowd there. With added commentary and the usual 'hmm, anyone seen Scott or Gavin? I can't see any striped shirts...' (for those not quite as obsessed : Scott and John have regularly been seen in the other's shirts, and both of them have a big thing for stripes). Turned out Scott was apparently in for the first half but disappeared backstage for second half, since his seat was empty. Further fashion whatsit : John in plain shirt and suit in second half shocker. We didn't think he possessed the ability to not wear at least one striped item.
Stage scrum? er... rather large, except it was mostly made of middle-over 40s respectable theatre-going crowd, with a lot of men in suits. This does not happen. Women, yes, but the men in suits? :blinks: And yes, he was adorable as usual, doing his usual 'signatures first, then photos - but I can only do one photo per person since I've got to get back to Cardiff for filming first thing'. Scott hurrying out early, with many a squee from the JB crowd of 'Scott went thataway'. No, we haven't developed a strange little side-fixation, honest. Oh shush. He's adorable, can you blame us?
Oh, and for the US lot : insurance-led healthcare may finally be getting changed.