I'm your biggest fan....

During our many theatrical escapades we have witnessed all sorts - and we mean all sorts. Mostly good...though there have been some events and experiences that have stuck in our minds more than others, though telling all would be ...unsavoury. Discretion is, after all, our middle name. But maybe one day when we're feeling loose lipped enough...

There is nothing quite like a theatrical atmosphere. It's difficult to single out a single thing in musical theatre  - or theatre in general - that would be the one and only selling point. We love settling in our seats. We like watching other theatre goers take their seats. We like hearing the buzz of  voices and sensing the excitement before the curtains go up. And leafing  through a programme, turning the pages eagerly,  seeing  if we recognise any of the faces in the cast...and the orchestra tuning up, then the lights going down...so many different elements.

People make the experience.The nature of  theatre tends to draw in people who are artistic, expressive and outgoing and the fairies like to include themselves amongst these select few who have, naturally, exquisite taste!  We would be lying if we didn't admit that we quite like observing fans, genuine enthusiasts of theatre, who appreciate  the  same things that we do. Only they appreciate things, shall we say, more colorfully. Or vocally. Some come in wearing badges, some  wearing t-shirts which show exclusivity, some we overhear saying have seen a show 20 times and counting...! We too love to frequent shows we love and would never deny the pull of a fantastic production with a great cast! And lets be honest here, there are a few leading men who have captured our hearts forever ... but what about when people attend  exclusively for a particular cast member? Or see a show 40, 50, 60 times? And collect photos of themselves with cast members over and over again? And plan their day and route to the theatre incorporating the cast members journey,to manufacture 'chance' meetings? And hang around at stage doors cursing anyone else getting in the way, in order to have 'private time' with the object of their affection? That's where it starts getting a bit...shall we say, foggy. When does it start getting a bit too much?

There are some fans who are, in wont of a better term,  slightly peculiar. Who appear to take 'fandom' to a completely new level. This post is dedicated to all those people who managed to get our attention more than the show we were seeing; the people we were talking about on the way home instead of  discussing the music, or the cast...those who, for whatever reason, made us raise our spectacularly shaped eyebrows and doubt our own senses. We are, of course, talking about the Mega fans. You know who you are...

Don't get us wrong, we like enthusiasm and don't pretend to be perfect. Nor are we 'holier than thou'. Having seen so many productions in so many cities we could write the rule book on theatre etiquette (if we wanted to but we don't) and are not prudish about it! Part of theatre etiquette is  behaviour during the performance, naturally.Most theatre goers reallise talking during a performance is a no-no. Getting up an moving around unnecessarily isn't good either. People who love theatre know the score. But what about before and after a performance? The cast have chosen to do the job they do and are prepared to be on show. They also love the adulation they receive at the end of the show from the audience. Actors feed off the audience reaction, that is often blatantly obvious. But the whole 'Stage Door' area  is something of a grey zone. Again, many performers see stage doors as an opportunity to connect with fans. But what if they are always connecting with the same ones? Or when other theatre goers merely wanting to say thank you, or looking for an autograph as a one off are pushed out of the way by people who believe themselves to be personal friends and thus entitled to be first in the queue always? In case there was any doubt, there are no sour grapes here from the fairies, as stage doors are not our scene and our magical fairyness would dazzle everyone so much that they wouldn't get a look in, and as we are kind and generous, we take a back seat. Unlike some. Oh, where to begin....



 We first discovered true madness at a stage door when seeing  'Joseph' at the Adelphi with the delectable little Mr Lee Mead. Great singer and a proper little sauce pot. 'As seen on TV'. In the flesh (and there was a goodly amount of that on show). But he sang too. Did we mention he sung nicely? Moving on. After the show he did 'signings' at the entrance of the Adelphi and we hung around out of curiosity. Or would have done had we not been pushed out of the way by handbags and flailing arms waved around by lots of ladies at an age when they should have known better. And here was the odd thing.  For such a young, attractive  man, his most ardent followers were mostly old enough to be his mother. And grandmother. Our research has shown that the largest supporter group are called 'Loppies' (Lee Obsessed People) and these supporters are present at everything Mr Mead does, including sneezing. This would also explain why, at a subsequent visit to 'Joseph' we noticed a flurry of matching t-shirts and badges and over heard a conversation of how  to get in front of the scrum (?!?!) 'because he forgot to sign THIS one last time...'. In other words, once wasn't enough. These were obviously women who would go back as many times as possible just to have contact with him. Any kind. Lets face it, he's very pretty. And has that whole 'matinee idol' thing going on which may be the reason he appeals to the baby boomers. But do they know no shame????  We have heard of people lying in wait for him when he arrives at the theatre, having their picture taken & getting an autograph - and wait for it....stopping him again after the show with the newly printed out photo (from 3 hrs ago) for him to sign. "He seemed pretty surprised..." Can you blame him? We would venture possibly a liitle freaked out? And judging by freely available websites (the fairies do their research!) these are frequently the same people time and time again.  We have since seen similar scenes at 'Wicked', where Lee currently resides as Fiyero.


Talking about Wicked...  What a corker of a musical! Deserves it's own review, so we won't go into too much detail of that here. But the Wicked fans in London would appear to live and breath the musical, and appear to go out of their way to 'befriend' cast members. They are younger than Lee Mead fans, lots of squealey young women (and some men, equally squealey) who know every word, every song, every cast member, every costume, every seat in the Apollo...and every trick in the book to get day seats. The fairies had the pleasure of attending the Apollo Victoria 80th birthday gala and the rather dubious honor of being seated directly in front of a row of 4 ardent Wicked fans who screamed ear splittingly whenever a Wicked cast member was on stage (but curiously not when Lee Mead was on stage...apparently he's nothing compared to Ollie...? ) and discussed cast members as if they were personal friends. No eavesdropping here, the conversations were clear for everyone to hear within a two mile radius. What was evident, was that these fans attended the show on what sounded like a monthly if not sometimes weekly basis and waited outside the stage door for the cast members to arrive, had pictures taken, autographs, and then waited for them again after the show, often for more of the same. There's no doubt performers enjoy a degree of attention and recognition. But is this kind of adulation not slightly...dare we say...obsessive? Do fans who' adore' to this level really think that popping up all the time, demanding moments of cast members time constantly, is endearing? Do they think the actors hearts really skip a beat with joy when they see them standing there again? Or that they are winning the cast over as friends? Sure the actors are polite and friendly and smiley. They are ACTORS. This type of behaviour might be  understandable in the very young,  in the ones who still form crushes on pop stars and the boy in the next class, but in people over the age of consent, old enough to hold down responsible jobs...? And where do they get the money to attend so frequently? Because lets face it, us fairies cannot afford to go to the theatre daily or weekly. Sadly there are mundane things to be dealt with like mortgages and bills which only get covered with dayjobs. Fairydust isn't cheap.

We have encountered more of these fans during a few regular viewings of 'Wicked'. And, sad to say, have seen more of the same behaviour. It would appear Wicked attracts a fair few attention seekers who whoop and holler and distract from the actors on stage and these fans have earned themselves a bit of a reputation amongst theatre goers as being not just a tad rude. Naughty.

The marvellous Michael Ball is simply the most charismatic man ever to appear on a London stage and his fans know it...we've seen them. A terrifyingly dedicated bunch, not dissimilar to the Lee Mead Loppies in age and appearance (though the Ballites seem to favour more sequins...the Loppies favour a vaguely more tailored look) and the Ball Army has followed the man since the 80's. And, by all accounts, Michael is very good to his fans, very gracious, very smiley and chats readily. The websites maintained by Ballites (is that what they call themselves?) are testament to their dedication and love of the man. And when we say follow, these women follow him. Everywhere.

The fairies had the pleasure of attending a filming of the Michael Ball Show at the Beeb and lo and behold, there they were. Instantly recognisable, not easily missed, and curiously scary in their singlemindedness and brightly coloured kaftans.  We observed from afar, whilst attending the touring version of Hairspray, women who literally dressed alike to show allegiance, right down to their hairstyles and jewellery, and who were oblivious to other people around them, unless you were recognisable as a Ball-fan. Standing up by their seats at the front of the theatre, scrutinising the audience and looking for people they recognised, shouting greetings to eachother. If anything, it reminded us slightly of Star Trek conventions you see on telly. Then suddenly, the show starts and at the first  glimpse of Michael they turned into...teenagers. It's fascinating and terrifying in equal measures.

In our experience followers of Les Miserables like to think of themselves as a cut above the rest. Les Mis is the 'posh' musical after all. And we can say that because we love it above all others. Mizzies will frequently refer to 'the brick' (the Hugo epic tome) and talk of the various subtexts within the story, the characterisation and how each character relates to the other in intricate detail. The staging and the orchestration - oooh, these fans know every single difference between various versions and recordings and chaos reigned for a while with the introduction of the touring version for the 25th anniversary celebrations, as it introduced elements not seen in the Queens Theatre original. Despite this interest in 'the music' and 'the story', make no mistake; the vast majority of fans are there for the THEATRE BOYS. Only, being a more cerebral choice of stage musical this is not readily admitted to. But the truth is seen at the stage door, where, by all accounts, the same people gather time and time again. And if you read the forums - the reality is clear in all its multiple-squee glory. We readily admit that Drew Sarich and David Thaxton, for instance, were a big draw for us, as they are magnificent performers and amazing singers. We saw shows they were in more than once but drew the line at following them or 'stage dooring'. But lets call a spade a spade; fantasise and adore openly, don't try to wrap it up in academic twaddle and pretend it's only about the story. When you say you wanted to see an actor at the stage door to discuss the way they interpret the role and how much it matches Hugo's original vision, just be honest and admit it's because you fancy the socks off them. You can't pull the wool over our eyes...






  The point of this post is not to pour scorn on anyones fantasies anymore than it is to mock anyone. We are genuinely intrigued by the effect theatre can have on normally rational people, that it would make them behave out of character and sometimes so irrationally. There's a very thin line between 'befriending' and 'obsessing', and also between  appreciating a performer for their talent and invading their personal space before and after a performance. Arguments have been had about when an actors working day begins; is it inside the theatre or is it any time they are out and about, en route, if you like?
Obviously, some performers thrive on this extra attention whilst some are very private about their lives. There may be an element of fandom-seeking in this twitter age where performers can tweet their personal thoughts / schedules in return for an ever increasing army of "followers".  Sadly the 'privacy wanting' performers quickly get a reputation for being 'cold' or 'distant' at the stage door. Is the price of a career on stage having to make yourself available to people ready to fling themselves at you at every opportunity,  or otherwise being seen as boring, rude and distant through wanting privacy?
 Are mega fans borderline stalkers, obsessed with the object of their affection, or simply people showing love and appreciation to talented performers?
You decide because we sure as hell can't.



Santa or Stalker?
On a final note - we link as evidence a 34 page (we kid you not) discussion on WhatsonStage.com regarding the pros and cons of buying your fave performer a birthday pressie. Seriously???  The very fact that the discussion thread itself had to be locked kind of says it all really!  Happy Days!!

Jo!

Once upon a time there were two little girls who dreamed of going to drama school and becoming musical theatre actresses. It didn't go quite to plan, but being happily employed elsewhere they indulged their musical whims and dreams by seeing shows, playing soundtracks and just by generally spreading the happiness. Then suddenly 'Any Dream Will Do' happened on telly.

On it was a boy who captured hearts of women nationwide and seemed capable of doing so just by singing. Or  by breathing to be honest. Or blinking. Oh he was gorgeous!!!!! And frankly the moment the boy Mead won the show the theatrefairies were planning a trip to see Lee Mead on stage. In person. In a loincloth. With curls. And eyebrows. And with toes that curled fetchingly on the steps of the stage of the Adelphi (but more about them later).

The point being, the musical. 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat'  has been seen and done so many times (And loved. Especially in schools). Karina owned the 'Donny Osmond' version. Both Tamsin and Karina managed to avoid the 'Jason Donovan' era and better still, the Darren Day spectacle. Karina would have quite liked to have seen Phil Schofield in the role just to see if Gordon the Gopher made a surprise appearance. Ah well. But this one was going to be special. This one had Meady the Beautiful and we'd seen him on telly and fallen in love with his goofiness and his shy smile. And his velvety voice. Never had a production held so much promise.

But we'd forgotten it was 'Joseph'. And we knew 'Joseph'!!!! Everyone does! And maybe that was the problem. Saying that, there was a lovely familiarity to it; Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice had created something that has endured...and although off the West End for now, we have no doubt it will find its way back there again soon in a few years time. It's inevitable really. Like Haley's Comet only quicker.

The familiarity included the staging, the orchestration, the choreography...and was it always so short??? Pointless really getting into a big debate about the specifics, and also going into detail about the show itself, as that's not really the point of this post. The point being, Meady. Was a star born?




Oh. Yes. Or so we thought at first. The thought of seeing the boy got us back to the Adelphi a couple of times, and there were definite highlights; such as every time the boy was on stage. But to give a few examples:

• Lee Mead emerging from a cloud in the opening scene dressed as Luke Skywalker
• Lee Mead twirling in his colorful coat (personally we preferred the one he was given in the TV show, but no one asked our opinion. But he was handsome and he was smart)
• Lee Mead behind bars dressed in a loincloth with sweat trickling down his chest (did we just write that...?) singing 'Close Every Door'
• Lee Mead in the second half chatting to Pharaoh as (here it comes) he curls his twinkly toes to grip the stairs. So sweet! Didn't everyone notice?
• Lee Mead all masterful in golden Doc Martens with gold nipples and a very swishy loincloth
• Lee Mead rising to the skies on a cherry picker
• And every scene with Dean Collinson (as Karina wanted to have his babies)




However there had to be more to the show than that??? But there wasn't really. Other than Lee Mead sang beautifully and it looked as if the sky was the limit for him. During both our visits to the show we did witness a phenomenon called 'his fans', and were taken aback at the hoards of women elbowing anyone they could out of the way just to get a moment with him. These were women old enough to be his mother...now. As much as the fairies like to spread the theatre-love we draw the line at being intrusive and thus never hang around stage doors or accost actors in the street. We buy our tickets, we see a show, we applaud the show, we go home. During our extensive visits to multiple productions all over the West End and beyond we have witnessed this countless times in varying degrees and have rarely seen anything so...bizarre (We actually think stage door fans need a post dedicated to them So moving on).

Meadys star shone bright.  He does seem to have something that draws you in, and it's hard to take your eyes off him when he's on stage.  That's pretty bankable. But its hard to twinkle furiously in a production that is so tarnished round the edges (Having said that, the fairies also had the misfortune to see the touring version around the same era.  Sweet Jesus.  And that's still doing the rounds).
Lee left, taking his energy with him, and the production closed shortly afterwards, which begs the question - was he pulling the crowds? Did the show just reach it's sell by date & he got out at the right time?  Hard to say, but our hunch is the former.  Whether you like it or not, the TV talent shows create "names" and many people like to know who they are seeing before they go.  Look at where they are now.  The Joes, the Marias, the Nancys - most of them probably working far more than before the show, and for some acheiving true West End status.  (Rachel / Aiofe - we are talking about you....) Maybe they would have got there anyway?  Maybe.

Our view is fairly simple.  We liked the look of Lee & the sound of his voice.  We weren't disappointed.  At times we even left nail marks in each others arms... he certainly has a belt, and the Adelphi is only so big...
We await his next move, because much as we enjoy a bit of Oz, the part of Fiyero sucks.  2 songs???? And he gets paid how much???? (OK we know he's in the ensemble, but come on....)

Oh stop, you say, he's doing concerts as well!! Well, good for him. 
Much as we admire his efforts, we don't fancy the concerts.  The West End is his rightful home - he ain't ever gonna fill the NEC. He ain't ever gonna be a Rock God.  (Guess this post could come back to bite us in the arse one day and we'll be flattened by legions (or is it institutes?) of ladies of a certain age squealing "I told you so" as he fills Wembley.)



Our point simply is this - Lee, we love you dearly, but we need you in the West End, in a decent role, so we can admire you like we sooooo want to.

We want to see if you can do more - we want to be proved right - and we can't bloody wait!




A few of our favourite things (aka the bestest songs ever to be heard in a musical)

There are, without a doubt, stacks of lists already out there compiled by learned people with learned opinions on all things musical. They know the tiniest details about  things we should probably be taking into account before putting together any kinds of lists. Things such as  - are the songs we mention worthy enough? Do they have enough  musical merit?  What is the orchestration like? The composition in general...? You know, all the arty crap. The bottom line is, we don't care. As long as a song touches our hearts or makes us happy it makes the list. So with that in mind, please indulge us for a moment.

And in no particular order...

Anthem (Chess)  Karina is the Queen of Cheese and knows every single lyric to every single Abba song ever written. Ever. And despite Tamsin's utter loathing of Mamma Mia she is partial to the odd Abba tune. So imagine our joy when 'Chess' materialised. Anthem, however, is far from cheese. It is complete and utter CLASS. Benny and Bjorn wrote one of the songs of the century and we're pleased they did. This piece of musical genius from the men who also wrote 'Ring Ring' and 'I do I do I do' (they must have been drunk). Astonishing. The version sung by Josh Groban makes grown women blub. And we dare say men too. Now imagine a version sung by Drew Sarich. Or David Thaxton. Then melt into a puddle of goo.

He raises us up.
Pass the tissues.

One Day More (Les Miserables) The most awe-inspiring, motivating, uplifting song in the entire world. Many a time have the fairies wanted to join the revolution and wave red flags dressed in tricolour sashes. And storm the stage at Queens to march on the spot proudly. And would do so if they didn't run the risk of being banned for life from all theatres nationwide. That is, however, the only thing holding us back. This song is also a staple of many car journeys and late night singathons.
Frankly, this song should be the  British national anthem even though it's about French revolutionaries.
This song is, simply, THE BEST. Just saying.

Lego Miserables
With a percentage of the dreamcast. Days of glory.

Come what may (Moulin Rouge) So, not strictly speaking a stage musical (yet). However. This song is beautiful in its simplicity. The film is a theatrefairy favourite and for some reason, though not the best singer, Ewan McGregor makes this song so, so touching. The fairies have cast this film as a stage musical on many occasions in their dreams and think Mr Lee Mead would make a wonderful young poet (as soon as he regains his sparkle, otherwise he'll be cast as the greasy Duke if he's not careful. Or the Bohemian with narcolepsy. He has been warned). So get sparkling, Meady. You know you want to.

Awwww. And then she dies.
Poor Satine.

Don't Rain on My Parade (Funny Girl) Love her or hate her but a list of this nature can't be complete without Auntie Barbra and her unbelievable vocal chords. This song is a belter and the best one for releasing the inner diva. Forget 'I will Survive' because should there ever be a song made to banish the blues, THIS IS IT.  It's made to be sung loud and listened to loud. A great one for annoying the neighbours with. Try it. 

It works. 

Hey Mr Aaaaaarnnnsteeeeinnn...
HERE I AAAAAAAMMMM....!!!
She deserves an oscar for this. Oh. She got one.

I Know Him So Well (Chess) The fairies don't sing karaoke, ever. However if they did, this would be the song of choice. Another classic beauty from the Chess archives and a deserved megahit for the Abba boys. What's not to love about this song?? A great tune and lyrics you can fit around any single broken heart scenario you care to think of. The original version with Grand Dame Paige and the gorgeous Barbara Dickson is the definitive and best. The theatrefairies never get tired of hearing it. Beautiful.

Loving the frosted tips.
Mind the shoulder pads...



Secret Love (Calamity Jane) As connoiseurs of all things theatrical, this little gem cannot pass unmentioned. Doris Day is one of the sunniest, loveliest people in the world, and this song is one of the happiest ever written, oozing feel-good factors and romance.  The theatre fairies openly admit to wanting to be Doris-like when they grew up...and especially like Doris as Calamity. An oldie but a goodie.

Shout it from the highest hills, Doris!
with everything including the delectable Howard Keel!!!

Gethsemane (Jesus Christ Superstar) Probably not one for the serious churchgoers, but a firm favourite of ours.  This song has everything.... fantastic lyrics, great build up and ANGER!!!! We like our Jesi with a belting rock voice and a proper screeeeeeech.  And just to prove that we are not TOTALLY Drewcentric, we give you Mr Steve Balsamo.  Who actually is Jesus. And now plays in a band. Who knew?

God. Almost literally.

Tonight (West Side Story)
Another gift of a song - much in the vein of One Day More but with more emphasis on sex and streetbrawls.  A fabulous singalong number - but you need to pick your part (or your starting key) carefully to keep up!!!
A classic.

She didn't really sing ya know

.

Who will you be???????

As long as he needs me (Oliver)
Tamsin loves a song with build up, and this has it in spades.  Karina may hate the musical, but there's no denying the emotion, the tears, the utter Eastender-ness of this song.  And its in our key!!!! Bring it on!

Just leave him already!!!!!

 Not convincing as a Cock-er-ney, but we'll forgive her....

Luck be a Lady (Guys and Dolls) This was a toss up if we're honest.  It was either this or "Sit down you're rocking the boat" but we had to include something from the only musical to star the Brando.  In the end, spiritual enlightenment and becoming a born-again Christian loses out to gambling in a sharp suit.  For the love of a good woman.  1,2,3,aaah....

They don't make 'em like this any more.

Not the best singer, but ooooooh 

I still believe(Miss Saigon)   Heartwrenching and beautiful.  Not quite sure why 2 such wonderful women should fight over Chris, he really doesn't deserve it.  But boy, do they sing it well.  When oh when will they bring this wonderful musical back???  Tamsin would like to play both parts please.

We love a good love story.

 We're crying already.

All I ask of you (Phantom of the Opera) We're not sure if Connie does this part justice in this recording, but Mr Mead, back when he was shiny and new, certainly does.  However, we have to give her credit for remaining standing when faced with the full force of the Lee-gaze. "You know I do...."
Oh yes.  We do now.

Yum.

We definitely believe him.

Of course, this list may be subject to change at any time.  On a whim.