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I had promised to write about my latest trip to London, but I must admit that I've been putting it off. Why? Well, it's because I'm hampered by a complete lack of talent and ability for putting things down on paper. But, even though I'm somewhat embarrassed by that fact, I thought I would just admit it and write it anyway. So, now that everyone has been forewarned...
I think I'll start with my first trip to London...gosh, that sounds as if I'm a world traveler or something, doesn't it? Well, I'm not, but thanks to Sheila, I've been able to make 2 wonderful trips of a lifetime to London. Let me explain..... Sometime in 1998, I posted a short email message on the Musicalstages web site asking if anyone knew if Philip Quast would be appearing on stage in the near future and since they don't seem to update certain portions of their site very often, there the message sat with a "new" icon beside it. Three years later, Sheila saw it while she was looking for information on Philip. She thought it was a new posting and emailed me. I was puzzled for a time and then it finally dawned on me where she had seen my email address. We started corresponding and developed a friendship based on a mutual admiration of London and of Philip Quast. She was getting ready to make a trip to London to see The Secret Garden and Rose and I asked her to write a review of it for the web page and at a performance of TSG, she met Eli and history was made....
I was fairly comfortable with the idea that I would only hear of Philip Quast through other people, but I had made so many wonderful new friends (Carol, Elaine, Sandi, Sheila and Eli & Jo), that I didn't mind....well, not much anyway. Sheila then emailed me that she was planning another trip to London in October and asked if I would like to go with her and thanks to some wonderful discounts through her job as a travel agent, I fairly shouted YES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!! At the time the trip was planned, we were going to make the trip to see Philip in The Secret Garden, but alas, it was cancelled before we could make the trip. Well, we said philosophically, we'll go anyway. Tickets were purchased, plans were made and then it was announced that Philip would be starring in South Pacific which would open in December. Hmmmm, we thought, that's not very good for us, is it? Then September 11 happened and we really had a good think about canceling the trip, but then decided that we wouldn't let the actions of those few to change our lives, so the plans were still on for October. Now, the day the trip was to begin was the day the U.S. began the bombing of Afghanistan, so it seemed that the fates were against us, but we continued on. Security was high at airports and in London, so there was never a time that we felt unsafe.
Sheila had been to London many times and had lived there for a time, so all I had to do was fall in behind her and enjoy myself. We saw and did so many wonderful things in London and that trip will always be a highlight of my life. One of the things we did was visit the South Bank and the National Theatre area. It's a very beautiful area on the Thames and I must admit, we were hoping for a glimpse of Philip since we were fairly sure that rehearsals for South Pacific had begun. We could hardly believe our eyes when we did actually catch a fleeting glimpse of him on the way into the theatre through the stage door. Eli had come to London to meet us and we had a great time talking, sightseeing and talking some more. During another visit to the National Theatre, we became very brave, threw caution to the winds and purchased tickets for South Pacific for March, not knowing for sure if we would be able to make the trip again.
In between sightseeing, we saw Phantom of the Opera, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof (with Brendan Fraser and Ned Beatty) and Private Lives (with Alan Rickman). I had never been to the theatre before and immediately fell in love with it all. We met up with Carol and it was so nice to be able to meet her face to face. We had a wonderful, rather loud, lunch at Joe Allen's (I imagine they were glad to see us leave). Then we took a tour of the National Theatre before we had to say goodbye to Carol so she could catch her train home. The next day, we took the Eurostar to Eli's home in Brussels and spent a wonderful 3 days as the happy recipients of Eli's hospitality before we had to fly back home. We flew back to Chicago and the next day, spent an enjoyable day with Sheila showing me her hometown. Then it was time to go home and in spite of jet lag, I was exhilarated by the entire trip and have many memories (and 10 rolls of film) to enjoy.
Now, if you're not completely asleep by now, I'll continue to write about our trip to London in March.
This trip was specifically to see Philip in South Pacific and we were very fortunate to be able to see the play 3 times, but first things first. There for awhile, it seemed that the fates were conspiring against my going on this trip also. I first had the flu for a week, then had emergency surgery and then discovered that I had bronchitis. Finally, I seemed to be on the mend and got my stitches out on Monday and got on the airplane on Wednesday determined to ignore my aging, aching body.
The weather was the big thing on this trip. From the point of view of a person from West Texas where it just does not rain and my umbrella sits unused in my purse, this trip was wonderful to begin with. It was cold, wet and blustery for most of the trip and my formerly unused umbrella was put to good use. I loved the rain and didn't even mind the cold, but it wasn't very conducive to picture taking, but since I had probably broken the world record for number of pictures taken on the last trip, I didn't mind very much.
Eli met us in London and the terrible threesome was united once again. Eli had made arrangements for us to meet Luke Newberry's mom, Janice for a coffee and we spend a very enjoyable, laugh filled afternoon before having to say goodbye so we could get ready for South Pacific that evening. When we got to the theatre, Janice and Luke met us at the theatre as a surprise for Eli before they left for home.
So, there we were, finally at the theatre waiting for the play to begin and I was pleased that I was able to preorder the cast recording at the theatre bookshop. Eli had seen it several times before, so we were watching for her cues. I was so excited to be there and tried my best to contain myself and remember my upbringing. As everyone who knows me knows, my goal has long been to be able to see Philip perform in person and to be able to see him more than once and I was just about to fulfill that goal. I'm not good enough with words to give a review of the play, but I was so thrilled to be there... Of course, I knew Philip's voice was wonderful, but to be able to hear it in person just can't be described. His voice just soars and his acting is so natural. I found his French accent to be just right and the 3¼ hours just flew by for me. We took our little programs to the stage door and waited anxiously for him to appear. Nick Holder came out first and was very friendly and nice as he visited with Eli while we listened. He mentioned that he was putting together a charity concert in aid of the Lewisham Safe Kids and asked Eli to pass the word around to everyone. Eli, Carol and Jo eventually did go the concert and I hope that she'll write a review of it for the web page. We didn't get Nick's autograph that night though because he was eating a sandwich. Then, finally, Philip came out. He was very warm, friendly and polite while he signed our programs. He has a lovely soft voice and of course.......those eyes. We tried to be polite and not keep him because he was with his neighbors so it was very nice of him to stop and humor us.
The next day, we met with Carol and Jo at Borders and visited until Jo had to leave. Carol, Eli, Sheila and I returned to the hotel to eat and relax a bit. Carol had to leave to catch her train around 6, but it was so nice of her to make the trip to London just to meet with us and we really enjoyed her even if it was for just a few hours. We then freshened up and headed for the South Pacific again.
The play seemed even more amazing than the night before and I have no words to describe Philip's voice and performance. The cast made little changes in their performances....inflections...gestures...nuances that made it a new experience for us. I had always wondered how stage actors were able to keep performances fresh for themselves and for those in the audience who are fortunate to be able to see it more than once. We decided not to bother Philip at the stage door that night, but we met a very warm, natural and friendly Lauren Kennedy (Nellie) at the stage door and she very graciously autographed our programs. Then we headed back to the hotel to talk about that night's experiences.
The next day was a South Pacific free day, so we went to Covent Garden. We hadn't realized that it was St. Patrick's day until the cab driver said he couldn't get into Covent Garden because of the crowds, so he dropped us off as close as he could. We wandered around a bit, had lunch, went to the Theatre Museum and then back to the hotel.
Our last time to see South Pacific was Monday night. There were 7 of us there on the front row. It was a great place to be too. We were on the opposite side of the theatre from our previous seats, and it was nice to see another view of the stage. This performance seemed to be very happy and laughter was everywhere. Eli had said that sometimes Monday performances were different because the cast had been off on the Sunday before. It was certainly different, with the cast seeming to have a great time with one another...holding back giggles. There were a couple of times Nick seemed to be doing something that was making some members of the cast almost break up. It was wonderful to see everyone having such a good time with one another. I must mention that this entire cast seems to genuinely like one another. Philip's performance was wonderful again...such passion and strength in his voice and such a naturalness to his acting. They seemed to appreciate our rather "rowdy" applause and whoops at the curtain call. We finally got Nick's autograph at the stage door and waited for Sheila Francisco (Bloody Mary) and got her autograph as well. Philip was warm and friendly as always, but had guests waiting. He told us that he appreciated our applause and whoops and when Eli said she hoped we weren't too "rowdy", he said "No, it was wonderful". What a wonderful experience all three times we saw the play and how surprising that the same play can seem so different every time.
Tuesday, we had to say goodbye until Wednesday to Eli when she went with friends to Manchester. That night, Sheila and I went to Lady Windermere's Fan with Vanessa Redgrave, her daughter, Joely Richardson and Jack Davenport. It was very good and the costumes were beautiful. No stage door that night though.
Eli came back to London, but all the excitement was beginning to take it's toll on Sheila and Eli. Sheila had not been feeling well and was beginning to feel very ill indeed and Eli said she had been chilled on the train back to London and was beginning to feel ill as well. We did go to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Michael Ball that night and had a wonderful time. It was just the second night of previews and there were some technical problems, but Michael handled the little problems with great humor and the audience responded in kind. The car hadn't flown the night before, but it flew this night and it was a sight to behold. We did go to the stage door because Eli knows the children (there are 3 sets of children that will rotate) and their parents. It was just like a family reunion with everyone friendly and talking all at once. We did get to see a fleeting glimpse of Michael Ball as he left. That poor man had to run a gauntlet of autograph and picture seekers and his fans seem to think it's ok to grab him and turn him around to get a picture. He handled it all with grace but I couldn't help but feel they were very rude to treat him that way.
Well, all good things must come to an end, so Eli and Sheila accompanied me to Victoria Station and the Gatwick Express and we said our good-byes and promised to email when we all got home. Poor Sheila and Eli were getting sicker by the minute and I think are still trying to recuperate.
The flights home always seem longer than the flights going and this was no exception. I will always have wonderful memories of this trip as a dream come true. I got to see Philip perform in person, I got to see him more than once and I got his autograph at the stage door. The cast recording was delivered to my house about a week after I got back, so, anytime I want to, I get out the trusty portable CD player and the earphones and am transported back to London and the National Theatre.
One of the beautiful views of St. James' Park
London's West End viewed from the London Eye
The Royal Horseguards Hotel
The Lincoln Statue
The Globe Theatre
The Grand'Place in Brussels
Romantic Brugges
