Picking up from Baker Street: so after we left Sherlock Holmes, we realised just how hungry we were. After much wandering around, we settled on the Globe, which has awesome fish and chips, and it was a very nice (and buzzed) lunch. By the time we were done, it was close to late afternoon, so we were considering going to see Buckingham Palace, but then we saw the ticket kiosk and wondered: why not take in a show?
So we went over there and asked about Oliver and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, since those were the two big shows being advertised. No dice. Except for £90 tickets for Priscilla, which was not going to happen. So we went to look for the bus stops again, but due to an unenviably horrible sense of direction, we couldn't find the right ones, so we decided to go back and see if there were any more shows of interest.
Chicago? Also nope. What about plays? There was Six Degrees of Separation (Jenn's suggestion since it had Anthony Stewart Head in it), and Waiting for Godot (with Ian McKellen in it). The lovely Bernadette at the kiosk made a few more calls, and lo and behold, there were two tickets for £28 for Waiting for Godot! Sweet!
The show didn't start till 7:30, so we killed time by some more touristy shopping and stopping at Pret a Manger for a bite to eat before heading to the Haymarket Theatre, just off Piccadilly Circus.
Front of the Haymarket Theatre, complete with poster.
It's a little blurry, but this is Her Majesty's Theatre, and Phantom of the Opera is still running here after 24 years.
Self-explanatory :)
I've never read the play, nor have I read anything related to the Theatre of the Absurd (Jenn had), but I LOVED it from start to finish. I wish I knew more so I could give a nice detailed intellectual analysis about how awesome it was, but just take my word for it. It was awesome. My only regret is that I wasn't there to see Patrick Stewart playing opposite Ian when he was around a few months back.
So after the final curtain call, I was curious to see if we could go backstage for autographs. I've been to musicals, and I know how backstage at musicals work, but those usually involve large ensemble casts and/or principals who are usually very happy to sign autographs and chat with the fans and take photos and all that. I almost glomped John Owen Jones once when he exited after playing Jean Valjean. This was a play with a small cast of men whom are older than your average musical performer; I wasn't sure what was the correct protocol. Glomping was definitely out, I knew that much.
Luckily we got directions from an usher, and there was a small group already waiting when we got there. It wasn't long before Ian (Sir Ian, I should say) popped out. I think I was dumbstruck because I didn't get out much more than "That was amazing!" while shoving my playbill at him while he searched for a Sharpie to sign it. Had I had more presence of mind I might have asked for a picture, but then he started chatting with some people he knew, and we decide to leave him to it. He left soon after signing everyone's playbill; he did seem tired. Roger Rees came out soon after and also signed the playbill before taking off rather quickly (though very politely).
Matthew Kelly pretty much stole the backstage show, taking the time to crack a few jokes and hold conversations while signing playbills. And to answer your question, Jenn, if it were appropriate I would have been rolling on the floor laughing because you guys had a hilarious interaction (octopus and all). It was adorable.
Ronald Pickup was the last to leave, and he also seemed pretty tired and ready to go home so he took off pretty quickly as well. There was one more cast member, the Boy, but he was hustled home by his parents earlier on, so no autograph from him.
But here's the result!
All in all, that was a great ending to a great weekend! :D
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