Wednesday 24 September 2008

A Night I'll Never Forget



Being the last one home there isn’t really anything fresh or new I can add to the fantastic reviews that have already been posted but I couldn’t let this occasion go by without adding my take on a truly memorable night.

I want to start by saying this has to go down as one of the best days of my life. The show was sensational and meeting Rachel was a dream come true; she exceeded all my expectations both in her performance on stage and her adorable personality that was so evident when she greeted all her fans at the stage door after the show. Before I elaborate on that magical moment that will live with me forever I’d better go back to the beginning and give you my take on an incredible evening.

I arrived at the Dominion at about 6:15pm and was anxiously looking for any face I recognised. I eventually clocked David surrounded by a circle of beautiful girls who turned out to be Rosie, Eleanor, Katie (and her sister), Jackie and Jo. Chris was also there who had more than one reason to be looking happy as his team Oldham are sitting proudly on top the league right now; for me the night was a good way to forget how poorly my Team – Bristol Rovers – have started the season.

It was a surreal experience meeting all these people who I’d only known through the blog and email, especially David with whom I’ve become very good friends after working closely with him for 4 month’s. David was everything I expected, an absolute top bloke and it’s thanks to Rachel that I’ve made this great new friend. It was a complete pleasure to meet all of you and I really hope we get the chance to link up again some time in the future.

As Rosie said we then made our way into the theatre and up to the Champagne bar. It wasn’t long before we were joined by Karen and her husband. She was just as lovely as David had told me she was and I’m delighted to have finally had the opportunity to meet her after all this time.

Before we knew it, it was time to take our seats, the moment we – Rachel especially – had been waiting for had finally arrived. I knew she must have been feeling nervous at this point so I was too but I needn’t have worried.

I had only ever been to one other West End show – Grease – and right from the start it was clear that ‘We Will Rock You’ was in a completely different league. Everything was superb from the show itself and the cast, right through to the audience; which I’m sure was helped by the many members of Team Tucker in the crowd.

Now I would have gone to see Rachel in any production but what an absolute belter she chose to join for her first role in the West End. I was blown away before she even made her appearance, popping up through a trap door from under the stage as Rosie and Karen have described.

Rachel looked stunning decked out in her rock chick outfit and her incredible stage presence meant you we drawn to her every time she was on. Even in the second half of the show when she had a less active part I found I couldn’t take my eyes off her. To me she not only fitted right in with these West End veterans but stole the show with a breathtaking performance.

It wasn’t long before her first song of the night ‘I Want It All’ (a duet with Britney) and I think I probably watched it like a rabbit in the headlights, completely transfixed by what I was seeing and blown away by the voice of an angel.

I couldn’t see how that could be topped but Rachel’s solo performance of ‘No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’ had me covered in goose bumps and shaking with excitement. No words I write here can do it justice but it was worth the entrance fee alone -100 times over – and surpassed her Cabaret performance on IDA which I’d have said was impossible until witnessing this. It was simply the best rendition of any song I’ve ever heard full stop.

It was so clear Rachel was having a blast and doing what she was born to do. She must have been nervous but it didn’t show at all and you’d have thought this was her 1000th performance not her first. She has a quality that you can’t teach and words can’t describe but lets just say she is a very special lady – one in a billion – and I feel honoured to be part of the team running this blog.

As I mentioned before, Rachel didn’t feature quite as much in the second half but she was every bit as amazing and even when she was meant to be in the background you couldn’t take your eyes off her. The fun she has on stage transmits itself to the audience and was evident at Hyde Park last week and again on opening night. This girl is a superstar and has the talent to be a Broadway legend; the West End is lucky to have her.

I guess it was a fairly long show but it still ended much too soon because I could sit and watch Rachel all day. However it did finish in spectacular fashion and was a fitting end to an outstanding musical.

As we left the theatre we got the chance to meet Rachel’s family which was a fantastic bonus and I can only echo what David said about how nice they were. As he said it's easy to see where Rachel gets her lovely nature from.

Then came the moment I’ve wished for ever since I first saw Rachel way back at the beginning of IDA, the chance to meet her in person. After saying our goodbyes to Karen, David and I made our way round to the stage door where there was already a good few others hoping to meet the star of the show.

I can’t describe my emotions when I finally got the chance to talk to her but she was everything I expected and more; MUCH more. Until you meet her yourself you cannot imagine how lovely she is. She seemed genuinely delighted to meet me and thanked me for all my work on the blog. This meant more to me than she’ll ever know. She said she was overjoyed with the Team Tucker good luck card and wanted to thank everyone for their messages of support

Needless to say at that moment everything I had planned to say went out the window but on Tuesday morning I went out and purchased a well done card, wrote down all the things I meant to say the night before and dropped it off at the theatre before heading home to Bristol.

As Rosie said she posed for endless photographs, signed countless programmes and tickets and made sure she thanked everyone before leaving with a very proud looking Guy.

I managed to get 3 great pictures taken with Rachel on my camera and a signed ticket but the best thing of all was just the chance to meet this uniquely special lady.

I’d like to thank Rachel for making this Birthday one I will NEVER forget. I can’t wait to go back and do it all again.

1 comment:

David said...

Andy I have to say I loved your review and seeing that photo of you and Rachel at the top is just fantastic. So well deserved after all your hard work.