Only a select few (myself included) were able to make it to the Belfast Proms, but Rachel's performance was so good that I honestly didn't think it could be topped. Until the very next day when a fortunate bunch of Tuckers & Buckers trekked to Hyde Park for a concert that was not only hugely enjoyable, but massively rewarding for a lucky few in terms of meeting Rachel herself afterwards.
And just when we thought it couldn't get any better, opening night arrived, and I think I speak for all of us who were there when I say it was one of the best days of my life. I got to meet some wonderful people, see a fantastic show, and above all to watch Rachel's West End dream come true. And just to put the icing on the cake, everyone was able to meet the lady herself afterwards and appreciate why we have put so much time and effort into this little blog. The merest glance at the opening night photos proves beyond all doubt how much Rachel appreciates her fans and how much they appreciate her. She is an absolute gem.
Inevitably, things will quieten down in October. With Rachel firmly established in the Dominion, our next scheduled event is Scaramouche night on the 15th November.
However, many of our readers will be seeing the show between now and then and your photos and reviews are more than welcome. Also if Rachel does any PAs in the near future, we'll do our very best to have at least one of our intrepid bloggers cover them for you, and of course all your contributions to the blog will be as always greatly appreciated.
I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for their overwhelming support for myself and Andy on opening night. Receiving so many compliments from the fans and particularly Rachel's family was a very humbling experience and we both appreciated it so much. I'd also like to once again thank Rosie and Karen for their wonderful opening night reviews. Andy and I greatly appreciated them as it took us so long to reach a PC given the distances involved. And on a personal note, it was great to finally meet Andy and Rosie after so much online correspondence -- not to mention everyone else, particularly one person -- you know who you are!
So while the blog won't be hurtling along at it's recent pace, we WILL be continuing to bring you all the Rachel news and we're already making plans to charter a Team Tucker plane to New York for Rachel's Broadway debut. Don't go away -- this is only the beginning!
Also don't forget that you can see all the opening night, Hyde Park and Proms photos and videos in one place on Rachel's Facebook Group. Also featured are the Pride and Munchkins picnic photos -- in fact everything since IDA.
I just want to say that although we want as many Rachel supporters as possible on the 15th, please don't feel obliged to buy seats in our row -- they are VERY expensive. We will all be meeting up before the show as well as afterwards and of course in the foyer during the interval, so seating isn't overly important. Please feel free to buy seats anywhere in the theatre at whatever price point you prefer. The important thing is that as many of us as possible are there!
I was just scanning the site last night and couldn't help noticing row upon row of happy smiling faces, all because of one person. Rachel has the natural ability to inspire devotion and brighten everyone's lives and I couldn't be happier that I'm no longer alone in this opinion. The feedback from Monday night has been way beyond expectations -- several have described it as one of the best nights of their life and everyone wants to go back. Hopefully the Dominion realise what a great asset they have.
We've just heard that Rachel will definitely be Scaramouche on the 15th November, so we're going to go for that night as it seems to suit most of you.
And a wee bit of other IDA news -- Julie has just announced on the 'Sarah Lark Fan Blog' that Sarah will be cover for Nancy in the West End production, and will be in the ensemble every night. Great news for the Larkabouts and well done Sarah!
I've now heard from everyone who was there with the Team Tucker group and all had a brilliant night.
Several of us discussed how great it would be if we knew in advance when Rachel will be playing the main female role of Scaramouche. Well we didn't have to wait too long, as I've been informed that this will happen from the 3rd to the 15th November.
If you're not totally familiar with the show, Rachel's main part as the Meat character involves being on stage quite a lot, but her two main songs are the duet with Britney 'I Want It All' and of course the show-stopping solo; 'No-one But You (Only The Good Die Young)'. As Scaramouche, Rachel will be on stage for roughly two thirds of the show, with a lot more dialogue and a lot more vocal activity.
This will be a superb chance to see her in this highly demanding role and is most definitely worth making another journey for.
So if you were one of the lucky ones attending opening night, or you have a ticket for a show beyond November or you don't have a ticket at all, you're more than welcome to join us on the night.
At this point, we're open to suggestions for a suitable date. I'm hoping to bring the family so would prefer a Friday or Saturday night for school purposes, but we're throwing it entirely open to you. You can email either me or Andy or simply leave a comment on this post. Just tell us which night you'd prefer and we'll work something out. I would suggest leaving our final decision for about a week until we've got everyone's input.
Please note that you DON'T have to be a Team Tucker member for this. Buckley Brigadiers, Larkabouts and those of no affiliation are all more than welcome.
I'd also like to salute the Buckley Brigadiers who turned up on Monday night to enjoy the show. Although your idol wasn't able to attend, I know you were all hugely impressed with Rachel's performance. Also a special mention for three ladies from that select group whom I met up with for a pre-theatre meal on Monday. Thank you so much for your company -- it made a wonderful day even more special.
THE STAGE REVIEW
Standing outside the Dominion!!
During the interval, we met Jodie! Who turned out to be lovely, really sweet and funny and a pleasure to meet.
Jodie, pictured with Hannah during the interval
Some of TEAM TUCKER outside the theatre after the most incredible performance
Chris with Ashley and Jodie whilst waiting for Rachel at the stage door
And it's RACHEL!!! Looking absolutely lovely.. just such a gorgeous girl
Eleanor meets Rachel
Chris and Rachel
David and Rachel!
Rachel meets the two main bloggers
It was so lovely seeing Rachel greeting Jodie and Ashley and it was clear that they're still very good friends -- really nice of them to come and support her! And Jodie kept telling me just how proud she was of Rachel.
Me with Rachel and Guy!
And I know David's already put this picture up, but I had to do so again as I absolutely love it. Rachel just looks gorgeous! And I can't believe I've finally met her!! I think my massive smile says it all!
So a short account of my experience that day. I travelled from Belfast with my brother-in-law who knows absolutely nothing about Rachel, IDA or WWRY. He just fancied a couple of days in London and I'm very glad I brought him as I haven't been in the city since well, quite a few years shall we say. We flew into Stansted and travelled by train to Liverpool Street. I was immediately stumped by the underground system and those mysterious Oyster cards people were waving about. Fortunately my brother-in-law was clued in and in no time at all we were all aboard the sardine tin, sorry tube and en route to Tottenham Court Road to check out the theatre. We arrived outside at 9.10am a mere ten hours early. Still it was an ideal opportunity to plan the route to the stage door.
Following an extortionately expensive breakfast in Oxford Street, we headed off to see the sights -- Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street all that stuff. Having located our Travel Lodge in Southwark, we parted ways. I met up with three delightful members of the Buckley Brigade for lunch and a very relaxing afternoon while my brother-in-law met up with a friend elsewhere.
At 6pm we arrived at the Dominion to try to guess who everyone was. Several other BB members had arrived, as well as Chris and Jo. Jo had been lucky enough to snap up Chris's spare ticket that very day and was even luckier to be sitting front row circle with the two most famous bloggers in the theatre. Talking of famous bloggers, where the heck was Andy? The guy had my tickets so I was rather hoping he would show up.
Several people came over to chat. They turned out to be Rachel's family and had some very nice things to say about the blog. Shucks.
Rosie and Eleanor arrived. I recognised Rosie immediately as we have exchanged enough Facebook messages to crash the average hard-drive. But just as I was about to go over for a chat, some bloke asked if I was David. I concurred and shook his hand asking him who he was. 'I'm Andy.' Ooops. I blame beer.
Andy was of course a great guy and we got on really well the entire evening.
We all went inside and headed to the bar. Well they called it a bar -- it looked more like a hole in a wall to me. But then they probably haven't been to Belfast where bars are done properly. Karen arrived with her hubby Richard, who turned out to be a really top guy with a great sense of humour. Team Tucker were understandably entranced to be in such close proximity to close friends of Rachel's and hung on their every word. Which is fair enough as I did too.
Then Jodie and Ashley wandered into the foyer. Several of us in TT had been wondering for weeks if any of the IDA girls would attend and if so who they might be. I honestly don't think anyone guessed correctly. Jodie was really down-to-earth and happy to chat and pose for photos with Rosie, Eleanor and Hannah amongst others.
Soon it was time for the performance and we found our seats. Being front row circle, we had a super view and the show started immediately. The first twenty minutes were entertaining but we needed something more. Then suddenly there was that classic Belfast accent wafting across the auditorium! Yes!!!! We were in the right place.
Rachel commanded the stage -- that's the only word for it. Her duet with Brit of 'I Want It All' was impressive but OMG -- 'No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)' was something else. Far and away the highlight of the show, Rachel pulled this demanding number off effortlessly. I clapped till my hands were sore. Everything I had ever hoped for Rachel was encapsulated in that moment. Bliss.
The interval was welcome as someone had drunk a little too much. So after the joy of the queue for the loo (more toilets in the Dominion please thank you) I rejoined a stunned TT in the foyer. Karen looked close to tears. Everyone was just raving about Rachel.
Second half and there just wasn't enough Rachel. It was a great show and a lot of fun with super music, but we wanted more Rachel and we wanted it now. Every time she took the stage it was like she owned the place. Talk about a vocation. I've now seen Rachel perform six times in five different productions and every time she has exceeded my already huge expectations. Sorry I'm raving again. If you're a fan of Rachel you NEED to see WWRY. Several times.
Following the final curtain, we made our way out to the foyer and Andy and I met Rachel's sister Margaret and Aunt Susan. They were both just lovely and so appreciative of our efforts for Rachel. We had some photos taken and then a photo op with TT and Karen outside.
At this point Karen & Richard headed off to Rachel's family's hotel and the rest of us went to the stage door which I had checked out that morning. There were quite a few waiting, including Jodie & Ashley who once again posed for photos, including one with that lucky dog Chris Hawley. Nice one!
After a few false alarms, the stage door opened and there was Rachel with Guy -- a bloke who looked fit to burst with pride. Poor Rachel must have got a 'quer gunk' as we say in Belfast to be greeted by dozens of camera and a huge cheer. Bless her she had the patience of a saint, posing for photos (in some cases a second time -- you know who you are Rosie and Andy lol), signing autographs and chatting away. As always she couldn't have been nicer and finally left with Guy to meet her family and friends. TT parted ways and my brother-in-law confessed to being impressed with her performance, probably the ultimate accolade.
The next day we did more of the London thing -- I had to be abandoned in a cafe due to my legs ceasing to work -- hey Karen DID say London was tiring and she wasn't joking. I was also propositioned by a lady of the night during the day which was interesting but I politely declined. All part of the London experience I'm sure.
Back at the airport, we met Rachel's family in the departure lounge and as before they were just lovely people, rounding off an absolutely fabulous two days.
Before the flight I checked out the blog and was delighted with Rosie's and Karen's reviews, not to mention the ITN interview and stage footage.
So a few words for Team Tucker. I met so many people who I'd only previously corresponded with by email or Facebook, including of course Andy himself! You were ALL brilliant and so great to meet you all at last. Inevitably with so many people, I wasn't able to talk to everyone as much as I might have liked. But I do have some news about a possible second TT night VERY SOON. Let's just use one word -- Scaramouche -- and I'll let you work it out.
I was absolutely delighted that everyone got to meet Rachel at the stage door.
I also want to say a special thank you to Rachel's family who were incredibly nice to me. It's very easy to see where Rachel gets her lovely nature from.
If you have photos or memories of the night you'd like to share, please let us know.
(Sorry about the 'catchy' heading -- we had the whole tube journey home to think of something special and that was the best we could come up with -- I think we were both still quite speechless from an absolutely sensational night!)
This is Rosie and Eleanor by the way. For some reason David and Andy have entrusted us with the massive responsibilty of writing Rachel's first WWRY review... So here goes!
We arrived at the Dominion Theatre in Tottenham Court Road just before 6pm. We'd spent so many months looking forward to this evening and knew it was just going to be amazing! We met David, Andy, Katie (and her sister, Hannah), Jackie, Jo and Chris outside the theatre. It was really odd to finally meet these people after only knowing them through facebook and this blog! Everyone seemed really excited but nervous at the same time.
After we had both collected our tickets, we made our way to the Champagne Bar upstairs and congregated with the rest of Team Tucker, including Karen and her lovely husband who kept us entertained with various Rachel-anecdotes! The announcement soon rang out, inviting us all to take our seats so we headed our seperate ways agreeing to meet up during the interval.
We both headed to the stalls along with Karen and Richard before hearing someone shouting "JODIE!" behind us -- Jodie and Ashley were heading to their seats!! They were already chatting to various members of Team Tucker so we decided to wait until the interval to approach them.
We took our seats and as the curtain went up, we both just said "Wow! This is it! Can you believe we're here?!"
We sat through the most electrifying 15-20 minutes of musical theatre before seeing Rachel. The whole cast were incredible and had such an energetic and positive vibe -- everyone was clapping and singing along straight away.
Then suddenly from underneath the stage we heard those familiar irish tones, and up popped Rachel as we have never seen her before! Gone was the Nancy yellow, Rachel was now decked out as a true rock chick! She looked absolutely fantastic and you could immediately tell that this part was made for her. Her first song was 'I want it all' (a duet with 'Britney'). We were blown away by her stage presence and her amazingly powerful voice! Having only heard her on screen before and briefly at Hyde Park, we were determined to soak up every second of every performance she gave.
Shortly after this came Rachel's big moment -- the beautiful 'No One But You (Only the Good Die Young). This performance gave me goosebumps! She was absolutely sensational. Having listened to Kerry Ellis singing this song so many times, it was hard to imagine how anyone could top her. Rachel rose to the challenge and delivered the most breathtaking rendition I have ever heard. She looked unbelievably comfortable up on stage -- centre of attention and wowing a West End audience. It was so clear then that this is what Rachel was born to do - and she was loving every second!
During the interval, Eleanor and I found Team Tucker by the bar. Karen professed to being so proud of Rachel and actually shedding a tear during 'No One But You'! Every single one of us was blown away. Of course it's not surprising that Rachel would deliver the most stunning performance ever, it was just amazing to witness!
Just as we were about to return to our seats, Eleanor and I saw Jodie coming up to the bar! We asked if we could get a picture with her and she happily obliged and told us just how proud she was of Rachel and what an amazing job she was doing. I have to say just how lovely Jodie was -- she was a pleasure to meet and such a friendly and bubbly character!
As expected, Rachel was just as brilliant throughout the second half of the performance. She appeared to be having the time of her life up on stage and it was just fantastic to see.
'We Will Rock You' closed in spectacular style with the cast singing the title song, along with 'We Are The Champions'. I've never before been at a performance where the whole cast received a standing ovation from the audience -- the atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was on their feet, clapping and singing along. It was fantastic and a brilliant way to close an absolutely incredible show.
After the show, we dashed to the stage door thinking that it really would be the icing on the cake to glimpse Rachel.
She appeared after about 15 minutes and I can honestly say, she is one of the friendliest and most approachable people EVER! She posed for hundreds of photographs, signed plenty of programs and tickets even though her pen kept running out! She was lovely and had time for every single person there, stopping to thank each and every one of us for coming to see and support her. It was an absolute pleasure to meet and talk to Rachel and really topped off the most amazing evening. It was very touching to see her run and greet Jodie and Ashley (who we had just been chatting to!) who were both so happy for her. She eventually left with Guy who was perhaps the proudest man in London right then! It was really nice talking to him having only ever seen him briefly before.
So there we have it -- yet more proof that Rachel is an absolutely amazing peformer and just happens to be one of the most open and friendly girls I've ever met. We've had the most fantastic evening -- it was wonderful to see Rachel in her rightful place - centre stage in the West End!
I've already got my tickets booked to go and do it all again soon!
It's hard to believe that Rachel's opening night has almost arrived.
There are likely to be a few tumbleweeds blowing through the site in the next couple of days as all four bloggers will be en route to the Dominion.
Andy has already left home and won't be back until Tuesday night, I'm leaving tomorrow night and Karen and Rosie will be leaving home about an hour before the performance starts lol. How lucky are they?
Still I really can't complain -- I had only a 30 minute drive last week to the Proms.
Unfortunately for the Buckley Brigade, we've heard that Jessie won't be attending due to commitments back home, so you'll just have to content yourselves with watching Rachel give the performance of her life on the big stage. Sorry guys!
Andy and I are planning to meet in front of the Dominion between 6pm and 6.30 and if anyone else would like to be there, you're more than welcome.
I tend to get lost in my own back garden, so negotiating central London may well be a bit tricky. But I WILL be there!
To everyone who isn't going on Monday, don't worry -- your time will come and we may well give the evening a passing mention on the blog next week.
And to Rachel -- I don't even need to say this -- you will be stunning as always. Break a leg!
As a footnote and in response to Misscharli's recent comment -- I've had quite a few fans asking about Rachel's holidays so they can be sure of seeing her when they go. Rosie our West End expert has told me that the WWRY site publishes cast holiday details and I would presume will be doing the same for next year's touring dates. However Rachel will NOT be part of the touring production.
Someone on this forum had the bizarre name of 'Gasattack'. He was vociferously defending Rachel against various small-minded and plain wrong posters. One of the moderators commented that 'gasattack is constantly on the attack in defence of Rachel.'
I knew immediately that I had found a kindred spirit.
Just four days later we set up the blog, and the rest is history.
I could praise the guy all day, but just to give a few examples -- without Andy, Rachel's BBC Breakfast interview would have been lost forever, he was the only person who managed to record Rachel and Niamh's BBC Proms performances from the TV and without him our gallery and video blogs simply wouldn't exist.
Andy is away today and may not read this until after opening night, but I just want to wish him a very very happy birthday (he's 21 again). It is an honour to know him -- he is the most helpful, agreeable and downright decent guy I have ever had the privledge to work with and I'm very much looking forward to meeting him at the Dominion.
Happy Birthday Andy!
Happy Birthday Glitter Graphics
