Andy Goes Back to Oz, Again!

My London Weekend.

As I mentioned in my review of the show on 31st August, I had planned to go back and do it all again on Monday 20th September, the day before my Birthday. However after talking to Rachel at the stage door I discovered she was off on holiday between the 20th and 25th so I had to quickly amend my plans.

If you’re reading this Rachel, I hope you had a fantastic time!

I managed to book an extra couple of nights in London and re-scheduled my visit for Friday 17th. As you will see from the above picture that proved to be a successful move.

As it’s only a few weeks since my last review I wont go into any details about the show itself. Needless to say it was fantastic and Rachel was as breath-taking as always. Instead I’ll jump ahead to my chat with the lady herself at the stage door.

As I was waiting for her to come out I decided I might as well try to get the autograph’s of the other members of the cast, they are after all an amazing group, as Jessica said in her review below. During this time I was approached by a couple of girls who wanted their picture taken with Louise Dearman. Of course I was happy to oblige and afterwards they offered to return the favour, so I now have another picture to add to my increasing collection of me with west end stars.


Last time I had to wait nearly an hour before Rachel emerged from the stage door but this time it was no more than 30 minutes, probably less. How she managed to de-greenify and look that stunning in so little time I’ll never know.

We chatted for quite a while and I was slightly more relaxed than last time so actually managed to say a few coherent words back. I congratulated her on another faultless show, she asked me how I was, how long I was staying in London and when I was making my next trip to the Appollo Victoria. I told her it’s likely to be for a Wednesday matinee performance at the end of November and that’s when she informed me that she doesn’t come out after matinee shows because it takes too long to de and re-greenify. She said if I get there for about 12:30 I should catch her going in, so that’s what I intend to do.

We talked about her lovely new dog Barnaby who I’m sure you’ve spotted a few posts down - SO cute – and how she likes karaoke on holiday but usually has to sing badly because lets face it, who’d want to follow Rachel on stage.

I told her that after changing my plans to come to Wicked on the Friday, I’d arranged to go and see ‘Legally Blonde’ on Monday evening. She said that she loved that show and had been to see it when they used to hold Sunday matinee performances. The 2 girls who took the photo of me and Louise were waiting patiently to talk with Rachel but when I mentioned going to ‘Legally Blonde’ they also jumped in and said what a great show it was. However, they thought Sheridan Smith might be off with a bad back. probably due to a little bit too much Bend & Snap - you’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen the show – but thankfully as you can tell from the picture below, that wasn’t the case.


While I was chatting to Rachel, Lee Mead was signing autograph’s but before he left he came over to say goodbye to his ‘Wicked’ co star, giving her a friendly peck on the cheek. I joked that kissing Rachel was probably the best part of the show for Mr Fiyero and he didn’t disagree. Rachel pointed out that Lee doesn’t fancy her but he is a heterosexual male so I’m not sure that can be true.

We chatted for so long I actually got 2 hugs but I almost forgot to get a picture. I was halfway down the road to my bus stop when I remembered and had to go sprinting back. Luckily I caught her just as she was about to leave and grabbed a passer by to take the picture at the top of the post. I wished her a happy holiday and made my way to my bus stop after another memorable night in Oz.

As Rachel predicted I really enjoyed Legally Blonde and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun show with a lot of laugh’s. It’s a bit girlie but I don’t mind that and I’d happily go to see it again. Sheridan is perfect for the role of Elle Woods and I would advise anyone who is planning on seeing the show to try and do so before she leaves in January.

Before I left the Savoy I purchased the London cast recording of Legally Blonde. It's a great CD and quickly brings back memories of an excellent night. I only wish Wicked would do something similar while Rachel is in the cast. I wouldn't have thought if it was recorded live at the Appollo it would be a costly exercise and I'm sure almost every visitor to the show would buy one. Heck, I'd probably buy numerous copies just in case some got damaged! Come on Wicked, sort it out.

Rachel was as lovely as always when I met her after the show and I'd like to end by thanking her for taking the time to chat with me at the stage door, it really means a lot.