Rock Of Ages – Garrick Theatre 01.11.2013

Matinee
This show was supposed to be a very emotional one for me – it would be the day that I’d give Simon Lipkin his farewell book and personal gifts. I had already given Ross Hunter his gifts on the day before, and after a kiss on the cheek and a hug from him, I showed him his stuff. He smiled even wider than usually, saying how he’s getting presents all the time recently, and when he saw what I got him, he was so lovely, thanked me a couple of times hugged and kissed me on the cheek again and grinned like a schoolboy. After the show that day, I also finally gave Natalie Andreou my farewell gift, and when she came out, she touched her heart, thanking me, smiled, hugged me and said that she would open all of her presents after the last show.  When she left that night, it meant there was only Simon’s giftbag to be handed over the next day. Safe to say I was already shitting my pants when I got up in the morning.

At 9:30am, I met up with my friend Lucy in front of the Garrick Theatre to dayseat for tickets; Lucy would only be doing the Matinee, whilst I wanted to get tickets for both shows. It was chilly and cold, and we were glad when we finally were let in to the Box Office at 10:30am…only to then hear from the guy in there that their system was down and they couldn’t book any seats or sell tickets! Nobody knew how long this would be a problem, the queue outside got longer and longer and although few of us were inside, it was still cold, as the doors stood wide open. Thankfully, I had nice company, because apart from Lucy, I finally got to meet a fellow RoAdie, Abe, from the USA, and got to meet a girl named Ksenya and we had an amazing time, despite the waiting. When it got closer and closer to 1pm, Lucy got nervous, as there were a couple of things she had to do before the show, so she went outside to try her luck at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square – only to be sent back immediately, as their systems were down, too…apparently, ALL ticket systems in London were down, and I thought “Amazing. That’s how I want to start my day.”
Then it was my turn to get nervous. The day before, I had asked Simon when he would be in, because I had something for him and wanted to talk to him alone for a few minutes, and he had told me that they had rehearsals at 1:30pm. So I walked in and out of the Box Office, checking with my lovely friend Noor, who had come for moral support, staring at the street, waiting for Simon to arrive. By the time the Box Office finally managed to handwrite us our ticket vouchers, I was bouncing up and down, as it was almost 1:30pm and Simon was nowhere to be seen. I already thought he had forgotten about it or unforseen circumstances had held him up, when suddenly, Emma, another fellow RoAdie, pointed down the left side of the Garrick and said “There’s Simon.” I was taken aback, as normally, he came from the right side, and it was already 1:32pm. So I decided it was better to not give him his stuff now but after the Matinee, and he said that he would come out after. So I still had a few hours to calm myself down.

The 1st show that day itself was absolutely awesome. As Nathan Amzi was off on that day, we had Andy Spillett as Mayor, Grant Anthony was Hertz and Cordelia Farnworth was on as Groupie. My favourite parts this time were definitely the end of “The Final Countdown”, when Simon/Lonny lay down on the floor infront of Andy Spillett, who was a police officer. Andy’s facial expressions were absolutely priceless when Simon started to caress his right leg; you could see how he tried everything to not lose his composure and start laughing out loud. The other priceless thing that happened was that I FINALLY got to see Simon doing his “Scrunchie Rap” during the programme scene! I had waited so long for it, everyone kept telling me how amazing it was, how it always cracked everybody up, and I had already given up hope to ever see it when he said to Ross Hunter/Drew: “You should tie it back with a scrunchie – A SCRUNCHIE! How 80’s is a Scrunchie???” And I have to say: that moment was SO worth the wait, it has to be one of my three favourite programme scene moments ever.

As soon as the show was over, I grabbed the giftbag and bolted out. My friend Noor and Sophie, another one of our RoAdie-Family, were already waiting outside for Lucy and me, and the Stage Door was already packed. I was literally bouncing on my feet, kept staring through the grids until I spotted Simon – at that time, I felt how I was already tearing up out of sheer nervousness. When he got out, everyone was attacking him, wanted a picture or an autograph, and he was slowly making his way out of the crowd, so I tried following him, feeling stupid in doing so, but couldn’t help it, getting more and more nervous. When there was no one else at one moment wanting something from him, we stood a bit further back from the Stage Door, on the sidewalk, and I started with “I hope I get to say everything I want to”, but at that moment, my mind went completely blank. For WEEKS, I had played this out in my mind, I had wanted to start with telling him how sorry I was if I ever came across like a stalker to him, if I ever annoyed him or anything – that was something really important for me to let him know. But standing infront of him, seeing him looking at me, waiting, I forgot everything I had planned. I told him that it was no secret that he was my favourite, that probably even he already knew, and that I always sat in the lunging seat waiting for my lunge, but never got one, leaving me with the thought “Oh, he hates me”, and Simon interrupted me, saying that it’s nothing personal, but that he just always tries to keep it fresh and pick on new people, and I told him I know that (and feeling ABSOLUTELY stupid and ridiculous that I seriously told him that!). I then told him that all of us RoAdies had wanted to get him something special as a Goodbye, and pulled out the photobook I had made for him, with all the show/backstage pics and our pics and messages in it, and he started to smile and thanked me, saying how much he appreciated it. Then I started to tell him that I had some other presents for him, my personal ones, and when I got out his personalised Lindt Chocolate box with “Hello Lonny Barnett, Soundgod”, all he said was “That is amazing!”, smiling all the way. Then I got to my most important present, and I was already blabbering way to fast, he probably didn’t even have the chance to say anything (which I’m sorry for). I pulled out the AC/DC Angus Young Replica Mini Guitar, telling him that I know how much he loved Oliver Tompsett, how important I know he is for him, and that I got him to sign the guitar on the front with “Love from your 1st Shagileo Von Colt”, plus, my signature on the back. Simon’s reaction was wonderful. His eyes went big, his smile even bigger, he said “That is SO awesome, thank you so much!” He then spotted the couple of Quavers packages in the bag, smiling, saying “Ha, you even got Quavers in there!” and I told him that on the ground of the bag there were even a couple of Wispas to make up for the melted ones I got him on my birthday, and he laughed. While we were trying to get everything back inside the bag, he said “Again, I really really appreciate it, thank you so much!” and gave me a long and very strong hug – sorry to sound pathetic, but that is probably a moment I will always keep very dear to me.

When he left, I went back to Noor, and when I saw her smiling at me, opening her arms to hug me tight, I already felt tears welling up in my eyes, and as soon as I was in her arms, they started streaming down my face like crazy, my body started rocking and I lost every last bit of composure I ever had. Noor told me it was okay, stroked my back, and somehow I managed to get out that I didn’t even get the chance to tell him what I actually wanted to tell him. While she kept holding me, somehow I heard Ross Hunter’s voice in my back, and felt how Noor was waving at him with one hand, so I let go of her, turned around, and there he was, right infront of me. His smile is the cutest and most contagious, but my tears were getting the better of me. He looked at me and went “Oh, don’t cry!” and pulled me into his arms to hug me tight, and I couldn’t resist but finally put a slight and short smile back on my face. If you see this, Ross – BLESS YOU, lovely, that was much needed. As soon as he was back inside to prepare for the evening show, two completely random girls came up to Noor, Sophie, Lucy and me, and in the same instant, in the same intonation, they looked at me and went “Are you in love with Simon?!” – and that was moment when we all completely cracked up, started laughing with screams, even me, finally. I don’t even know who any of them both were, but I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for making my day.

Evening
The 2nd show that day was even better than the one before; the audience was amazing, and it got me a first impression of how the last two ones the next day would probably be.  During the scene where Simon/Lonny goes “But stars are undeniable – like Herpes…”, he kept looking at the first few rows, but there were no guys anywhere around, so he stared at that girl I met earlier this morning, Ksenya, and said “Am I right, enthusiastic girl?” (he had lunged at her before, asking her to reach out for his Nunchak/crotch – which she did, of course, and she completely startled him with it). At the end, during the beginning of “Don’t Stop Believin'”, when the actual lyrics are “Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world, she took the midnight train going anywhere“, Ross Hunter somehow confused his text for the first time and sang “…she took the midnight train going on and on…“, and he completely cracked Natalie Andreou and everyone behind him on that stage up. And when it was Natalie’s part to sing “He’s just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit – Michigan! He took the midnight train going anywhere!”, she screwed up on purpose, going “…he took the midnight train going on and on…” I don’t think any of this was planned, but that just made it even more perfect.

At the Stage Door after, I wanted to complete my mission and tell Simon somehow what I didn’t get to tell him earlier. It was absolutely packed there, and when he came out, he spotted me right at the door, and while he was signing some girl’s programme, he said “Thank you again for my presents!” and I told him that I forgot to tell him earlier that I am really sorry if I ever came across like a stalker to him or annoyed him, and he interrupted me, saying that I don’t need to be sorry for anything. I felt soothed a bit, though due to the circumstances, the crowd, the distraction and everyone wanting a piece of him – understandable, of course – it was a weird moment for me and ever since then, I fight with myself of not really having enough chance or opportunity to make myself clear enough, but that’s something I have to live with from now on. In the end, somehow, I got to say what I wanted to, I did not cry on him (at least not that night), and he liked his presents – which, in the end, was and is the most important thing for me.

After he had left, we were all still waiting for Dan Fletcher & Tim Howar to come out, as the last couple of days, they had been the last ones to leave. When they got out, Tim was – as usual – so lovely and nice and chatty, and when I asked him if he was allowed to tell us why they had had rehearsals today when the show ends the next day, he told me that they had done it for the ones that never got on stage, the crew, the staff, to kind of teach them where they have to walk or stand on the stage. Also, he told me that they would be bringing Shayne Ward & Justin Lee Collins and a couple of others from the original Shaftesbury Cast back on stage for the final show, and that Tim would even try to bring his little puppy Rocky on stage – guess I don’t need to tell anybody how excited I was at that moment. And although the next day would probably be the hardest of my life, I couldn’t help but looking forward to it SO much.