Greetings once again. I bring some updates with this entry. I'm very excited about Stratford again this season. I'm really anticipating Romeo and Juliet as well as The Scarlet Pimpernel. Graham Abbey is going to be Romeo and well, I've always loved the Scarlet Pimpernel books. Also because it's the 50th season, that's always cause to celebrate. Susan Gilmour and Regan Thiel will be at Stratford too. Yay for Les Miz alum! As well, Laird MacKintosh (former Toronto Raoul in Phantom of the Opera) will be in My Fair Lady. So much to look forward to. Ugh, it's still six months away.

So, during December, I saw Snow White and the Magnificent Seven. Pantomime is quite interesting. The audience participation is quite interesting. All in all it was a funny experience and my main reason for seeing it, Graham Abbey, was very entertaining. After the pressure from school this was a welcome sight. Graham does a wonderful job of being Prince Don, aka Don Squeeze the Charming. Ross Petty threw ad-libs into the thing like there was no tomorrow and half the time he and Graham were just bursting on stage. Nobody could keep a straight face. There's the part where he tries to kiss Graham! In the first performance the reply was, "Not on a matinee darling". The second time, the reply was, "It's not in my contract!" However, Ross was prepared this time, he said, "It's part of the danger clause!" I've forgotten the exact words but it's more or less what they said. The kicker ad-lib was during the second performance I saw. There's this scene where Graham and the guy who is Muggles prance into the room dancing and singing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" interrupting Ross Petty and Peter Deiwick who plays Howler the Cat (yes he was Sky in the second cast of Mamma-Mia). They prance back off stage and Graham later walks back on. Ross said to him, "You look as if you've just came from the Nutcracker." When I spoke to Graham at the stage door, he had said that he didn't know how to react to that but what he did was lift up the flap of his very long shirt. Yes he was wearing tights but you do know what part he was alluding to I would think. Anyway, Ross replied, "Not wearing anything tonight, eh?" That was followed by much laughter.

So, on the first occasion of seeing the show, I found enough courage and spoke to Graham Abbey at the stage door. He was extremely nice and gracious. The second time, it was just as cold as when I was at the Princess of Wales stage door back when Les Miserables was here in 1998, I waited and froze until he came out of the stage door. What I'm really sorry for was dragging my friend along. She's not the stage door type and I owe her big time for coming along. We did not talk (understandably) as long as the first time but hey, it was cold and he stayed to talk even if it was short and somebody was waiting for him. I found out that his role in Scarlet Pimpernel, Lambert, is the right hand to Chauvelin, which would be Foumier in the books and movies. I suggested that he should see the A&E versions of Pimpernel with Richard E. Grant, which are wicked awesome. And that was that....I'm going to try to pop up at the stage door in Stratford. I hope to but I don't know if it's likely because of those T.O. Direct buses. That's how I get up to Stratford and they leave pretty much right after the show and don't leave any stage door time. You know, actors do take time to come out after the show. :)

Let's see, something non-theatre related. I have an obsession with the band, The Strokes. I'm really into their music even though I've heard only a couple of songs. I was so excited that they were on Saturday Night Live last night. I had heard of them after reading an article in Vanity Fair magazine. From there I read more articles and heard a song almost by accident. Anyways, kicking band! I wish they'd come to Toronto again. I'd like to hear them live. Well, until next time!