London Baby!

While East End London sees the likes of Phil Mitchell and friends having affairs, blackmailing and murdering before going down the Queen Vic, the West End, on the contrary, is a much happier place- home to all singing, all dancing, all jazz hands musicals. England's answer to Broadway, the West End is producing more and more shows each year; and each year we take a day out (before starting the infamous 10-10 rehearsals) to go and see just one of them.

I didn't get off to a good start with the London trips; my first one was to Queen's musical We Will Rock You (I think this might've been my first ever West End show!) first of all I didn't really plan ahead and when I got there everyone had paired up and I was left on my own sitting next to an adult for the two hour journey (which, when you've only been in the company a few months, can be quite intimidating). So while everyone was screaming, giggling and eating sweets I was on my complete Todd. I remember that morning was a trip to Madam Tussauds (that chamber/dungeon of-can't-remember-what-it's-called being the best part) and, being 11 as soon as we saw 'a ride' we were straight on it. Not realizing of course that you can't get back in afterwards. So we stood around, waiting for everyone else until Ross discovered a magical tunnel that led back in- the buggy exit. So we just ran through and went on again and again… next was, unbeknown to me at the time, the start of one of many Dynamo traditions- McDonalds in Leicester Square (almost as important as the Big Mac between the Christmas matinee). The novelty of cameras in the toilets still hasn't worn off.

The actual show however, although I was blown away at the time, wasn't the best and in fact the only bit I remember was the sixth formers getting excited over meeting Brian May (I didn't even have a clue who he was). Next London trip I made sure I had someone to next to on the coach, not anticipating that I was going to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with a bad case of the flue. The one day of the year! It didn't stop me though, just caused me to spend the day in one of the boys' parka coats looking like a cross between Kenny from South Park and Liam Gallagher. And I was still cold. That was the year we saw Fame (before doing it ourselves) and although again it was pretty good, I actually later thought we put on a better show ourselves in proportion to cast, stage, settings and budget. The main thing I remember from that was giving a standing ovation (still in my fetching coat) and one of the cast members (I think it was the one who played Nick) spotted me, laughed and then started encouraging me to clap- probably because I looked as miserable as Gallagher himself.

The next year was slightly better though as I felt fine, nothing went wrong and we actually went and saw Blood Brothers (still my favourite show ever). I don't actually remember much of that year apart from the ending (which I won't give away to anyone who hasn't seen it, people who have however should remember what happens) and I felt an overwhelming urge to burst out laughing, in the silent theatre. Fortunately I held it in though (which I can't seem to now). So although that was my favourite show I actually recall little about that day- I think that was the year we had a tour round National Theatre and I'm guessing we ended in Convent Gardens, another Dynamo favourite.

Although I didn't get to go to the year after that- Woman in White (as I was in the middle if the Mediterranean)- it was made up for the year after as we went and saw Billy Elliot (we even got on the back of the coach as there were two and we were the oldest of that one- yet another silly Dynamo tradition- it was so satisfying booting the younger ones out as we had it done to us so many times) and got a tour around the BBC studios which I definitely remember as we got to see all the studios where Strictly etc. was filmed and even in Blue Peter studio, the same one which a Christmas episode of Only Fools and Horses was filmed! Also, in that studio there were all sorts of props including the 'this is what I made earlier' table, a Blue Peter 'sail', the Doctor Who phone box and something from Raven (I don't watch it). We got to have a gander at the newsrooms as well as take part in our own little quiz show of which I got to do the auto-cue! Although our group wasn't lucky enough to see anyone famous, the older group saw Meatloaf and Alan Titchmarsh (which, as cool as they are, the Moyles were ecstatic about). After the tour we had lunch, walked about 3 billion miles and ended up in some posh park somewhere (where I saw a Dalmatian- it was like being in the 101 Dalmatians film!) and were told to meet 'at the end of the park in an hour'. Yeh thanks Bowkie. This simple instruction ended up with 60 confused youths wandering around what could only be described as about 10 parks joined together that needed it's own postcode. Of course the military experts, Jake & co., were at the café at promptly 1800 hours waiting for their out-of-breath, hungry peers to eventually arrive, 40 minutes late.

On the plus side, we worked off that Leicester Square McDonalds, Andrew learnt his lesson that Dynamoees cannot follow straightforward tasks and, amazingly, we weren't late for the show. And what a show! After dropping a plastic bottle on the man in front (and blaming it on Sonny) we watched in awe as a boy of about 10 was flying around the stage and imitating Michael J (it was probably the red tracksuit that did that). The highlight of Billy Elliot, for me, has got to be Solidarity. I still remember the dance even now (vaguely) and have the song on my iPod (yep)- if you haven't seen it, it's worth going for that song alone; where the policemen, girls and strikers all dance and sing different things at the same time all inter-linking- definitely the best piece of choreography I've ever seen.

Last year, was the infamous Phantom of the Opera (which I had already seen) with the Tate in the morning- though I mainly remember the mahusif spider outside. I also remember seeing a man staring and waving up at the London Eye and Siobhan commenting 'that guy's there… everyday…' and the cool hand 'suckers' (instead of dryers) in some building which the whole company marched into in desperate search of some toilets. As much as I did enjoy the whole day I must admit my main mission of the day was for me and Becky to buy a Heat magazine (as we had spent about 3 weeks beforehand singing 'we're going to London… to buy a Heat magazine…'); it got to McDonalds o'clock and things were not looking good. But, alas! After swallowing a McChicken Sandwich whole we pegged it to the nearest shops and eventually there it was, staring at us in a pool of light at the centre of the shelf, a Heat magazine. The end was nigh, we had finished our journey. We could've coolly gone over to the magazine stand pick it up and buy it but did we? Oh no. Instead we looked at each other, jumped and screamed (pretty loudly) and ran all the way over there, bumping into several other customers along the way. So excited we were, we nearly forgot to pay and when we did remember we were shaking with excitement so much we couldn't get out the right money. All for a bloody magazine- which I don't think we actually ever read. So after all that excitement, we made our way to the theatre where Helen and I sat next to the three James's- O joy. Throughout the show we heard James Roberts pondering aloud such thoughts as 'what would you do if the curtains opened and there was a lion eating a man?' at least it brought a bit of comedy to a deep, dramatic show.

So that's as far as we are with our London shows, with only one left to go it's something I'll miss as much as performing! Going to London will never be the same without linking arms with about 15 other members singing show songs, doing the Dynamo step and severely annoying the London businessmen on their way to important meetings. I just hope next year will be as memorable as the previous ones and look forward to my turn of (officially) sitting at the back of the coach.

May 2008