Twas my mum's 60th birthday, and she'd been dropping hints in the weeks prior to what she wanted. "That dvd looks good" or "I'd really love to go see We Will Rock You". WWRY is the Queen musical down in central London, which we pass near enough everytime we go down there. Fine! Let's get her tickets for that! £40 each? Ulp! No no that's fine.......shit, it's Sunday, and the place ain't open. *Goes down London again early Monday morning, as in 8:15* Got the tickets from one of the half price shops, wooo! Pretty close to the front too, excellent! So mum, get home from work early will ya? We're taking you someplace special! "Are we going to see We Will Rock You?" she asks almost lazily. What? How?! Nothing's a surprise anymore....Yes, we bloody well are, let's go!

This was to be a treat for my mum, not my sister and I, but we were dragged along as well. Now don't get me wrong, I love Queen, got their albums and the Queen Symphony, but a *show* based on their music? Ay? Oh Truds you ignorant fool! Got into the theatre early and sat down. Beside my sister was a group of Japanese tourists, all of whom had decided to remove their shoes. How very smelly and impolite of them, rather! Behind us were a family of what seemed 50 children, and 2 adults. And one of the children was dressed as a fairy, and kept running around. I wanted to grab her wand and ram it right up her - ! Anyways, I sat there with my arms folded grumbling about how silly the whole premise was. "Globalisation has taken over, there are no original thoughts, no original music. An age of boy bands, girl bands. But there's a Resistance - " and you get the picture. But the audience seemd pretty excited, and that kinda atmosphere rubs off on a person. So as it got nearer 7:30, and I started figeting.

Then it started, and yes it was silly, but yes, I totally enjoyed every second of it!! *Shouts* VERY VERY LOUD! Very Ben Elton too (the guy who wrote it) - full of bitchy characters, odd humour, and innuendo! *Hums* People were clapping, and whistling through the first half, but the second half was a lot more mad, with people getting up, screaming, waving. I loved it! Came out there with a HUGE grin on my face - was like Chicago all over again. You know, sometimes I think it's good to go in with low expectations, cos then you're completely blown away.... if it's great. Like Chicago. LOTR: FOTR as well, cos I thought that was gonna be as "good" as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. *Chokes*

I found the main guy, Galileo, a little annoying at first, with his whole whiney attitude, but I soon warmed to him in the second half when he became bitchy to the female lead, Scaramouche. She had some classic lines (Ben Elton seemed to be speaking through her!), though she got a little too bitchy at times. Then there was of course the baddies, Killer Queen and Khashoggi! As readers of this site will know, I predicatbly always have a soft spot for evil characters :D Killer Queen reminded me of Queen Latifah (I'm sorry!), and the way she performed Another One Bites the Dust, killing off her henchmen, heh, loved it! Khashoggi... well, he wore grey, and I love grey. He had white hair, cool, and always wore dark shades (very Agenty). And he was pretty camp at times, plus he grinned alot. "You make me limp with excitment!" had me spluttering into my highly expensive water bottle. He also performed one of my fave Queen songs, "Seven Seas of Rhye", while he was torturing the good guys! Get 'em!

Ok, a minor complaint was the heat in there. Absolutely boiling, and I was wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts! Disgraceful! Come interval, everyone in the theatre is melting, and rushing to the front for a drink from the poor sellers, who look frightened at the oncoming stampede! £2 for a bottle of water!!! £2! And my mum bought me repulsive fizzy sparkling water, which she then spilt all over me. As I ran off to the toilets, I received dodgy looks from the rows and rows of people. And just as I entered the toilets, a voice from the heavens announced, "The show will resume in 2 minutes." Scheisse!!

But all in all I loved it, and was glad I was proven wrong. The singing from everyone was fantastic, the songs were of course great, the cast had many gorgeous people in it, so a good night was had by all! Am seeing it again tomorrow (30th July); am in a state of frantic excitment. Am also a lot poorer, but what are ya gonna do? Book more tickets!!!

30TH JULY 2003 On my second viewing, a lot of the cast had swapped roles, which was pretty interesting! One of the background dancers (Alex Jessop) was now the main guy! And he was fantastic! Made Galileo seem much more insecure, and unsure of himself,a lot more how I'd expect the character to be. And his dancing was..................nice :D The bad guys were still the same, which kept me happy (no tantrums this time). Dragged my friend Mariane along, who I wasn't sure would like it, but of course she did! Yay, another convert! Wanna get John and Louse to go, have I anything I can blackmail them with?? Hopefully gonna go see first week in September; this is definetely becoming a very expensive addiction.

5TH SEPTEMBER Ahem, saw again (on 3rd) ;) This has to stop; funds are depleted, and my mum whispers, "Sad" every time I pass. Dunno what she's talking about though, she's seen it twice! I was also joined by sister Astrid and semi sister Mariane, and we were sitting in Row F this time, nooooice and close! Could see all the cast's expressions and everything! I was determined to make eye contact with people onstage and did, woo! They probably thought, "There's a freak in Row F who won't stop grinning, don't look don't look!" Saw the original guy who plays Galileo (Tony Vincent), and I must say that he was fantastic! What a slinky mover, especially during Bohemian Rhapsody. I was clapping and cheering throughout (Mariane provided the wolf whistles), but the bloody woman next to me was about as interactive as a carrot. Clap damn you clap, and not that mini clap, that doesn't count! I managed to have a conversation with a woman in the toilets, who was sweetly wearing one of the t.shirts and telling me how many times she'd seen it. Became sort of boastful though, "I've seen it 10 times!" followed by me puffing up chest and saying "I've seen it 3!" I should have then added "And I'm richer because of it!", damn hindsight. REALLY enjoyed myself again though, I think I've got Mariane addicted, oops (hahahahahahahah!). Would like to see for my 21st birthday, but I think meine Schwester wants to see Chicago. Hmmm. Can't we see both (I say, searching my empty purse)? Or maybe get tickets for christmas. Sometime. Anytime! C'mon, someone else organise it, and I'll tag (annoyingly) along!

8TH SEPTEMBER WWRY twice in one week! Though this time it was free! Saw some of the cast perform live yesterday to a packed Covent Garden! I cannot begin to explain how exciting it was! Dragged Asti along (Mariane was very enthusiastic), and we waited there at the front for a few hours till the cast came onstage. Lots of fangirls everywhere (what, and I'm not one?), though all younger, I felt really old.....at 20, heh, I'm past it! Asti refused to come stand nearer (she's 'above all that' you see, heh, plus I don't think she would have appreciated getting crushed and have me screeching in her ears). There were performances of musical songs, including "All That Jazz" from Chicago, YEAH!!! Also, raise your glasses for the British Ukelele Orchestra (which consisted of 5 people - including a huge guy with the smallest ukelele who done a James Bond impression, a woman who looked so stiff I thought she had something stuffed up her backside, and a guy who looked exactly like the actor David Thewlis, uncanny!). The WWRY lot were 45 minutes late in performing, so by the end of the ukelele gang, everyone was hyper. And then out they came! Woooooooooo! I had a sore throat afterwards ;) They were all fantastic, performed "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions"! Then everyone rushed off to some theatre building to meet the cast and get autographs! Asti though Mariane and I wouldn't be interested in that, but once she saw us as speeding figures in the distance, she thought otherwise. I honestly tried not to be a gibbering idiot, and I wasn't! Was quite polite (I usually get all blunt when nervous!), saying hiya (Cockney scum!) and thanks! Quite a few of the cast noticed Ast and I were twins, which I found embarressing, cos then you have people stare back and forth saying "Ooooooooh!" Mig Ayesa was soooooo nice, such an infectious smile! Ok, now for my fangirl moment! *World wibbles into a dream sequence* When Tony Vincent (the main lead as Galileo) handed back my autograph card, his fingers brushed mine, and it was *cough* like time stood still as I gazed into his makeup-laden eyes.....then whoosh I moved along........................... Heh gawd no, nothing like that! His skin was pretty cool for such hot weather. I did keep mentioning that I touched his hand for the rest of the day though.....sorry! Was very exciting, all of it, and I can finally say I've met the cast instead of only leering from afar! Went to the cinema to see a film called Blackball to try and calm ourselves down, and I was getting into it when during one scene, it played Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" and I was immediately reliving the day in my head, damn fool! (How camp does Tony look in that picture? Fantastic!)

25TH SEPTEMBER Saw the show again last Thursday (18th) as a sort of going away night for Mariane, that really was a very last minute arranged thing, though we still got the closest seats yet, woo! Mariane had wanted to see Tony Vincent one last time (as he's leaving in November, and she'll be at uni). We then found out that the lovely Mr Alex Jessop (an understudy) would be playing the role of Galileo instead - I was the one who had to break the news to her, and I was worried Mariane was gonna blow a fuse or something ;) I happen to think Mr Jessop makes a fantastic Galileo, and last saw him alllll the way at the back of the circle in July. So seeing him up close was......cool. Very much enjoyed the show, but sitting in Row E felt like we were practically sitting on the cast, it was so close. And that guy with the stick between his legs in the ensemble - I didn't know where to look! Well of course we all know where I did look, eheh! *Perv* I thought I'd try and make eye contact with people on the stage again, cos we were so close, and managed to get a smirk out of the bad guy for staring so long - probably smirking in sympathy at the grinning weirdo in the audience. Had 2 rows of zombies on front of us, gawd so annoying. The woman on front of me appeared to be sleeping during the interval, and the woman on front of Mariane and Asti seemed to have hair that had been caught in an explosion. Was a great night, and Mariane tried dragging me to the stage door, but I was extremely reluctant; imagine working really hard all night, then having some brown-haired idiot run up saying "ARRRRRGH!" or something similar. I'd wanna ask for a photo, but would feel bad, and would probably just do my usual grin/leer without ever saying anything ;) Or maybe just say "Well done tonight!" and then run/skip away - whatever's convinient. Ahhh whatever, would just feel that I was hassling them.

22ND OCTOBER Saw again yesterday, and as a treat for some friends (and way of forcing them to come), invited them all along paying for their tickets! All were quite reluctant I'd say, or had low expectations of the show, but like most, were very happy with the outcome! All wanna see again actually.......See again? You'd have to be an idiot to see the same show more than once! *Dons idiot t.shirt* Thankyou again Dean for all the donuts - I honestly thought you had a pizza in that box! I've never really thought about how weird it is for a man to descend from the ceiling on a giant drill with lights, but as John's laughing pointed out, that is a pretty odd sight! Thankfully, John and David really liked the baddies, yaaaay! Mr Ayesa was in the ensemble tonight; nice pout mister. And that French accent! Got to see Tony Vincent one last time before he leaves for the land of Americans, noooo! He done that slinky dance TWICE through Bohemian Rhapsody; I admit I may have done a faint shriek.....*Shakes head* During "We Are the Champions", he indicated for the audience to sing, and I waved my hands yelling at the top of my voice, and he pointed at me, grinned and nodded! That made me....happy ;) Mr Khashoggi, whilst dancing at the end, turned and pointed at me, pulling this really mad expression, which made me laugh. David got a wink out of one of the (female? Ha!) ensemble, which made him a "happy boy". John said to me, "Now I know why you like this show so much! I don't think I've ever seen so many camp people onstage at once!" Hahahahah! That's showbiz, John ;) What a dead crowd though, coulda heard a pindrop at points. Wanted to slap them all silly! After the show, was dragged to the rubbish bins behind Virgin Megastore, where John pulled out some Matrix Reloaded cardboard promotional things. Classy way to end the evening!

WHENEVER: Saw on the 12th of November, just Asti, David and myself. So yes, it's been booked up for December, but a whole month without WWRY? .................................................................What have we gotten ourselves into?? Ok, *this* was to be the last time seeing Tony Vincent perform (he was leaving in 3 days time), and he sang as grrrreat as ever! Unlike the audience last time, this lot were mad, the best kinda audience you can have really! Not that we cared - we still clapped, stood up, waved our arms and cheered like latte-deprived people! Finally got to see Alex Jessop as Boy George - hey hey, nice costume! Very 80s, I have to say :D Speaking of which, we went round to the stage door, and I was extremely nervous, but David's enthusiasm was winning out. Wanted to say a quick hi to a certain cast member, but it was packed round there. I looked down to get my camera outta my bag (oh how did *that* get there??), when a guy went flying past, nearly knocking my sister into the huge rubbish bins there (IF ONLY!). She turned round, all fuming, and says "Hey I recognise him! Weren't that that Alex guy?" Ay?? Scheise! I then looked at my watch, and realised that Starbucks would be closing soon, and was in DESPERATE NEED of a coffee. Now Asti and David still moan to me about this but look - Asti, you coulda stayed there and held the camera, and David, you coulda met your woman ;) I needed coffee! Ok, so how was I supposed to know that Starbucks at Leicester Square stays open till 12? It never used to!!!

18TH DECEMBER Aaaaaand saw the show again last night (though that's it for a while - there *are* other musicals in the West End after all). A group of 8 of us ventured along, taking up our side of Row E. Thankfully my friend John's voice was back with us, so we shrieked all night (often getting the audience started, which is sooo much fun!). Tony Vincent has left, and Mig Ayesa is the new Galileo (though he was actually the first Galileo I ever saw), and him and his arms were as entertaining as ever. The show has had loadsa new changes recently, and in general, they all worked for me - Galileo's random dancing was especially hilarious, as well as the breakdancing which had me cringing and laughing all at once (and his jumping off the side of the van reminded me of a friend jumping off the side of a pyramid at paintballing...but anyways!). But arghhh, they took out the Killer Queen's speech at the end about making a boyband "A thin one, a fat one and a gay one", something along the lines of that, which always made me grin. Bah! Clive Carter as Khashoggi was especially entertaining tonight, and John's comment about him looking like a ventriloquist's dummy had me laughing! Oh, and BRIAN MAY was up in one of the boxes, as Mariane pointed out! Seen the great man with me own 2 eyes I did, WOW! I think I shall be giving WWRY a rest for now (noooo!), as there are so many musicals I've to catch up with, and money is short! But I thank the musical and it's cast for providing me with so much entertainment, and for reintroducing me to the world of musicals again! "Sounded like a pretentious load of old bollocks to me!"

14TH APRIL Haha, knew I'd be updating this page again at some point! Twas the Easter holidays not long ago (I say, sitting in my rocking chair on the veranda), and my mum invited my sister and I down central London with her for a 'surpise', for not buying us any eggs (cos I not a fan). I was instantly suspicious, don't ask why, but off we went. Well anyways, we get down there, and she says "We're off to see WWRY!" I was agog, lol! Ehhh? What? Wow!! Cool! "Oh it's been so long" I sniffed, "like the absence of a fond relative" (I would say if I actually had any!). Have recently started collecting badges from musicals to stick on my uni badge, and wandered up to the counter in the Dominion theatre to see what they had on offer. A cool little pin as it turns out, but I always lose those things, and it was 3 pounds. Not breaking the bank I know, but I wanted a cheapo badge (I am a student!). Lots of students and kids in there that night, what with it being the holidays, great! And of course, the audience was the maddest, loudest yet, clapping, laughing and cheering at everything :D Meine Mutti had 'aquired' seats in the middle, row B, which I felt a little too close, but y'know, was actually fine. I swear Khashoggi gets camper each time we see, all that swishing of the jacket. And alas, was the last time we'd see the current Killer Queen, what with the cast change in the following weekend, so was kinda sad to watch, as her and Khashoggi are my faves. Still, was fantastic, and as my leering sister pointed out, there's a new guy in the ensemble who is "built well nice", ha! I must agree. Fantastic singing and dancing that night, and I came out quite deaf :) So am not sure when I shall see again, hopefully before the year is out, wanna see the new cast and changes, so we'll see. Might win the lottery!
- WWRY - related art work (never realised I drew so much!)

- Click here to buy the original cast recording of WWRY! *Where* is Clive Carter? :/