It's Over!

Well – it’s over! Saturday was quite a day but with fabulous audiences who cheered and clapped and sang along in all the right places. For some reason, knowing Deb, Freya and Louis were in the audience made it all the more poignant and reduced me to tears for most of the time I was on stage, but I managed to do my bit and they all loved it. They came back stage afterwards – eyes growing larger and larger – and then Pip picked me up, we came home and ate and went off again.

Just standing in the dressing room, hearing “ten minutes, everyone, ten minutes,” will always make me tingle, I think. Even when he followed it with, ‘and can you lot get going tonight, because I want to get to the bar.’. Alcohol started to flow backstage in the evening – port being the main drink, and at the interval we all shared a bottle of Cava which meant about half a teaspoon each but was enough for me.

I was worried about what Pip and David and Jenny would think of it but they thoroughly enjoyed it as well – the show got better and better so I was glad they came on the last night – and we all had a drink afterwards in the bar which turned into an after show party. In fact they had to drive home to Penzance so they didn’t stay long, and we left at midnight. Two glasses of wine went straight to my head and we headed home and fell into bed.

It was one of the best experiences I’ve had and I’m very grateful that I was able to participate in it – particularly as I wasn’t even there for casting. At the beginning of the week I didn’t know how I’d get through it, but every evening was different and I started enjoying it more and more. I think we all did, as we became more confident and saw the show improving.

I’m now feeling very discombobulated. (Can’t think where that word came from but it will do.) I can’t imagine that it’s all over, and I have the soundtrack running round my head with ever increasing frequency, while Pip walks round humming jazz tunes. A very musical household. It’s as if Oliver is now in my bloodstream, and I can’t conceive that That’s It. Or that it will be November before we start another one – how will I cope? We are all meeting for a drink the week after next, and I daresay everyone else will be feeling the same way, but I can see exactly why people go from one show to the next. It really does get in your blood.

Now I really must get back to my poor neglected novel.....