DIVAS AT THE DONMAR
FEELINGS FROM THE DONMAR
Monday, 17th September 2001
Hi to everyone at Ballpoint from The Donmar Warehouse, its 7.15 pm and the atmosphere here is excited anticipation, here are a few thoughts from the audience filing into their seats!
A lady with a Brummie accent who is not giving her name tells me she is so excited she is going to burst, she's also promised to visit later with a review!
One little fan has her pink party dress on, and makes me feel decidely underdressed. Do you like Michael? I asked and she went rather shy but nodded her head, I think thats an overwhelming yes
Frank and Hazel from Manchester drove down and only arrived at 7 oclock, they are going straight back after the show. That's dedication!
Flyers are being collected like hot cakes, and I tried to turn a blind eye, but someone was trying to pull a poster off the wall outside. As if!!
The atmosphere at 7.30 pm? It's going to be an exciting adventure into the unknown!
Thursday, 20th September 2001
In memory of Carrie -
Well here we go again, The Donmar Warehouse Take 4!
A lady called Rosemary is seeing the first of 3 shows tonight and is "very excited" Rosemary is clutching a red rose she hopes to leave for a certain someone after the show...aah!
I spied a lady with a Scandanavian accent but its not Ballpoint's Cat, it's Amie from Finland (I recognised that name and yes it's one of the Fan Family) Amie sends her love to everyone, and says "I am so pleased to be here and cannot wait to see Michael"
Greg and Alison are here from Rochdale, and have seen Barbra Windsor, they are very excited and showed me her autograph. Yep, they saw her, "love Babs" it says ! Alison has a badge that caught my eye. I love Michael Ball (Hope Greg doesn't mind!)
The security man asked the guy next to me going in if he could look in his handbag ( don't you bet he wished he didn't offer to hold his wife's bag while she went to find the loo)
Gemma from London says she has seen all the shows this week and they are getting better and better!
Well, news from The Donmar looks good, everyone is happy! Not long to go, let Take 4 commence!
.... and after the show :)
There's one thing to say about coming in and out of the Donmar, everyone is talking away ten to the dozen about what they are going to see or have seen!
A little 'young at heart' couple are sure Michael sang a Vera Lynn song! Who am I to question the elders !
One very 'revealing' young lady (I am still wondering if that was 'the' top or if she forgot to put it on) is visibly swooning. She will be happy for a long while to come!
One lady is proclaiming down the stairway "this is the new Michael Betty what do you think?"
The programme lady is now in her coat and armed with a camera taking photos of people with the poster that someone was trying to rip off the wall the other night! Even if its a photo, that poster is going home! I inspected the corners, it won't be there much longer, everyone's taking a little off each night!
And on a more poignant note tonight, you will like this. Two ladies one in a Union Jack jumper and the other in a Stars & Stripes jumper! Absent friends are very much part of these concerts, and everyone is thinking of them!
That's all folks! Donmar Take 4 over and out!
Saturday, 22nd September 2001
In memory of Carrie
Hi folks from The Donmar! It's Saturday and here we are again! What a week its been! Let's see who is saying what before today's show gets underway!
Mandy from Suffolk is here tonight, she let me have a peek in a sparkly purple bag she is carrying, a rabbit with a jumper on, a bar of chocolate, and an orange!! Mandy heard Michael on the radio and thinks an orange will be good for his cold, how sweet!
Sadie, Ann and Vicky tell me they are The Mikey Three, they have Michael Ball 2000 tour T-shirts, something tells me they have seen Michael before!!
Dennis Hart has surprised his wife Margaret by bringing her to see Michael tonight, Margaret is a very happy 50 today, Happy Birthday Margaret!
The one person I couldn't miss today was a little girl carrying a Barbie doll. Even Barbie came to watch Michael today, hope she has a ticket! Ken better watch out!
Take Two
Well folks I don't know if Barbie enjoyed her night in the West End, but I am sure she did! I can see it now on the Christmas shopping list from Santa, Theatre Barbie complete with those little accessories, a toy programme and a little toy pair of opera glasses! Now then down to business!
What do people think of the show?!
The lady who nearly knocked me off the balcony in her attempt to get to her friend on the other side of the theatre clearly couldn't wait, and there was no doubting what she thought, "he is so sexy" is still ringing in my ears!
Alison and Glen were on their second
show of the day and showed me their Les Mis souvenir to prove it, complete
with little picture of Michael as Marius! Alison said it is the best thing
she has ever seen, and she saw it on opening night too. She is coming again
next week if she can get hold of another spare ticket. I somehow think
Alison enjoyed it. Glen? Glen is counting the cost of a very expensive
day! But if
'yeah' means yes he loved it too,
then there you have it!
Janice came from Islington, and is on a mission. She is hoping to get her programme signed, Janice didn't mix her words but I think the appropriate Ballpoint translation is "'flippin" marvellous"!!
A man is standing at the bottom of the foyer just visible beneath the dozen or so coats he is carrying, we know what he came for!
Photos are being taken again of 'the' poster. That poster is so famous, I can see it coming very soon, it's very own webpage, Posterpoint!
Someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was the taxi driver, all this observation is getting me a reputation I think!! Must be time to report in!
Well, a week is gone, there is a week to go, Michael can have a well deserved day off tomorrow, the poster can resist fading a little more from all those people flashing at it, and then on Monday we can come back and have a new week in the life of the Donmar.
The Donmar, bet it wonders what
hit it!!
Monday, 24th September 2001
A new week, we're back at The Donmar,
and here we go again!
The Donmar Warehouse, Take 7!
No sign of Barbie tonight, she is still in recovery, or Ken got too jealous !
But I found a friend, a very well travelled member of the fan family, a very happy Peta is here tonight, all the way from her home in the China mountains! Dedication!
A little lady here today called Rose Button has come from Ipswich, which she tells me is in Suffolk, she has seen Michael there on all his tour visits, Rose says she is so excited she can't keep still, I can vouch for that, she is shaking like a leaf bless her! She is in for such a great night! We are saying hello to Rose's grandaughter Megan who has just started at Norwich University, good luck Megan!
Molly Piper is seeing Michael for the first time ever! She bought her ticket at just 5 30 this afternoon, after choosing Michael over The Lion King! Nice one Molly! I think this will be the first of many !
Stan and Eunice are here all the way from Hull and tell me they are having a Ball! Eunice whispered in my ear that she is hoping to take Michael home! Don't know what Stan will say about that!
And finally for this bit, please congratulate me, last week I was mistaken for a taxi driver, now tonight a lady came up to me when I was waiting in the foyer, to tell me that the light had gone in the ladies loo! I really must get a proper job!!
Off we go again, see you later folks!
Donmar Warehouse Take 7 part 2!
Put 260 or so people in a Warehouse in London on a Monday night and what do you get I wonder? Do the same and add in the words Michael Ball, and that is a very different story, all these grinning faces seem to indicate they had a Ball, either that or its free fries at Burger King tonight for the people with the biggest smiles!
Mustn't get all soppy but it's a special kind of person who can make so many smiling faces!
Now then, a lady with a smile is Kim, Kim is proudly displaying her Michael Ball badge collection, she has one for each day of the week and some! The show, Kim is on her 5th visit, 5 out of 7, think somehow we know Kim likes the show!
Careful observation tells me its been a very global audience today, China, I hear an American accent, I hear something resembling either Spanish or Portugese, now I wonder what they are saying about Mr Ball, from the grins on their faces, we had better not go there! And in every audience you should have home support, the Welsh accent I can place, Alison and Joan travelled all the way from North Wales and are now dashing off to get their train home to be back at work tomorrow! Alison is extremely happy, she managed to get her programme signed and is framing it! Nice one Alison!!
Still no sign of Barbie, but I have spotted a little girl over presumably Dad's shoulder ready for her sleep, watching Michael can be tiring!
The little girl needed her bed, Jackie Hall and her friend had a different plan for the night, they are off to The Aberdeen Steakhouse, long way to go for a steak, but I am just wishing it was me! Jackie had an interesting synopsis of the show "I can't really say anything, I have no idea what Michael sang I was too busy looking at his face" Well it could have been worse, I'm glad thats where she was looking and at least she is honest!
And now its time to check on the poster, still busy being photographed. It's spread in OK must be coming any day now!
That's all folks. Donmar Take 7
wishing everyone goodnight!