Dead Monkey Times Two
I left St. Louis Thursday night around 8 and arrived in London around 10 on Friday. Sylvie, Sarah and I arrived at the theatre a little early and wandered inside to see David making his way back to his dressing room. I have to be honest, he looked horrible. His hair was a mess, he had really dark circles under his eyes and his face was drawn.
Sylvie and I took Alexa’s dog, Chezky, for a walk while the others went to the little bar above the theatre. Chezky had been backstage all day and really needed a break. What a sweet pooch he is.
I didn’t enjoy the first half of the play. Actually, I was so disappointed -- something just wasn't right. The second half of the play was much better. I was really impressed with Alexa’s acting in the second half. There is a scene where her character is drunk and really lets Hank (David) have it. She was the best drunk I have ever seen. Totally believable. The end of play was very emotional.
Overall, after seeing the second half, I enjoyed the play. I just felt that the first half had a nasty edge that wasn’t quite right.
Sylvie and I hung around until David came out of the dressing room so that I could give him the Dead Monkey tee shirt I had made. He was in a hurry to get to an interview when he came out, but he did take a moment to say, "hi" and open the gift. He genuinely liked it. I was so happy to see that expression on his face.
Sylvie and I waited a little while longer for Alexa so that I could give her the shirt I made for her. She loved it or she is really a great actress!!! She was very nice and welcoming, but she also had to get to the interview David had gone to. She asked Sylvie and I to come next door to the pub where they were interviewing and said that she would come get us once the interview was over.
We did go next door, but after last call we decided to make our way back to Sylvie’s and hit the sack. We were both exhausted after a really long day.
On Saturday we made our way back to the theatre to catch David and Alexa between shows. Again we only got to see them for a few minutes, but I was thrilled to see David wearing the tee shirt I had made him. We didn't get to see the show Saturday night.
Sunday I was back on the train back to the theatre for the matinee. I just can’t tell you all how glad I am that I had the opportunity to see the play a second time. This time the first half was quite sweet and I actually grew to care about the characters and their relationship. David was brilliant. It was wonderful to watch the second half evolve from the first half. This time by the end of the play I was giving a standing ovation and sobbing like a baby.
I met several of the England based fans. We went to the pub next door where David met us after getting out of makeup. He spent about 30 minutes with us. He looked so much better than he had on Friday night. What a relief for me; I could see the sparkle in his eye that had captured me so many years ago. He made a special point of coming by to tell me how much he loved the shirts and that he appreciated my making the journey from the states. He gave me a kiss on the lips!!!! Oh my, I know I swooned.
I joined five other fans for dinner before heading back to Sarah’s. It was so great to meet some of the folks I read about every month in the DSAC newsletter. I have to say that virtually every S&H or DS fan I have met has been a joy to be with.
Well, that’s about it. Seems like I spent half of the time on the tube and the train. But it was worth it. Well, worth it!