Peterborough

[paul and sue]

I won't bore you with the travel times and the like but we made it safely to The Broadway Theatre and the first thing that hits you when you enter the foyer is this amazing orange and black carpet with piano keys all over it. I've even taken a photograph of it because it was so fantastic. Once I get back to "Monro Towers" tomorrow afternoon Michele is going to upload all the photos from the last week so there should be quite a few to add.

So I've set the merchandise stand up and am feeling preety chilled. There are basically three sessions when I am absolutely swamped. Obviously on arrival, everyone is swanning over to the stand and looking at what there is and a good percentage of the audience buys something so I am selling my little heart away trying to serve twenty people at once. The interval comes and another load of people come over, these are usually the ones who have arrived at the theatre very near to curtain up and didn't have time at the beginning or didn't want to get in line because of how busy it was. Lastly you get a stampede after the show when everyone realises Matt is coming to the foyer and they then buy something because they want him to sign it. It usually takes an hour to clear the crowd.

I didn't stay chilled long - the intermission arrived and this bloke strolls up and asked where Zak was, I explained he was backstage. This guy insisted in none to quiet a voice that I get Zak out to the foyer as he has something he wants to say to him. I started to explain that the artists don't come down mid show but the guy wasn't interested. He says that if I didn't get him out double quick then he was calling the police as Zak had assaulted him. No I am not joking and nor was he. In a louder voice he told everyone in the vacinity that Zak would be charged for assault because he tried to kiss him.

So here's the story, Zak is doing his act, and a guy in the audience (guess who) is winding him up and there follows a light banter, we know it as heckling. Zak thought the man was joking and he has a set comedy routine that he uses and decides to use the guy as a "target". He is singing "Just a Gigolo" and dashes into the audience and goes to kiss the guy but at the last minute puts his hand in front of his lips. Usually the audience fall about and they did again tonight. So that is what this was all about.

Zak came to the foyer and made his apologies to the guy, explaining that it is part of his act. Real men don't eat quiche and not do they like to be kissed by support acts so it would seem. (I think the man protested a little too much, it obviously affected his masculinity). The long and short of it was that Zak gave the dickhead (sorry gentleman) a full refund out of his own pocket and once mollified Zak returned backstage. Having got rid of Zak, the guy storms over to the box office and creates enough of a fuss to the staff over the same incident so as to demand a refund from them as well. I stood with my mouth on the floor, some people have the cheek of the devil. Intermission over he calmly walks back into the auditorium to watch Matt's part of the show.

I have not got the whole story on the next incident because I was not in the actual theatre but I know a fan arrived who was none to well. She arrived in a lovely stretch limo, obviously a special night out for her, and was taken in her wheelchair to her seat. The next thing I know, Matt has wheeled the chair on stage and sung "My Kind of Girl" to her. It knocked everyone out and the lady concerned was very emotional.

Wonderful night tonight all tolled, I've got to frantically rush now as Matt has just popped his head round the corner in a panic, which is unusual for him, and told me that we have to go immediately as he is on the radio live in five minutes. Apparantly the radio show has just rung him as a test call and Matt had forgotten all about it. What with everything going on, I'm not surprised.

Anyways bye for now
Paul