So just got back and thanfully this time, there's no transport drama story - National Express coaches are so much better, and get me closer to home anyway.
The show itself was great. A great benefit for a great cause put on by a great group of people. The feelings everyone described of helplessness were so true. My uncle and very pregnant live in far north Melbourne, weren't too far from the massive firestorms and I was stuck in the UK, unable to really do anything. I'm so grateful to the British Red Cross and Tuckerbox for putting on this benefit to allow me to do my little bit, £20 worth of raffle tickets to be exact.
There was a strange feeling of home at the theatre (something I've missed and craved for the past three months) and I think it only cemented the Palace's place as "a little slice of Australia right in the middle of London".
Some points about the evening:
1. Tamsin Carroll = as incredible as usual. She sang "The Look of Love" from Dusty, and on introducing her, Simon Burke very much hinted that the show will be coming to the West End at some point. I do hope this is true ... Tamsin deserves her BIG break in London, especially since at the moment she doesn't have the most grueling of schedules. Anyone who was there would've heard me squeal my lungs out whenever her name was mentioned :)
2. Nick Hardcastle - since when was he in London? I've been a quiet fan of his from Home and Away and also during his stint as Adam in late '06. Loved his appearance and he was as fantastic as ever. Check him out:
http://www.myspace.com/nickhardcastle 3. The guys from La Clique - omg!! Incredibly talented and hot ... what else could you want?
4. Lee Mead = my second fav honourary Aussie for a day. He did a song from his new album, and totally made me order it from amazon.co.uk when I got home.
5. The cast of Priscilla did We Belong. Every time I hear the a capella chorus of that song sung by the 20 strong cast I cannot help but get shivers. I warmed to Jason Donovan much more tonight than I did on Thursday.
6. Jodie Prenger - my new fav person in the world. She was just so warm and had a presence about her that you couldn't help but love. At WHSmith on the way to the coach station I bought her bio and spent the entire 2.5 hour ride reading it. Great read btw.
7. The two from Dirty Dancing - what was with that? It was awkward and kinda out of place. However, that might just be my dislike of Nadia coming through. I dunno?
8. Same goes for the Rat Pack. They were great, but just a bit random. I think one of them (not Martin, David Jr and Sinatra, but the actors) was Aussie, but that wasn't very clear.
9. Phillip Quast was a no show. If he was stuck in Sydney filming wouldn't they have had time to remove him from the programme. Oh well, I'll be seeing him in La Cage in May anyways.
10. Rolf Harris = legend. I've never seen him perform live before and he was electrifying. So joyous and lovable and totally loved his entire segment.
11. Noni McCallum ... where has she come from? Well besides Geelong of course. She was incredible!! Definitely one to watch :)
12. The highlight of the show for me was Lorna Luft. Her "Don't Cry Out Loud" wasn't the best vocal performance of that song, but so what? When someone is standing at the footlights belting that song out to at packed house, how can one not help but love it? One thing lacking though ... in her introduction of the song she described Peter Allen as an incredible friend and an amazing human, but forgot to mention he was a bloody Aussie!!
All in all, a great night. Congrats to all involved, it was a testament to the Aussie spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness :)
Updated On: 3/30/09 at 09:57 PM
