MS in Murder on Air, 16th October 2009

[byslantedlight]

Oh, I do want to be back in Windsor watching this again, but instead I'm here at home with happy memories...

Cos yeay - yesterday found me driving all the way around London and checking into a hotel in Windsor, so that I could meet up with angel_ci5 and greengerbil and go and see MS - wheeeeee! - starring with Jenny Seagrove in Murder on Air! Which yes, I saw last year too - okay, I saw twice last year *g* - but see, that means that I can read what I wrote then and compare it to this time, and... *g*

Right - so! No plain-clothes-MS sightings this time, straight to dinner and the Theatre Royal, where angel_ci5 had managed to get two brilliant seats - three rows from the stage, and right in the middle, so that MS was standing right in front of us! greengerbil was in the Royal Stalls, so we did squee with her at interval and afterwards! Oh, and there was an extra fun thing this year too, because MS's son Luke was also in the play and it was interesting seeing them working together - though actually they didn't interact much.

It's kind of head-twisty though, because the premise of Murder on Air is that it's a play of a series of radio stars performing three Agatha Christie radio plays - so they're all dressed up in their evening best, as radio stars did back then (1953-ish, because one of the lead-in "interviews" that played at one point was an interview with Hillary about climbing Everest). So, the radio stars (played by MS, JS et al.) come on stage - but how much are they acting the radio stars, and how much are they just being themselves? It's so hard to know! When they first came on, two dogs came with them - JS's dogs, I'm told (are these them? is that the spaniel? I'm rubbish at recognising dogs, but I bet our Angel will remember!) - and were shooed off with pats and good-natured laughter, and the radio stars all took their coats off and got themselves settled in their studio...

...and then the radio plays began! This is basically what they looked like again:

(Pic being taken from a post last year, in a here's-one-I-prepared-earlier kind of way... *g*)

Only MS didn't have his beard, which I actually thought was quite a shame - he looks rather good with a beard these days (and I'm not a fan of beards, as y'know...) to the point that I think I prefer him with one... His fringe was flopping on his forehead in the same way though... *g* He did wear the same costume - I remembered noticing that his trousers had the satin seams last time!

He didn't seem (to me) to be connecting with the audience as much as last year, which I thought was a shame too - maybe the novelty was over a bit, after playing it all week. Last year, when someone spoke a line about MS's character having a fine head of black hair still, despite his age, MS looked up at us to sort of share the joke (which I wrote about last year), but he didn't do that this year. I must have subconsciously remembered it though, because I looked at MS waiting for him to react this time - and he didn't, waaah! But this year he seemed a bit distant, and very much on stage, and barely looked at the audience at all - didn't even, perhaps.

He also plays Hercule Poirot in the second radio play, and I remember that at both performances last year he got quite a laugh when his (so far unnamed though clearly Belgian accented) character finally answered the telephone with "Yes, this is 'ercule Poirot" - and it did get a laugh this time too, but it didn't seem quite so surprised and amused as last year, I thought...

Otherwise... there was a bit of interaction with JS again, various tapping in time to the music being played, and he swirled her around in a brief waltz at one point, as either himself or the personna of his "radio star" (how d'you know which?!). Oh, and there was a moment when the actress who sings was warbling away when JS sort of pulled a face at MS, while his back was to us, but with an amused smile on her face, and when he turned around he was smiling too - "radio star" or MS/JS?! And also why?! in either case?

Hmmn, what else... Luke had a fun radio star character, kind of mischievous and getting messed up and being unable to join in when they were supposed to be playing percussion instruments for a musical segment... He and MS chatted briefly at the beginning, but didn't really interact after that, I don't think...

My second favourite character was still the sound effects guy played by Jared Ashe, whose timing was brilliant and who could also play the piano!

(Another pic from last year, though an official one from the flyer this time!)

And just... I'd forgotten how fab it all was, and how brilliant everyone's timing was, and... oh, and when the three lads (okay, Anthony Houghton, Adrian Metcalfe and Luke Shaw!) were trains by huffing and blowing onto the microphones it was ace, and Elizabeth Price's radio star was ever so actress-y, and... yeah, it was all just jolly good indeed!

Oh, here's a review of it, from Wednesday's performance, by the looks - and well deserved kudos it gets too! *g*

Well done that MS, and all those other actors, and what have I forgotten to tell about... bound to be something... Erm... *g*