Well, I was going to be there this weekend and thought I might go to this, but the thought of sharing the train with thousands of Sunderland fans on their way to/from the Wembley match was a nightmare, so maybe next year!
The autograph sessions are split into three groups. 11am has Biggins and two others. 11.30 is Jordan Luke Gage, Miriam Teak Lee, Alice Fearn. Though Miriam isn’t here. 12pm Pasha Kovelev ?
I did overhear the Six girls say they had to go over to the autograph tent at some point.
It was crowded chaos but I did get autographs and half decent selfies with the cast of Six, Alice Fearn, Miriam Teak Lee and JLG. And it was all in the name of charity and I had a good time.
I was pleasantly surprised this year. The queue was so long that I was certain there'd be nothing interesting left by the time I made it inside, but there were a lot more unique props around this time than in 2019. It's starting to feel like it's outgrowing St Paul's though. After I'd queued for so long to get inside and explored the right side, it took another 20 minutes of queuing just to get into the left side - I assume because that's where the autograph tent was, although I had no interest in that and just wanted to look at the other stalls. Maybe they need to give that tent its own section if that's supposed to be a big draw in the future. With the press of bodies, I couldn't understand why the side of the church was roped off, because having more space for stalls to spread into would definitely have helped...
I went today as I had a few things that I wanted and with the exception of one, got everything that I wanted, plus (a bit) more.
It was never my intention to spend more that an hour or two as I actually had some other things to do in Covent Garden
I got there at about 9.30am and waited just over an hour, but there were at least 20 people in front of me.
There were three panto dames. One was very large- in boots with heels, broad shouldered with HUGE hair!
The gates opened at about 10:45.
However, despite the fact that we were in, it was like being in a herding penn, with the stalls either side of use and we had to wait until the best stall was judged- Only Fools & Horses.
I saw Lesley Joseph, Arelene Philips, Sam Tutty, Biggins (he's everywhere) Su Perkins, Michael Ball briefly, Sam Tutty signing at the Dear Evan Hasen stand and Jordan Luke Gage.
There was plenty of signed merchandise, the guys in their wetsuits and Donna and the Dynamos from Mamma Mia!.
Through some misdirection I actually went into the church- simply, beautiful.
I can completely understand why this location was chose and as great an event as this was, alas, just like West End Love it has outgrown it's capacity.
The weather was lovely and it had been over two years for such an event, the roses and tulips were out but just far too crowded.
The Hamilton stall had a lot of the pamphlets/letters used in the show, though I didn't look at the prices, as well as signed sheets of music from various songs. I really liked the Phantom stall as well - they had ballet shoes, programmes for "Hannibal" etc, but I don't remember prices because I didn't intend to buy anything. I remember sets of red espresso cups at the Jersey Boys stall, a giant painting of the dog at The Play that Goes Wrong, and Dear Evan Hansen had lots of t-shirts.
The Les Mis stall had their props marked with colored stickers, and I think the most expensive category were either £50 or £60 - there were a few props from the original production in that category: a fake baguette, Thénardier's wooden money box, menus on wood from Thénardier's inn. I think the other categories were £15, £25, £35. There were signed yellow tickets of leave, the storm lanterns used on the barricade, Thénardier's gloves, Fantine's stockings, the big map of Paris used during ABC Café, and the goblets used by the Bishop. The two silver candlesticks were marked "make an offer" and I'm still annoyed at myself I didn't make one. Oh, and there were various letters - Valjean's letter to Cosette, Thénardier's letter to Fantine, as well as the pamphlets the students distribute - for £5 each.
The most important question: Did anyone actually get fleas at the flea market?
I've always liked the idea of selling off old props and things that would otherwise just get binned. Not theatre-related, but there used to be a shop near Euston that sold old railway stuff and I still have an Underground hand-grabby thing that I picked up there once. (I don't know what they're called: the long conical spring with a ball on the end that you hold on to when standing.) I took it in to work once and people assumed I'd nicked it.
The most important question: Did anyone actually get fleas at the flea market?
I've always liked the idea of selling off old props and things that would otherwise just get binned. Not theatre-related, but there used to be a shop near Euston that sold old railway stuff and I still have an Underground hand-grabby thing that I picked up there once. (I don't know what they're called: the long conical spring with a ball on the end that you hold on to when standing.) I took it in to work once and people assumed I'd nicked it.
This post inspired me to go down a deep, deep Google hole, the result of which is: they are called “Spring handles.”
They have since been replaced with either Loop Handles or Grab Poles, and I can tell you exactly how many of each trains have and why, and which two tube lines don’t have grab poles that are colour coordinated to their lines.
TFL fandom is much more uh, intense, than theatre fandom.
Accidental initiator of the great Horse Pun War of 2019.
I figured I’d ask this here. Does anyone have a poster from “The Inheritance” from the West End run in 2018, that they’d be willing to sell? The one with the full cast photos on it? I’ve been after one for 5 years now and haven’t found it.
Although I did buy a few posters that I am very happy with, I kinda wished that I'd hung around the side of the church just to see what else I could have sought out.
Maybe I'll have a similar opportunity at the West.End.com
Don't we get to be happy? At some point down the line, don't we get to relax without some new tsuris to push me yet further from you!
Who dare tell the lambs in Spring what fate the later season brings?
Managed to nab a playbill of the Encores! production of Call Me Madam, never thought I could find one. The kiosks were doing a pretty good deals, three programmes/playbills for £5. Plenty of leftover Hairspray programmes and posters. Seems they were also selling advert posters of shows from theatres.