Diary – 12 May 2007

I’m full of hurrahs, huzzahs, yippee-ki-yays and general end-of-term jubilation now that this gruelling 30-week US tour of Legends has finally ended.

I’m full of hurrahs, huzzahs, yippee-ki-yays and general end-of-term jubilation now that this gruelling 30-week US tour of Legends has finally ended. To say it’s been tough is an understatement: 25 cities in 30 weeks, eight shows in six days each week, the days off spent travelling on dodgy airlines and checking into naff hotels (not to mention the gratuitous spitefulness of some critics) have contributed to a great ‘Thank God it’s Friday’ attitude by just about all of our cast and crew. My colleagues Joe Farrell and Will Holman stood in the wings every night as I took my bow (to standing Os!), yelling the countdown: ‘96 more!’ or ‘32 more!’ or ‘16 more!’ Whatever the critics said about Legends, there is no doubt that it has been a tremendous audience-pleaser: every night the laughter has rocked auditoriums across America. Joe, as the conniving producer Martin Klemmer (a role originated by the great Gary Beach), was overwhelmingly funny and outrageous and has been compared to Jim Carrey and Jerry Lewis. Will, who played Boom-Boom, the strappingly muscular Chippendales stripper, brought the house down night after night with his spectacularly acrobatic strip right down to his ‘full monty’. Tonye Patano, from Weeds, playing the salty-tongued maid, received many an exit round for her crisp delivery.

And what of Linda Evans, my nemesis from Dynasty? I’m sure you’re dying to know. For an actress who had never performed live theatre, she faced the audience bravely each night and did well. Sorry to disappoint but no barbed remarks here. Every Wednesday Linda and I had a media blitz in each city, and the same questions kept coming up over and over again.