Matthew Caputo in Scrooge
I was so happy to see Matthew Caputo join the cast of the Christmas show in residence at the Leicester Curve after a little while of being away from the theatre; it's such a wonderful theatre and their in-house productions are always brilliant - and getting a chance to see Matthew perform is always something I look forward to! Leicester is easy for me to get to and everything there is in walking distance, there's a great restaurant we go to before the performance and the Hotel Ibis bar is always open after the show so the night doesn't have to end the moment you get back to the hotel which is acutally really nice and helps with the post-show blues. The trip went incredibly smoothly but for a tangled necklace and a watch which kept stopping, and we arrived in good time for soup and toasties at the hotel before unwinding for a little whilst and then getting ready to go out into the really cold night for dinner and the show. We were the only ones in the restaurant that early - because I am always very paranoid about being on time! - and it was great to have the place to ourselves and to enjoy our super-delicious meals with plenty of time to spare, the place has really friendly owners and are so well-geared towards pre-theatre dining that it's one of the only times I have been in a restaurant before a show and not been stressed out about making it to the theatre on time! After our meal we crossed the road to the theatre and I saw all the big posters which decorate the glass walls of the outside of the building and had to run over and be completely ridiculous and embarassing by pointing to Matthew on every single one - it's silly but I just felt so proud of him and all the great productions and oppertunities he was getting and I always end up thinking back to that night I saw him come on as a mid-show swing and just can't help but get caught up in how wild it is I ever got to see him perform at all, how lucky I am to watch him go on to all these amazing things and also how lovely it is to see someone who dserves it so much succeeding. Already feeling silly-happy and proud before the show even began, it's hardly a surprise that I spent the whole show smiling: Matthew was completely sublime in the show and was clearly one of their principal ensemble members as he was involved in pretty much every number all the way through, which was a real treat for me. Matthew actually had a special solo dance at one point in the show too and I sat completely spellbound watching him perform it - Matthew has an incredible charisma and charm to the way he performs and I just adored the part they choreographed for him as it just suited him and his strengths so perfectly, really showing off that bubbly, joyful, impish way of his which is so captivating; if it hadn't have been completely inappropriate I would've given him a standing ovation right there, but instead I had to settle for a big cheer at the curtain call for which he shot me that gorgeous smile of his. We had a little catch up at stage door afterwards and he talked about them having some illness/injury issues and how they were having to cover a little and I just felt even more proud of him because I swear to you I hadn't noticed a thing, he just did what he does and made it look effortless and I hope he knew I meant it from the bottom of my heart when I told he he'd done an amazing job. Like the last time I had visited the Curve I went home on that happy/sad, wistful cloud, knowing that it was going to be my last time at the theatre for quite a while and my last time seeing Matthew for a while too; we went to the hotel bar and I sat looking out of the window at the winter night and just watching the city lights against the damp pavement and letting myself get lost in that really special, bittersweet feeling that is the end of a wonderful night.