trace_of_scarlet

I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a picspam of John Barrowman as Albin/Zaza in La Cage Aux Folles for some time now – ever since the promotional images started surfacing on the net, in fact. His run in the show has combined my current twin fangirl obsessions perfectly, even if he doesn’t make as good an Albin as Roger Allam. He’s good, yes, but Roger Allam pretty much achieved perfection.

Anyway. Like I said, I’ve been meaning to do the John-as-Zaza picspam for a while, and have finally been spurred into it to cheer an upset person on Journalfen’s Unfunnybusiness comm up. And while I’m at it, I figured, gorgeous men dressed as gorgeous women in sparkly outfits and with fantastic legs... like you can ever get enough, right? Plus, more people should know the genius that was the Roger Allam and Philip Quast run in La Cage. So this is not just the Johnspam, it’s the La Cage Aux Folles picspam!

I’ve divided it up into sections separated by LJ cuts, but be warned: THIS THING IS HUGE. Between the joint efforts of me, plum177 and niblick_iii, we must have acquired if not all the photos of Quast and Allam’s run on the net, then at least the majority. I haven’t used them all here, but I have used a hell of a lot.

And so, messieurs-dames, I give you... La Cage Aux Folles!



( First up, a few random Zazas that I’ve acquired photos of. Includes Grahame Norton, Douglas Hodge, the Zaza (and Georges) in the current Parisian production, and at least one whose name I don’t know. )

( Next, some shots of the supporting cast, all from various 2008/2009 London productions. Smaller section this time. )

( The first La Cages cast I ever saw, and the original reason for my obsession: Philip Quast as Georges and Roger Allam as Zaza. )

And that’s all for this post, folks! Second instalment: John Barrowman and the Cagelles!

Because clearly I want my flist to want to kill me...

Talking to Cati in my last but one post (:D) reminded me that there’s a post I really should have made first; it’s been due for over a fortnight now. The 27th was my brother's birthday, and on our way down to Cardiff Bay for cinema and meal to celebrate we spotted the Torchwood filming lorries pulled up outside the Royal Infirmary. Well, I went back there later and eventually wound up missing Barrowman by about ten minutes (this was previously a cause for *sulks* but now I don't care :D), but what I did find out was that they were filming on City Road the next day.

The next day, Amy and I go into Cardiff and narrowly miss them finishing at the Royal Infirmary for a second time. But they're setting up on City Road instead - two doors down from our favourite cafe. So unlike the silly masses perched on the other side of the road watching Eve Myles film on her own, half the time inside so you can't see anything at all, Amy and I (and later Teaboy, Emily and Chris) hole up inside Shot In The Dark with tea, food, free internet and comfort and keep an eye on the crowd out of the window to see if Eve's going to be prepared to talk to anyone. Well, no luck, so eventually the other three push off again, leaving Amy and me on our own once more. There was a small and adorable fourteen-year-old boy called George in the crowd who Amy and I had chatted to earlier - he was staying in the city with his parents, but had gone off finding Torchwood on his own. Very, very cute, and almost certainly crushing on John Barrowman. <3 Anyway, he mentioned having found their trailers, so Amy and I go off to try to find them. We succeeded.

And spot Kai Owen, in costume as Rhys and talking to someone scripty while he waited to go off to film. Kai in turn spots me peeping over the wall and waving to him, and goes 'Omg it's you!'.

That's right. He recognised me, on my own, having last met me when I was in the middle of a big group of squeaking, giggly fangirls several months ago, FROM HALFWAY ACROSS A CAR PARK. And the first chance he got he came running over to say hi!

Kai Owen is the sweetest man in the world.

He stays and chats to Amy and I for a good ten or fifteen minutes. He covered Torchwood in general (yes, there will be a series 4), Children Of Earth in particular (it's pretty creepy and he really thinks it's good, Rhys will be in it all the way through, he and Gwen are looking for a house), how were all the other girls, were we going to go to the Hub convention in the autumn, how was university and what were Amy and I studying, etcetera etcetera. At one point he has to run off, but swears to us he wouldn't go without saying goodbye, and makes good on his promise, coming running back as soon as he can. And then he has to go off to film, but before he goes he signs an autograph for Amy and gives me a hug over the wall.

And that was when I realised I had a mad crush on that man. <3 I kind of want to find him when he's not working so I can buy him a drink. The man totally deserves it.

EVERY PEOPLES SHOULD HUG KAI OWEN. TRUFAX.

So, right. We got off the train at about 9pm in Cardiff, instead of the 2am that Lauren and I should have been getting in at. And since we could take about ten minutes off the journey time by walking through the city centre and getting a taxi from the theatre, we decide to do that and save money, since we weren't particularly tired. skitty_kat left because her place was in a different direction, and so did nevaendinstorey, so it was just me, plum177 and requiem2adream who were fussing over whether or not a minivan-sized taxi would be more expensive than an ordinary-sized one when there's a voice behind us: "'Scuse, are you getting this taxi?"

And we turn around.

And it's DAVID FUCKING TENNANT.

Who promptly got mobbed. I was shockingly coherent, all things considered, and he was very nice and very understanding of the three squeeing fangirls he was suddenly surrounded by. Amy squeaked "Gosh, you're awfully tall!" and he laughed and said something along the lines of "...Er, I suppose so. Sorry!" and I managed to gabble something about where we'd just been.

And, of course, he posed for photos, although the girlfriend was rather grumpy about it.

( PROOF, BABY! )

Then we let him get away, and Lauren and I clung together and squealed and, apparently, missed him turning around in the taxi to wave! Luckily Amy didn't, and waved back.

David Tennant, baby. *still grinning!*

Then this Monday Natasha and I were due to meet up in Cardiff for some shopping-and-gossip therapy. Only she was late, so at 3ish I'm waiting for her outside Howells in the middle of Cardiff, and then this tall bloke walks past me into the shop. And I double take.

And then, of course, I follow him in, to see if it really is who I think it is, and being Cardiff, indeed it is one Mr Russell T. Davies Esq., who when I went up to him to say hi and that I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who and Torchwood bounced at me gleefully and wrung my hand several times and asked my name, and was quite happy to have a chat and a photo. Even though, as he put it, "...Oh, damnit, I'm in the bloody make-up section!", and even though I told him off about the lack of Martha, and that I liked her better than Catherine Tate or Billie Piper. And he was a vair nice man, and I liked him muchly.

( So, of course, photo. )

I also got ordered to watch Torchwood tonight and Doctor Who tomorrow. Then I say thank you and trot off to met Natasha, and then a few shops later, upstairs in HMV, I turn around AND THERE HE IS AGAIN.

I got stalked by Russell T. Davies. God, I love Cardiff.

And at the time, having met him, I was going to agree with oz_the_bobble who said that after meeting him she'd forgiven him all his cock-ups.

And then I saw Torchwood, and my rough non-spoilery summary would be : DAMN YOU, DAVIES. D:

I'm getting mine before work. *sulks because she wanted to go to Ottakars and get her freebie book because she ORDERED IT, DAMMIT, but can't because she is working and Tesco will be cheaper anyway. Just less fun. And now she pouts too.*

EEEE OMG ONE HOUR SIXTEEN MINS TO GO!