ACT TWO - AN EVENING AT JOE’S (Joe Allen TV)*****

 

By Aashiq

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTL8QqaxR0Q

Link to Act 1 (a separate concert, but I’m posting the link as you know what some people are like, if you give them Act 2, they always want Act 1 too. Some people are so greedy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEtPaI_0iRw&t=1s

Available until: They decide to take it down. How am I meant to know?

Joe Allen (the restaurant in Covent Garden not the star Wales footballer, I’m extremely fond of both, but you get bigger eyelashes in the restaurant) claims to be the stagiest place in London. I completely agree, at least if you discount whichever place I happen to be in. It is a fun and fabulous venue which has been very much missed during lockdown and it was wonderful to see the Act 1 concert a couple of months ago. The restaurant is full of theatre memorabilia and theatre people and I could basically just live there, if my husband would like to buy it, I will happily move in whenever he likes. (And he says I never let him decide anything.)

(If you love Joe’s too, don’t take my last comment too seriously. We could never afford a place like that, we’re actors! Besides, I could never take such a special place away from the West End. But a boy can dream.)

The fabulous La Voix returns to host. She has bigger hair than me, bigger eyelashes, I should hate her, but I ADORE her. They say you can’t have everything. La Voix has everything. (Except my husband. I hope. I wouldn’t blame him. Except I would blame him, but I wouldn’t fault his actual taste. Though I would fault everything else.)

There are lots of starry guests in the restaurant to watch out for, they get to be there in person, but they watch the show onscreen like we do (apart from one special live performance from David Bedella, singing a gorgeous song google hasn’t heard of). Very polite and welcoming serving staff too. They’re not that nice when they’re not streaming on youtube. (Only joking. Of course they are.)

Shona White opened the show with Money Money Money from Mamma Mia. She has played Donna, Sophie and Lisa in the show. Shona gave us a more sultry version than is allowed in the show. Have you ever had the urge to tear a women’s dress off and wear it yourself? That happens to me all the time, but I’ve learned not to mention it to their faces. It tends not to get a very good reaction (mostly because they don’t let me finish the sentence) and I’m not really much of a fighter. Not unless I’m in a shop and there’s only one fuchsia handbag left.

We also saw Jordan Luke Gage, or Jordan Luke Gorge as La Voix calls him. Or Jordan Looks Gorge as I call him. He sang Love Me Like You Do which we all know as a song by Ellie Goulding and a song in & Juliet. He plays his own guitar accompaniment too. He’s lucky I’m not into adultery.

Other singers included Melinda Parris singing Break These Changes by Deborah Allen. No relation to Joe. I assume. I haven’t got a clue actually. But Melinda’s voice is just sumptuous. Stephen Ashfield took us to a more upbeat level with some fabulous characterisation in Secret Love. Sally Ann Triplett simply became Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd and there were some gorgeous shots of Brighton. Did you know you can go on naked bike rides in Brighton? I could never do that. I don’t know how to ride a bike.

La Voix also took to the stage with Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) by Sonny Bono and I can only say La voix de La Voix est tres belle. Une vraie icone. (If you don’t understand any of that, which to be honest happens when I speak English too, I was being complimentary.)

But at the end, I had such a big shock. Apparently, The Witches of Eastwick was 20 years ago??? But I REMEMBER The Witches of Eastwick! I’m sure I’m much too young and beautiful to remember 20 years ago. How absolutely horrifying. I’d better not admit to remembering it in future. I’d be giving far too much away.

But I didn’t remember it very well. I didn’t remember how good the music was so that’s something. And it can’t be that long ago really because Caroline Sheen doesn’t look old enough to have been singing adult roles 20 years ago so maybe it’s only 10 years. Incredible singing, though. If I did happen to be old enough to remember The Witches of Eastwick, I might happen to remember that I saw Joanna Riding’s understudy so it was an extra treat to see Joanna herself this time. So many great performances in this extract. Steven Ashfield, David Bedella, Claire Machin, Claire Moore and original cast members Sarah Lark, Peter Joback, Joanna Riding and Caroline Sheen all making me feel very inadequate in a blissful sort of way and let me tell you, that doesn’t happen often.

Chita Rivera made a guest appearance too! She’s 87 and still looking fabulous. If I look that fabulous at 87, I might even tell people I’m 87, just to show off. But I hope I’ll still get IDed occasionally. It’s only polite.