Rhiannon reflects on……..my biggest theatrical disappointment

 #Tweetingit – Most disappointing theatrical moment. (6 year old me + Jason Donovan crush) + (“Joseph”- Jason Donovan)  = tantrums and lifelong scaring

It was 1992, I was I was 6 years old and completely in love with Jason Donovan. For my brother’s birthday, our neighbours had given me an unbirthday present – a prized possession which I believe, somewhere, I still have: A Jason Donovan video. I probably drove both my parents and brother insane, constantly watching it, making up dances and learning the songs off by heart. Every time I saw him tap Kylie on the nose during “Especially for you”, a pang of something which, which now as an adult, I understand to be jealousy, coursed through me. I also had the Joseph and the “Any Dream Will Do” official video and was desperate to be one of the “aher ah”-ers.

But all was to end well – I was going to go and see him In Joseph. Dad had organised a trip to London and my crush would be but feet away from me (ok quite a lot of feet…and quite a distance down as we would be in the upper circle but closer than a cliff in Australia in the “Too Many broken Hearts” video)

Jumping from foot to foot, I waited for my dad to finally be ready to leave the house ( this is a continue theme with my dad) and proceed on the, seemingly, never-ending journey to London from Littleport.

When we finally got there, I was rushed into the theatre,( almost certainly running late) probably because my parents were trying to ensure I avoided seeing the posters. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a program. And that was it, my life was over. Six years old and it couldn’t possibly get any worse. I was not here to see Jason Donovan at all – the person who would grace the stage would be that man in broom cupboard who spends his time talking to a gopher.

Now, obviously, I took this very well. As a child, I was nothing but a complete angel and would never have a full-blown tantrum at something which, in retrospect, wasn’t that much of a big deal. After all, this was a treat, we were in London at the theatre – not many of my friends had been given that opportunity at such a young age.

That is clearly a lie. I seem to remember – although my dad and anyone else who was in that theatre and had their experience ruined by the huffy child behind them – I threw the biggest of diva strops. Why on earth would I want to see Phillip Schofield rather than Jason Donovan?  I was not a happy bunny – and worst of all, my parents knew it wasn’t going to be Jason Donovan. To be fair to them, there is a possibility that when they had booked the tickets, it still was going to be Jason Donovan as he left suffering from exhaustion however, at my tender age, this kind of reasoning was not going to help the situation. I don’t know when the grumpiness stopped or, as I am writing this now nearly 22 years on, whether it ever did, but I seem to remember both the show and Phillip Schofield were very good.

The title of this post is a little misleading as, looking back now, I am very pleased I got to see Mr Schofield in Joseph as I am now a big fan. But I was only six and so  had few theatrical experiences, let alone disappointments so at the time, this easily made the top spot. I  still wish, however, that I had heard Jason Donovan sing “Close Every Door” live and I am not sure that this will ever be a possibility.  Finally, on the topic of Jason Donovan, I am still horrified that he was kicked out of Harrods. How could they do that to Jason? Unbelievable!  Clearly as a six-year-old I was rather sensitive