Hi everyone,
What's happening in your lives on this wonderfully dull skied Thursday afternoon? (ok so now I'm reading over this a second time and the sky has brightened up- Sh-Boom!)
I have a good few things to sort out today and errands to run etc but thought I'd write my blog before hand instead of doing it once I get to the theatre as I want to use my time at the theatre tonight to reply to fan mail. I sorted out so much of it last night and I promise I will have all replies sent out by the weekend (providing there was a stamped addressed envelope included, else I'll be a poor man from buying all the stamps!) Anyone wanting to send in anything, please address it to me and send it to the stage door of the Apollo Victoria theatre (you'll find the address online) - i have singed photos and things I can send out!
So I finished last week's blog just before heading to our WICKED 80's themed quiz night! WOW! What a night it was. It was hosted by a guy called Freddie Veneer (Cast member Gareth Chart's alter-ego) and we had so much fun. I dressed as Boy George which people found hilarious - The glass from which I was drinking had more lipstick on it than most of the drag-queens in all of Soho! Ha. My team didn't win - we were somewhere in the middle but I shocked myself in knowing the answers to a good few questions as i'm usually rubbish. It was a fab night which ended in lots of dancing to 80's songs and a rather tipsy Mr Evans (to say the least).
I was sleeping in my lounge that night as I had carpets being delivered the next morning so had to have the bedroom and hallway empty- now picture this…
9.30am I'm laying on the mattress in the lounge in a light morning snooze when all of a sudden BZZZZZZZZZZZ the door buzzer goes - I stand up way too quickly and realise i have a VERY delicate head and I'm wearing minimal clothing as I must have taken the Boy George outfit off and just clambered into bed- so I stumble to the door, pick up the receiver and in a barely audible voice, I whisper "hello..", then a big old enthusiastic bloke bellows "CARPETS"…. my response - "alright…erm…just gimme a minute". I scramble around the piles of clothing in the lounge searching for something comfortable to put on and head down-stairs to let them in as quick as my legs will possible take me (which was pretty slow that morning, believe me) - I open the door, welcome them upstairs, show them the rooms, offer them a cup of tea, make them the tea, give them the tea, tell them I'm just gonna grab a shower and then TADDAH!!!!!…. I look in the bathroom mirror and was horrified! You've never seen so much eye-liner and mascara all over a blokes face in your life! I was so embarrassed! I remember using a face-wipe to remove it the night before but clearly I didn't do a very good job!
So I had my shower and then felt the need to explain to the guys that I had a fancy dress party the night before and that I don't usually look like Lady Gaga on a bad day when I wake up! They just laughed at me.
I left the house as the loud banging was a little too much and when I returned with a few things from the shop, they had practically finished! Very quick, and I am so happy with the results. It looks great. So then once they'd gone I fitted a blind to my bedroom window and headed into town to meet my friend Haley to do some shopping!
We had lunch and looked around a good few shops and then I headed to work! I was so ready for my bed after the show that night so I headed home, decided to just stay in the lounge again and get an early night then I woke early Saturday to move all the furniture back into my room and sort it all out nicely and give the place a good spring clean before heading to the pool to do 50 lengths before the two shows!
Work was really fun on Saturday. I've discovered that when I am really tired my body goes into some last resort energy and adrenaline supply which fills me with stupidity and giddy energy so I'm just acting the fool back stage and having a laugh! it's fun…..doesn't last very long though cos once i get in the shower after the show, my body knows it's the end and then there is a large wall I imagine is made of breeze blocks that my brain and body takes great pleasure in slamming me into as if to say "that's enough now Evans, you need to rest!" So we had a few quiet drinks in the pub after work and i headed home for a delicious Pizza (I'd been craving one all week!) mmmmm!
So Sunday……. WHAT A DAY!!! It was the Dancing On Ice final and for those of you who are new to my blog I am a friend of Laura Hamilton and her skating partner Colin Ratushniak and so I headed to the studio that night to watch the show live.
First of all Haley came to my house to pick up her car as she parks it here then we headed to her house to have lunch and get ready for the glitzy night ahead.
We arrived the studio at about 5pm and had a couple of drinks before heading into the actual Dancing On Ice studio and took our seats. Well…we were only sat in front of Richard and bloomin' Judy! I posted some pictures on Twitter so take a look if you wanna see! They were lovely lovely people, and it was so nice that although we were clearly there to support different people we were cheering just as loudly for everybody as we did our own peeps!
So I imagine most of you watched the programme so I don't need to fill you in (if you didn't, there's a little thing called itvPlayer you should watch!) However, highlights for me were all the production numbers that the contestants created - Laura's was HOT! It was to the song 'Express Yourself' by Madonna and they kind of themed it very similar to the raunchy video - Haley couldn't believe her eyes when she saw what the boys were wearing - or not wearing should i say and Laura looked gorgeous! Then Jason Gardner did the most showbiz reveal of someones scalp I have ever seen - he's apparently spent about 20 something thousand pounds on getting his hair transplants and after Laura and Colin reprised their favourite routine of the series he announced proudly "I take my hat off to you" which he did and there it was - thousands of pounds worth of fuzz! Ha. I'm just kidding, he actually looks great and it really suits him. But that was the moment that Laura and Colin got the only full marks judges result out of all the contestants on the entire series! I jumped out of my seat so quickly and erratically I nearly gave Judy Finnigan a black eye and deafened her with my screaming!
They announced that Chloe was in third place which I thought she handled so graciously - I found myself turning to her parents and I put my hand on Judy's knee and said what a great job she'd done and Richard thanked me by squeezing my shoulders - then I thought "Mark Evans, who do you think you are, you can't just cop a feel of Judy's leg like that!" but then Richard practically gave me a shoulder massage in return so I felt it was justified! Ha!
Laura and Sam danced their Boleros which were both incredible. We were all on the edge of our seats the entire way through willing them to do so well and they both did. They then announced the winner and it was so intense as it really could have gone either way but Sam and Brianne were crowned champions and they deserved it as much as i personally felt Laura and Colin did. Sam was a great entertainer and a cracking skater.
We then hit the wrap party but didn't stay too long as we were just so drained from the atmosphere being so intense, and i also needed a shower because the studio was hot and I was sweating like a filthy pig because of the nervous energy surging around my body! I can't imagine what I'd be like if I was actually the one on the ice! ha.
So Monday I had a lovely chill out with a friend eating nice food along side a river in the sunshine and that was all I could manage to do because I was tired after the night before and ended up going to work that day feeling i hadn't really had a day off at all, but it was definitely worth it! Monday night after the show i went to meet a couple of friends in central town for some cheese and wine and then got the train home and had a good night's sleep. Tuesday for me consisted of a much needed lay in (which I don't allow myself very often) then sorted a few things out in my flat before heading into town to do a good 100 lengths of the pool before work.
After the show on Tuesday I got on the train to stay with a friend who was going away with work so had a lovely evening just chilling and laughing and chatting! Great night! Then woke early Wednesday morning and headed into central town to meet Haley for a brunch before we both headed to do our matinees!
The two shows yesterday were good then had a drink with my good friend Wayne and his Mum in the theatre before heading home to briefly Skype my friend Becca who is playing the lead role in Rock Of Ages on Broadway, then we were both so tired we had to sleep!!!
Which brings me to today - sat on my newly carpeted bedroom floor cos it's really squidgy and thick and comfy and I'm typing this for you to read - hope you've enjoyed it!
If you have any questions you want me to answer or want to just get in touch get - send in fan mail to the theatre or juts use Twitter (@MarkHEvans) as that's best and I try and reply to as many as I have time to!
Ooh… also - you know i was writing last week about the book I read, 'One Day' by David Nicholls - Well because of my super fan Paula McCann (McFann) sending the link of my blog to David Nicholls on Twitter he sent me a message thanking me for the kind words I'd written. I was really over-whelmed by this. I respect talent so much and he has it in bucket loads and to have him contact me was amazing!
Also if you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed that this week Tom from McFly suggested he and I swap jobs for a day as he wants to be in Wicked!!! How cool would that be!!!
Anyway folks, I'm off to have some lunch - pasta bolognese I prepared the other day then I'm off to the gym (to burn it off haha).
Stay happy, keep smiling and keep in touch!
Sh-Boom!!!
Mark
