So I have a confession to make. I’ve been holding out on a bit of info. Not because I wanted to be secretive, but I could not be certain, but decided after yesterday that you guys can make your own minds up. It involves a baseball cap, a theatre and a lady in a pink suit.
Bit of background info. I have a family member who works in a West End theatre. When a very famous celeb comes on their own to watch a show, but they wish to be discreet, there is a procedure the theatre follows. They are usually snuck in approx 5/10 mins before curtain up while the audience is still working out where to put their bags & chatting with their neighbours. If possible put on the front row, as face is forward & less likely to be spotted by the audience behind them. They are also accompanied by a member of the front of house because if they do get spotted and cause a stir the front of house person knows where the secret doors are to get them out of the theatre fast. My family member has done this for Patti LuPone and JB to name two.
Back to my confession, 😄. As mentioned in a previous post due to a business trip to London, and staying on the Southbank, my hubby got tickets for Playboy of the Western World as a treat on the 9th Jan. Appreciating that this was Nic’s bday I wondered if any of her friends or family would be there. Knowing the significance of the date I asked for a balcony seat, because in this theatre at the National it gives you a good look at the stalls. So got there nice and early with a glass of wine and watched thinking I might see Camilla, Jack or even Jake and the kindergarten crew. It would be disappointing, but at least confirmation. So I sat watching the audience enter.
About 5 mins before curtain up something catches my eye. A tall guy appears from the right side of the stage and sort of jogs/lops to his seat in the front row. No one else is doing this. The person accompanying him is a little behind and kinda looks like she’s wearing the dress down outfit of someone working front of house, but not definitive. What is really strange is the guy is wearing a baseball cap. He’s dressed in black with what looks like a hoodie and this cap the colour of the photos above. Once he sits down he takes it off with a flourish and chucks it to the foot of the stage. This has my attention. Just before curtain goes up another party arrives and a very stylish lady in a pink suit with a brown bob haircut sits on this guys right, chatting with her party.
Intermission arrives and I immediately glance back to this guy. What is very strange is he immediately bends over and puts his bbcap back on. Again not normal behaviour at a play in the UK and the lady in pink turns and stares at him. He leaves the stalls.
Decide to stay seated and watch, because this guy does seem to be acting like a celeb, but due to cap and him never turning around I can’t see his face.
On his return as he goes to sit down the lady in pink addresses him. Her body language is giving a giddy moment, like when a woman is flirting with a man she fancies, or chatting with a celebrity. It gives that same kind of energy. He gives a brief reply and stinks further down in his seat and throughout all of part 2 he never takes his bb cap off at all! Unheard of behaviour in a theatre. It’s giving hiding vibes.
Great performances on stage, the curtain comes down again, my attention goes back to this guy. He holds back a bit to get behind the mass of the stall audience as they go out. This gives the lady in pink an opportunity to giggly chat with him again. So much so that a party of people on the other end of the front row choose to linger, watch and look down the row at the pink lady & the guy in the hoodie. Pink lady leans forward and puts her hand out to shake hoodie guys hand as if to congratulate or thank him. As he’s leaving to go he turns, shakes her hand and he briefly replies to her and she nods her head and he gets whisked out of the stalls. She then goes another way out of the theatre.
I’m certain this is a celeb and try to get off the balcony, but now I’m stuck behind the audience & by the time I get out both bbcap guy and pink lady have gone. 😑.
However I did take some photos on my phone, they are not the highest quality but I will leave you to make up your own minds who you think it is sitting in the audience on Nic’s birthday.
Another one of our tr friends reminded me before I decided to do this post that Luke has a strange parting and bald patch on the back of his head. This is the back of this guys head. Not great quality, something is there, but how conclusive is up to you.
The next photo is a zoomed in photo of the guy from a the curtain call wearing the bbcap. Terrible quality I know.
I decided not to share at the time because it was not conclusive, but yesterday the media teams seemed to be asserting control and flattening our resolve so I thought I would be candid and leave it for you to decide and tr friends agreed.
So although I can not be certain, I think I know who the mystery guy could be.