Covered in Bees

It's a-coming soon. I was actually going to finish and post it the latest chapter this weekend but I got, uh, waylaid*...

Sorry about that, and thank you for your patience. Here is some Anthony tax as penance.

Requesting!!!

Someone on Twitter posted a curtain call video from the 22nd, where they think they've spotted Matt in the audience. The link is below.

https://x.com/A_ri_26/status/1893474212485984630

Just a heads up to any other theatre goers - last night they were only allowing programs to get signed, so make sure you pick one up in the lobby. They're £5.

I did see some of the other cast members signing stuff, but people had to really flag them down and ask them. I think they just assume that people are there for Jonny, so make sure they know that's not the case.

I mean, obviously be respectful, but you do have to ask them, otherwise they'll just walk off.

I went to see Richard II today and it was everything the critics said it would be and more. Originally, I was going to write this whole spiel about how amazing the show was, but ultimately that idea went out of the window, because of... subsequent events.

I was one of the fortunate few who got to meet Jonny when he came to the stage door after the show. I was so incredibly lucky and grateful because, honestly, I know actors don't owe us a presence at Stage Door, and I feel like it must be quite overwhelming to have so many people clambering outside.

But nevertheless, I finally got to meet my hero, and I showed him the Fellow Travelers t-shirt that I made. Honestly, his eyes lit up. When I tell you that everything people say about this man is true, I mean it. Jonathan Bailey is kind and genuine and he gives you his full attention when he talks to you. He's an absolute pure ray of light.

And the story should end there, but it doesn't.

I couldn't say how long Jonny was signing autographs for, but soon his security team was ushering him back into the building. I lingered outside for another ten minutes or so while the crowd dispersed, but only because I made friends with another Fellow Travelers fan in the crowd and frankly, we got to chatting. I don't know how much time had passed, but most of the crowd was gone by the time the stage door reopened and Jonathan Bailey came out for a second time... this time with Matt Bomer in tow.

Matt fucking Bomer. 💀 Out of nowhere.

As it turns out, Matt was in London and came to see the show. Jonny brought him outside, (just for 5 minutes), to meet a couple of the Fellow Travelers nerds who happened to still be lingering outside - including me (with my weird little Tim-shirt), and my new buddy with her FT tattoo.

Is Matt as nice as everyone says he is? No. Somehow, he's even nicer, which I didn't think was possible, but it's true. The man practically radiates kindness, and when combined together with Jonathan Bailey, I think the pair of them could generate enough human kindness to burn out the sun.

I'm dead. I'm just dead. Life doesn't get better than this. Just knowing that they're genuinely friends, and are genuinely as nice as they appear in interviews is enough to keep me going.

In the immortal words of Timothy David Laughlin, "I can't bear being this happy". I have so much energy right now, I might never sleep again.

Paramount Pictures cast a bunch of middle-aged men and women to play high school seniors, and you know what? As an audience, we respected that. Because musicals are an artform, and if you can suspend your disbelief long enough to believe that an entire school can burst into song, then you can sure as hell make your peace with Kenickie looking like a 40-something oil rig worker.