'The best laid schemes...'

Hello everyone

Well, this is it - less than a week to ago until 'Much Ado About Nothing' (or 5 days, 17 hours and 46 minutes at the time of writing this)!  I can't believe it's come round so quickly - it was back in January that I made the mad scramble to try and get tickets, and now here we are coming up to the end of July, and the big day is nearly here...

I just wish I wasn't so nervous - I really don't know what's the matter with me!  I keep telling myself that once I actually arrive in London, I'll be OK, but I have to say, I think it's the prospect of being in the presence of my hero that's really making me go weak at the knees - I was nervous when I went to the RSC for 'Hamlet' (can't believe it was three years ago now), but I don't think I was as bad as this.

I can only think it's the proximity - I was up on the second level at the RSC, and all I can really remember is staring at the back of his head when he first appeared and thinking, 'I've watched you on TV and in the cinema, and you're here in the same room as me!  I didn't imagine you after all!'  The one thing I can still remember as clearly as if it was yesterday is when he took the curtain call - he came on last after everyone else, and the applause and cheering was deafening - I think we nearly took the roof off at one point!  And he beamed back at us with the most beautiful smile, and I thought then, 'This is it - this is where you belong - on the stage.  This is where you're at home'.

And now, on Saturday, I'm going to be only four rows away, and it's no good, I'm trembling at the prospect!  I've read so many wonderful reviews and accounts from people who've been, and at last I'm going to see what they've seen for myself.

My outfit is ready, my tickets bought and maps printed, so here goes!  My next post will be a full and detailed account, hopefully with photos... *crosses fingers*

Anyway, I thought I'd leave you with an example of what I'll be gazing at on Saturday, plus, as a special treat, David in his leather trousers from 'Fright Night', just for my lovely fellow DT ladies!

Wish me luck! :)

All the best,

Zoe.

'Allow myself to introduce... myself.'

Hello everyone

Well, after much procrastinating, I've finally got round to setting up a blog of my own!  However, I've been reading such brilliant blogs by other people, I know I've got a hard act to follow - just hope this doesn't disappoint!

I suppose I should start by saying a bit about myself - I'm Zoe, I'm 31, and I live in Oxfordshire in the UK.  I have a degree in English & History, and I work in administration for a medical communications company.  I'm on both Twitter and Facebook, if anyone would like to follow!

I'm interested in lots of different things - I like to go to the cinema, although I must confess I've been meaning to go again for some time now and haven't got round to it; I love music - I'll listen to just about anything - my iPod contains everything from Muse to Lady Gaga to Queen to Bellowhead and The Darkness!  I watch far too much TV, I freely admit, but again I'm happy to try any new programmes that interest me - I especially love dramas, whether they be period or modern.

I'd love to go to the theatre more often - living out in the countryside unfortunately makes this a bit difficult, but I particularly want to see more Shakespeare on stage.  I am a self-confessed Shakespeare geek - I'll happily sit and read the plays in my spare time, and am trying to convert all those people who say that they hated studying it at school.  Once you've seen it performed, you can completely understand why he was our greatest playwright - even if you don't understand everything that he's saying, it's always possible to follow most of it, and the words run together so well, they almost have a song-like quality to me.  In my opinion, I think that every school pupil should have the opportunity to see at least one Shakespeare play performed on stage, so they can truly appreciate it.

Of course, I now have to mention someone who is very special and important to me, as everyone who knows me who is reading this will tell you, and that is David Tennant.  I hesitate to use the word 'fan', as it does unfortunately have some negative connotations, but I've been an admirer of both his work and of him as a person for quite a few years now, and I truly believe that not only is he the best British actor of his generation, but also a genuinely kind, thoughtful, generous and lovely person, as well as being very handsome (which goes without saying!).  I've been lucky enough to see him perform on stage, as Hamlet for the RSC in 2008, and am very excited to be seeing him and Catherine Tate in 'Much Ado About Nothing' in two weeks' time.  As marvellous as he is on television and film, when you see him on the stage, you can see that this is where he's happiest and most at home, and I urge anyone who has only ever seen him on screen to try and see him on stage, if you can, and then you will see and understand what an incredible talent he has.  His energy is amazing, and he interacts with the audience in a way that makes you feel as though he's speaking directly to you.  When he takes the curtain calls, he beams at you with such a beautiful smile, it's infectious, and you can't help being caught up in his happiness and smiling too.

I promise I'll try not to ramble about David too much, but I will do some 'Tennant Time' posts every so often.  I've made such lovely friends on Twitter and Facebook and also on the DT Forum, who all appreciate him as much as I do, and it's great to be able talk about him with other like-minded people.  I'd like to take this opportunity to apologise to all my friends for all the times I've rambled on about him too much - thank you for your patience!  What can I say - I've learned that in this life, everyone has something, whether it be a person, or a sports team, or a band, that is their favourite, and it would be a very boring world if we all liked the same things!

One thing I should say - I will never post anything or make any comments about David's private life here.  I know how important his privacy is to him, and I've always been very impressed that, in this age of 'celebrity', where we're told everything about everyone, whether we want to hear it or not, David has always kept his private life private, and I will respect his wishes.

Well, I think that's just about enough for the moment!  I'll try and check in whenever I can, and will of course be posting a full account of my adventures in London - hopefully with some photos too!

All the best,

Zoe.