One of the highlights of my London culture course is that we were able to take numerous field trips around the city. We visited a few museums but the best trip we took was to the theater. Our class met our professor at the Apollo Theater for a matinee showing of The Audience. Starring Kristen Scott Thomas as the Queen of England, The Audience gives people a look at the weekly meetings between the Queen and the 12 Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron who have held that position during her time as Queen.
Going into the theater that day, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this play. I didn’t know if conversations between the Queen and political figures would hold my attention, but I found myself engaged throughout the entirety of The Audience. Thomas beautifully and confidently portrayed the Queen, transitioning throughout different times in her life with ease. Nicholas Woodesen played Harold Wilson with charisma and Mark Dexter’s David Cameron provided some surprising comedic relief.
Every day that I ride the tube, I see hundreds of posters for plays and musicals in London and the one that I always payed the most attention to was the posters for the musical Memphis. I had seen it years ago at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle but in London, Matt Cardle was playing the male lead of Huey Calhoun. For those who don’t know, Matt Cardle won the 2010 season of Britain’s X-Factor (beating One Direction) and I’ve been a fan of his for a few years now. I wasn’t sure if I was going to have time to go see Memphis, with so many API and Westminster events to participate in, but I had a free evening the day I saw The Audience. So I went and bought a 20 pound ticket from the Shaftesbury Theater and was blown away when I got to the theater and realized that my ticket was in the second row.
The moment the show started, I was incredibly giddy. And the moment Matt Cardle busted through the door of Delray’s, I couldn’t stop smiling. The musical was even better than I remembered. I couldn’t help but sway in my seat every time Matt opened his mouth to sing and I was pleasantly surprised by his acting skills, southern accent, and comedic timing. Memphis was his West End debut so I was really happy to see him fit into this role of Huey so perfectly. His voice is even more amazing live and watching him sing along with Beverly Knight who plays his love interest Felicia absolutely gave me chills. It’s safe to say that I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for days now.
After the show, I really wanted to possibly, potentially, maybe see if I could meet Matt. I had gone to stage doors after shows before and met actors, so I figured, why not try? So I wandered over to the side door and waited it out, awkwardly standing amongst a few other audience members. Dancers and supporting actors came out in spurts but I kept waiting. Beverly Knight came out and I managed to mutter that she was amazing before getting a picture with her. I waited for a few more minutes before the door opened and Matt walked out. I didn’t want to miss my opportunity so I walked up to him. I tapped him on the shoulder and asked if I could get a picture with him. He said of course and sounded so genuine. After taking a picture with him, I managed to sputter out that I was in London to study abroad and that I wasn’t sure I was going to have time to see the show but since I had a free evening, I came by. He said he was so happy I was able to make it and thanked me when I told him how amazing he was on stage. We hugged before I walked away, wanting to give the other audience members who waited around a chance to talk to him.
I’m not even lying when I say that that was one of the best nights of my life. I was able to experience a part of London culture that is so huge and meet someone who I’m a huge fan of. And the fact that Matt was incredibly sweet and kind made it even better. Definitely a night, and a day, I’m always going to remember.
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