The mother side of the footlights

(tt) When I arrived at her hotel to pick up Miss Lamond she was frantic with nerves and had lost everything including her mind! But after hitting her on the head with her "Talking with the Angels" book she was in fine form.

Here she is in joozh mode outside the thartar before the deluge

 And framed against the marquee

Nice to see lots of people made an effort (is that superfan Hollis under those eyelashes..?)

 I had to meet Jeff Calhoun and his partner, Michael, to hand over tickets at the stage door and by the time I returned Miss L had been swept up and deposited on the red carpet with Miss Jacki Weaver being snapped by the papps! I eventually found her and in we went. Unlike the morguesih atmosphere of the London opening this Palace was abuzz with excitement.

Across the aisle you'll spot Barbara Walters

Look how Brian Thompson designed the front cloth from my Peter Tully brooch.

I didn't take ovation shots cos I wanted to savour the triumphant reception..and I'd done all that in Toronto anyway   So on to the party.

We were limmoed to Chelsea Pier where a long reception of reporters bombarded the cast with lights and mikes.

Here is Gavin Lodge from the cast with Miss L..the first of many of the cast who came to greet her as she sat....

......in this flatteringly pink hallway all night having the world come to her. She would have lasted five minutes in the thump thump thump of the main hall 

which had been turned into a glam version of an outback pub and a casino. Food to last a year was heaped  round the room

 and Swarovski crystals dripped from the ceiling

 A huge Blahnik show posed for people to sit in 

And here are people losing their boas at the tables

Many wonderful Oz friends had flown over or been invited and they included Natalie Gilholme who was in Mancha with me x years ago; the divine Isabel Anderson who played Kate in "Nick Nick"; Kathy Lette, John O'May, Phil Scott,.Michael Huxley,  Rob Hewitt, Jennifer Murphy, Ian Phipps and

the dazzling Ross Skiffington and Gordon Arney

And finally Miss Lamond with an angel, Miss Jacki Weaver.  Both burstingly proud of their son and friend.

I thought he was alright too!

Here are some more pics from Mr Skiffington's camera

Mr Skiffington indulges a major fetish

He might hate Hamlet but he loves Sheldy

Lol and Ms Murph

Mr Scott and Ms Lette

Ms Margolyes in fine form

O'May in goss mode

Kenneth Williams is not dead