No Unlucky 13 For Me!

Yesterday I made my 13th trip to see my favourite actress light up the stage in the spectacular Shrek Tour.

It certainly wasn't unlucky 13 for me because last night turned out to be practically perfect.

I say practically perfect. . . . .

I did have a moment of panic when I arrived at the theatre and saw the cast list which said that Eva Bailey was playing Fiona.

I'd been in contact with Faye earlier in the day so I was pretty sure this was a mistake but it was still a great releif when she appeared on stage to welcome us to 'Fiona the Musical'.

It's impossible to imagine anyone other than Faye playing the Princess, she is quite simply irreplaceable.

It was the full cast last night and they were all on top of their game.

Dean gave us an Ogre full of layers, Iddris is a bundle of energy wrapped up in fur as Shreks noble steed and you'll find yourself in fits of laughter everytime Gerard - who plays Farquaard - is on stage.

That said, there is no denying the star of thr show is Faye Brookes.

Every time I see her perform I'm completely blown away and amazed by her sensational expressive acting and breathtaking vocals.

Some might say she's lucky to be blessed with the looks of a Princess, the voice of angel and acting skills to rival anyone on this planet. Well I say we're the lucky ones to be able to follow this remarkable lady on her journey to stardom.

As always after the show I went to the stage door to meet up with Faye.

She's super quick de-greening after 10 month's practice so I didn't have to wait too long.

We had such a lovely chat. I've met her nearly 30 times now and have seen her fairly regularly on the Shrek Tour so I don't get quite as nervous as I used to. We're almost like friends :)

We talked about so many things it's impossible to remember them all. We chatted for 10 minutes at the stage door and for another 10 minutes as I walked with her back to my car which was on route to her digs.

We discussed the show, the amazing cast, life on the road, Gareth - who had spent most of the week with Faye in Birmingham - , the next leg of the tour in Glasgow, the cast list mistake which nearly gave me a heart attack and much, much more.

Unfortunately I wont be able to make it up to Glasgow to see Faye but I did give her a little friend who promised to keep her company when she travels north of the border next week.

I have a West Highland White Terrier named Max who Faye has met on 2 or 3 occasions. His friend Hamish - who is also native to Scotland - was over the moom to hear he'd be accompanying a Princess back to his homeland.

There was just time for a quick selfie - which I love - before I had to let Faye go and get some much needed rest ahead of 4 shows this weekend.

As always I can't thank her enough for being so kind, thoughtful & friendly. She's just as special off stage as she is on it. A star in every way.