Well, #1’s big moment was absolutely awesome. And I say that as a totally neutral member of the audience, not as his very proud Mum. I’m also ashamed to say that I missed him on stage the first time - I whispered ‘that’s funny, I can hear him but I can’t see him… he must be just off stage’ before realising that he was, in fact, right in front of me, but sans glasses and with his new haircut, suitably greased into a Bugsy-esque middle parting, I didn’t spot him. You couldn’t, however, miss his fantastically clear singing voice as he belted out the song. His much worried-about duet with Blousy was wonderful and had me reaching for the tissues. Here’s a cast pic (deliberately far away and a bit fuzzy..you have to protect their privacy these days) - he’s the one with the flash reflecting off his glasses and the very loud shirt on (he was ‘Razzmatazz’, played in the original by Michael Jackson, just in case you’re interested). Also note Tallulah in the red dress and feather to the right of centre, covered in ’splurge’ (shaving foam, which also covered the first two rows of the audience).

They really were incredibly good - using the original script (vast amounts for the more major cast members to learn) and singing all the original songs, with full dance numbers and numerous set changes. They took it all very seriously and used some very impressive techniques, such as showing both sides of a telephone conversation by showing one (recorded earlier) on the large video screen at the back of the stage, with the other going on in real time. They also managed to show Bugsy and Blousy driving off in their old 1920s car at the end, through the lamplit streets of downtown Chicago - all done with clever videography and computer graphics. Highlights included the pink-satin clad dancing girls in Fat Sam’s Grand Slam speakeasy, and particularly funny detectives: O’Dreary and Smolsky: ‘c’mere and I’ll kick yer Irish butt all the way back to Tipperary’.

We arrived home with a very tired #2 and rather hoarse #1 at 11pm and it was a bit hard to drag them out of bed this morning too. Showbiz, eh? It’s no picnic.

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