Roxan ~ In My Life with the Beatles

22

Dead Parrots

The applause was deafening, the crowd rising to their feet all around the theatre. I knew the Monty team were great, but their show tonight would be the launch pad for great success beyond England's shores, I was sure of it.

John, Eric and the cast all snaked back onto the stage accepting the ovation with overdone bows for the ladies in the cast and curtsy's for the gents. The backdrop of animation, that ran all night, during and between much of the performance, now had a giant finger pointing down to each of the cast with a flag waving each members' name. This was so different and engagingly strange, it was a surefire hit.

All of my group of friends chatted amongst themselves recalling scenes and laughing at each other's attempts at repeating lines of dialogue.

"I especially liked the Dead Parrot skit. That tall fellow. Cleese, is it. I don't know how he can be so deadpan!" Rich mimicking Cleese "And all his animals called Eric, bloody brilliant. Would be rather handy. Do you think we could name all the children we have just one name, Maur!?"

George stepped out into the hallway yelling "That was mind blowing. I loved that!!" Brian hot on his heels trying to get him to quieten down.

"What was your favourite, Paul?" I chose Paul because he seemed to have enjoyed himself all night but now was away with the fairy's.

"Pardon luv, what was that? Oh, Yes tonight? I couldn't say love. It was all hilarious, the Lumberjack song was catchy" Paul grimaced a little and continued "..Sorry luv, just wondering why I'm here and she's...." Paul just shrugged his shoulders, he wasn't at all sure where Jane was that evening.

"Stop whining Paul, it was a cracker night. Enjoy it!! Think about the Jane dilemma tomorrow, mate" John then took Paul into a very loud and squishy bear hug continuing to 'console' Paul "There. There, my man; Uncle Johnny will make you all happy again"

We started to walk down the flights of stairs after the main audience subsided then took a right towards the 'Backstage' sign and opened the door to hurrahs, hoots and hollers of the cast enjoying their fabulous night . 
The afterparty had already begun.

The following hour and a half was full of chat whilst mingling and joke telling aplenty. Ten minutes plus was spent with everyone rating the two Johns- Cleese, and Lennon's, 'silly walks'. A truce was called because they both ended up crashing into the drinks counter spilling booze thus causing jeers and boos. They agreed to continue the walk off at another future date. They then did a high stepping march out of the room hand in hand. New friends right there!

George found food thank goodness, because, by the time Patty led him into the party, he was drooling over imagined ice-cream and piles of chocolate.
I immediately grabbed George and carted him over to Eric, also stood at the spread of food. "Eric -George, George- Eric" I introduced the two men quickly "I believe you both like cheesecake and strawberries.. so a match made in heaven" with that Eric and George nodded vigorously and turned back to get a pile of assorted goodies and took off to a corner in animated conversation about the show, food, and how skits developed.

A cow bell rang softly at first then built to a crashing clang clang clang sound.

"Speech time! Speech time!" John said beckoning the others to step forward. "Make it short will you Cleese. I have the 1.10 bus to catch!" said Eric from the bar, walking over with a scotch and coke.

"OK. Thank you all from the bottom of all our gizzards for turning up tonight. Means an awful dreadful lot. Thank-you to the lights and mics staff without you no one could have seen or heard us! Also thanks to our ever- accommodating wives without you we would have no new material" Everyone laughed "Our mums and dads, here or there, dead and living we know you are our greatest supporters.... Can I borrow 10 pound dad just til Friday? And No! we are not going to finish our various degrees at Cambridge!"

Eric then stepped up "My turn- Thanks to all my new fans 1 pound for an autograph and 2 pound for a kiss- queue is by the door...  5 pound if you want a kiss behind the garden wall. Ha!"

John Cleese turned to myself and Amanda, a fellow Uni mate. "Now these 2 young ladies need no introduction. They may look like quiet, shy lasses but without them there was no Messiahs mother" Cleese said pointing to me.

"He isn't the Messiah. He's just a naughty boy" I called back in a bawdy accent drawing scattered laughter and a few claps of applause from the gather crowd. The Beatle party gaped and beamed in slight disbelief.

"Or" pointing to Amanda "Lady MacBeth in our send up of, funnily enough, MacBeth or in our case McBath. Without these two helpers, so- so actresses.... No really you both were great, sometime contributors and first audience members without which we may not be here today"

"We might be in Great Yarmouth instead" Eric called out.

"Rox, you wrote our first contracts for the BBC, bailed us out of enough police stations to send a saner person potty and helped us attach posters onto every lamp post and lav' in Cambridge. Thank-you!" John walked over and gave me a hug and squeeze "Oh, and I would marry this girl but me Missus probably wouldn't approve. You four mop people over there have landed dead lucky with Rox and you better look after her or I will turn Eric onto you!"

I was, by now, the colour of the sherry, deep crimson but leaned into John for a hug, his towering frame hunched over me, Eric then joining in for good measure.

The night was running out of steam and so were those assembled. Rich, Maureen, Brian and Freda headed off first. George and Patty bidding farewell shortly thereafter stating they were off to another club or two. Paul found himself escorting Amanda home which, for the first time since the show, drew a happy smile to his face. James had left to escort Eric's younger sister home much to Eric's feigned distress.

That left me and John to have one more spin round the room shaking hands and kissing cheeks (well I kissed cheeks, he only shook hands- I think.... he was quite partial to Cleesey!) With promises to meet up again after the Lads forthcoming tour we headed out into the cool night air.

"Brilliant night, Miss Nicholls" John pretending to swoon with both his hands on his heart.

"Why thank-you, I'm glad you had fun"

"I'm glad to have discovered another side to you, when Cleese said you helped them with acting and such, I would never have guessed" John held the door open for me and we jumped in the waiting taxi and headed towards Saville Row. "Is it something you would want to follow up on, maybe local theatre"

"Oh no, not for me at all! I was so nervous even in front of just a few dozen audience members. I'm very happy with what I am doing. I have made some great friends – you, Paul, all of you are terrific"

"Errr sir; that'll be 2 pound 50 thanks" the Cockney driver called over his shoulder. We had arrived at our destination.