Dreamboats and petticoats

What a super day my sister Pat and I enjoyed yesterday in London.
Last Christmas Pat’s son Mark, (my nephew) gave us tickets for the ‘Dreamboats and Petticoats’ show in the Playhouse Theatre. So Pat and I arranged to meet under the clock at Waterloo Station around midday yesterday. When I arrived I was tear filled remembering the many times that I had been welcomed at that spot by my brothers Tim and Des RIP. However, the fact that the upstairs café restaurant is closed as part of the refurbishment of Waterloo Station helped me to look forward while still cherishing those memories. As I wiped tears away an old friend from Kerry tapped me on my shoulder. Don Buckley has worked on this station for forty years or since he left his native place. Semi retired he now assists passengers who require extra help to get to their destination. How lovely it is for someone to genuinely share moments of grief at the same time as regaling with humour and all in a Kerry accent! Small wonder that ‘Kerry’ is christened ‘The Kingdom’!
Our Pat arrived looking very smart all ready to knock spots out of our day in London. We caught the tube to the Embankment to locate the Playhouse theatre. No easy task in the delving rain.
I’ll have to admit here that my method of finding places is to abandon the maps I have researched in place of approaching anyone who I decide might know the way.
Pat and I splashed our way up towards Charing Cross Station to the Strand so that we could use our Pizza Hut meal vouchers. £5 a pizza and a free salad! We could then afford coffee in Fortnum and Mason’s and that is what we did.
When we arrived back in Piccadilly Circus the Olympic torch was there! Yes one of the authentic torches. I couldn’t resist having my photo taken by folk promoting the games as I stood holding that torch at the bottom of the steps leading up to Eros. Then to our surprise my picture was immediately was visible for all to see on the Samsung backdrop above the whole circus. Whow!
When we arrived back at the Embankment the sun shone on the Thames as we viewed the Wheel from the other side. We walked, mingled with tourists and behaved at one with them posing and photographing each other against the London skyline.
Then time for ‘Dreamboats and Petticoats’….the raison d’être of our day!
No matter how high our expectations they were soon surpassed. First our Pat was so proud of her generous son Mark when she led me to the best seats in the house: Four rows from the front and in the middle just near enough to have a wonderful view.
The programme read:
Set in 1961 Dreamboats and Petticoats featuring 52 hits from Rock ‘n’ Roll legends including Elvis, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Adam Faith, Paul Anka and many others, the Dreamboats and Petticoats series is fast becoming the of the Rock ‘n’ Roll generation show
Our emotions ran high as we wished that shy but talented pianist, Laura, would succeed in proving that she loved Bobby. Time speed as our enjoyment of the show progressed. We clapped, sang and eventually danced through hits including Let’s Dance, To Know Him Is To Love Him, Shaking All Over, Let It Be Me, Great Pretender, Bobby’s Girl, Three Steps To Heaven, Only Sixteen, Runaround Sue, Happy Birthday Sweet 16, Little Town Flirt, C’mon Everybody, Let’s Twist Again and many more hits from music’s golden era!
This show proved to be a story of love, excitement, and plenty of music to keep everyone engaged. It seemed to me that my sister Pat recalled happy memories but while I thoroughly enjoyed myself I also regretted having spent those years in the convent.