The second interval found me drawn irresistibly to Floral Street and dragging Mandy with me. Various people were queuing outside the Stage Door. We lingered back (I like being at the back of a queue). I made Mandy come in with me. We stood patiently and obediently in a queue, allowing all the people in front of us to go and meet Plácido before us. Well, actually, Mandy wasn't going to, but I made her, I bullied her!
He was standing behind the desk beyond the Stage Door, which is a very sensible place to meet fans. Far more sensible than out in the street where everybody tends to jostle a bit. He had requested 'no photos', which, obviously, is a bit disappointing, but I do think that it's very very good of him to be so kind as to let us meet him in this way, and I am immeasurably grateful for opportunities such as this. I think quite a lot of people, like my mother, like some colleagues etc, can hardly believe how easy it is to meet him, how approachable he is. Nor can I, for that matter. I really don't think he's under any obligation, he could play the big superstar divo and be remote and unobtainable. But he's not like that
He was still in costume, and looking lovely. I decided I would ask him for his autograph. I was very nervous, which is silly, because he is not that sort of person. And then I asked him a question, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but I'm not so sure in retrospect...I asked him - pointing out that he does a lot of rolling around on the floor on stage - whether he does the same off-stage. He just smiled at me mischievously. I may have misinterpreted but, you know, I think, that was a yes! And I narrowly avoided walking into the door this time! We had debated whether we should ask whether he wanted a beer (the back door of the Nag's Head is just across the road) but in the end, we didn't.
And then I went home, to savour my memories of a thrilling performance and to enjoy my memory of meeting Plácido. A fleeting meeting, a pleasant memory. I realise it's a bit silly wanting to meet one's pin-up hero in such a way. Ultimately, it's meaningless. I suspect that there are people who hang round Stage Doors and so on, who think that their fleeting encounters with celebrities equals friendship, or hope that somehow, in some way, it will lead to something more meaningful. It isn't and it doesn't. And, at the end of the day, what makes the experience special is the act that it comes after a sensational and memorable performance of a wonderful wonderful opera!
