Hyde Park Cinema
22nd Feb 2003

By Martin

Leeds... It seemed so far off when we got the original booking, but it was the first proper full show for "The Forks" since the demise of the Grosvenor back in June 2002 (a whole 8 months!). Still we did have that Rocky frenzy based around the stage show in October, still that had been and gone!

It was decided that we would take individual cars down to Leeds, and stay over one night. The cars were Pauline's with Marty, Kenny and Barry. Em's with her Neil and all the "shite" (aka props and costumes), and finally Young Emma's car with Frank, Blondie and Layla. From the wilds of deepest darkest London, England we were to be joined by Clive Cheer, Ed Marlowe and our London Stalker and from Birmingham the ever popular Saffy! Due to some indispositions we had to substitute some cast members, so the cast for the show was:

The Show got off to a funky start with a "Taboo" pre-show. Then the usual funnies with the audience while sacrificing some virgins and judging the cozzie contest. I decided to use an old favourite - the "show-the-virgins-how-to-have-sex" game. As most of you know this involves getting one of the virgins to lie on the floor, have one of the others stand over their groin area and getting the other two to lift the prone virgin up to the standing virgins' groin! How could I have known that one of the virgins I would choose would turn out to have a false leg and therefore couldn't be lifted by the feet!!!

This time round I decided to do the costume contest a little differently. I had issued each cast member with a "Golden Ticket" and they were told to give it to the costume that they liked best. Thus when it came to the costume contest I could ask for those with a "Golden Ticket" only to come down, and not have 75% of the audience rush to the front as happened the last time we did the show in Leeds! The eventual winners were a husband and wife, Space Riff and Space Magenta (who had brought their daughter along as a pyjama Columbia!) - nice to see that the next generation are being encouraged!

The show itself got off to its usual good start with Layla giving her all as Trixie - nice to see her back after nearly a year out of the part! The wedding scene bumped along quite nicely with Em springing one of her surprise disguises as "Hedwig-The-Nun" in the role of the Priest! Saff as Mags Goth, Ed as Riff Goth and Jen as Columbia Goth. The Stalker turned in a spirited performance as Janet, ever on the look out for a joke even managed to become Brad at one point! - More of this later.

When Em as Frank made her entrance the energy as usual jumped up a notch. One audience member was overheard to say after the show "She was bloody brilliant - every move on screen, she was doing in real life!" The puppets made their usual appearance and were greeted by Maggie Bob and Mia screaming "...and they called it Puppet Love..." which really tickled the audience, even the hardened regulars!

"Touch - a - Touch" was a real thrill for Amy as she was playing with a performer that had a pulse! (Something she's not previously been used to!) Dinner passed off rather uneventfully (we'd forgotten to buy a cake!) and even Amy had not made up one of her famous notes!

The Floorshow got off to a good start with all the principals giving their all. The finale had Space Riff and Magenta appearing as a surprise double act - this time it was..... The Toys from "Toy Story", Buzz and Woody.

The fun was not even finished there, there was one more surprise left in the box for "Superheroes". Barry came out in Janet's wig and The Stalker had Brad's glasses on, a wizard wheeze!

And that, as we say, is that for the show. But back at the hotel there was a bath full of BOOZE! (See the photo if you don't believe me!) and it had to be drunk! Then all of a sudden it was Sunday Morning and we all had to say goodbye and wend our weary ways home. Another Rocky weekend over, "But we'll always have the Memories!"

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