The Twitter world knew about my trip to London. Lucy, one of the Spooks fans on Twitter, reached out to me before I arrived in London and invited me to meet up for a coffee on Saturday. I thought that that was a nice suggestion and agreed to meet. I thought that I was just meeting Lucy, but she showed up with a whole posse of international Spooks fans. There were ones from Sweden, Belgium, France and, of course, the UK. They were all so nice and friendly. They had tickets for the Matinee performance. As I was about to leave before the Matinee started, they convinced me to try and get a standing ticket so that I could watch the performance with them. To watch the play a second time, standing for the entire duration. What was I thinking? As a teacher, I am often expected to be on my feet for at least five hours a day. But I recently suffered a ruptured disc in my back and standing for long periods of time was not recommended for someone in my condition. My new friends were concerned and offered up a seat but I said no, I’ll stand.
Having seen the play twice by now, what did I think of it? I watched the play from a special educator’s perspective and all the parts were spot on, from the lead actor’s mannerisms, to the rest of the cast, the stress on families, the teacher teaching coping techniques to the student. The story also portrays the fact someone can be different yet have an extremely high IQ. (I’d already read the book so there were no surprises). It was heartbreaking to watch a parent want to hold their child yet knowing it isn’t possible, or wanting to communicate with their child and it may be limited to gestures. The child thinks in a concrete style, abstract is a difficult concept. I could point out a few flaws, but who is to say I am right and the writer wrong. It was a wonderful play and I cannot say or write that enough.
My new friends were all Nicola Walker regulars, by that I mean most of them go and watch every play in which she performs. So naturally after the show, we all went back to the Stage Door to talk to Nicola. When Nicola saw me, she said, “You’re back!” Nothing is ever without an exclamation point when she’s with her fans, unless the conversation turned serious. She received many gifts from the group and needless to say. she was impressed and pleased. There was more talk of Spooks. She looked at some of the mementos regarding Peter Firth and her face took on a nostalgic look. Her time was short for the matinee break. Still she talked. I listened and took photographs. A kind bystander took a group shot of us with Nicola. My friends were coming back for the evening performance. Nicola seemed pleased when she heard that. More than the conversation this time, I noticed the interest coming from her, especially with this group, which could overwhelm anyone (no offense). I’ve not truly smiled in a very long time, but these fans of Nicola Walker and the woman herself made me smile. She’s not the first famous person I’ve met but she is by far the most personable. I observe people. I watch their body language. She was so receptive. It seems she is energized by her fans even when apparently exhausted. We mentioned Simon Russell Beale was in the audience for the Matinee. “I know and didn’t see him until halfway through the play,” Nicola said. “If I had known I would have been so nervous!”
And speaking of Simon Russell Beale, I managed to get this picture after a funny conversation I had with him. (What was so funny about that conversation? Well, that’s between him and me 😛 )
I didn’t get a ticket for the evening performance, but I waited around the National Theatre for my friends who took in their second show of the day. Afterwards, we went round to speak with Nicola again.
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Dee,
This is a great report, I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip to London.
I’m inspired by this article, you seem like a truly lovely person and I’m glad that you came to London by yourself. It sounds like you had a blast.
My aunt’s granddaughter has special needs and I feel this is something that affects many many people and it’s refreshing to know there are people like you out there helping others.
All the best with your future endeavours, I agree there is a natural reporter in you.
Thank you for your kind words and I do teach in Virginia. Like to think we are better at what we do as we learn more each year especially related to ASD. Many would like for me to return to reporting, but for now I love teaching.
Dee,
Thank you very much for allowing us to share your extraordinary time in London. I still can’t believe that you saw Nicola so many times in such a short time. It was also great that you met with Nicola’s British and European fans.
The play has a strong resonance for me too. One of my sons, adopted from the orphanage of Zagreb, spent 13 years with special needs and autistic children. My filing cabinet is full of IEP and reports from various institutions (which I shall not name) throughout Virginia! I also sub in special ed classes. During the NT live broadcast, which luckily takes place in a dark movie theater, I hope that I won’t burst into tears in watching Nicola. I know too well the difficulties and sometimes the absurdity facing the parents of special needs children.
I became hooked by Spooks and even more so by the relationship between Harry and Ruth. Even though over the years I have enjoyed the performances of regular and guest actors, I am fascinated by the chemistry between Peter Firth and Nicola. As much as I hated the implausible ending of Spooks, Nicola had a point regarding the importance of Jane Featherstone in the creation of Spooks. However, without Peter and Nicola, the show would not have lasted that long.
I am just amazed how Nicola takes the time to chat to all her fans after two grueling performances in one day. I love your lively insights into Nicola’s past and future roles. You capture so well Nicola’s inner and outer beauty. The hugging part made me chuckle. I hope that you can go back to London some time in the future. We, the fans of Nicola, are looking forward to your reportage. You might be a teacher now, but you are still a reporter at heart.