Alex Pettyfer and Frances Knox

The opening night of Gigi was great fun!  Steve's orchestration was sublime as usual.   Nymphlike  Lisa O'Hare was a glorious Gigi, practically perfect in every way, and her leading man the beautiful Thomas Borchert gave a seamless performance as Gaston.  Linda Thorson and Millicent Martin as Aunt Alicia and Mamita were both stunningly hilarious as the good and bad influences in Gigi's life.   Topol, in his lilac suite, charmed the audience  with that famously deep and tremulous voice.

But the highlight of the evening for Steve's and my daughters - Madeleine and Frances (who played May and Jenny Morris in the Possessed workshop performances) was meeting Alex Pettyfer at the after show party.  Alex came to watch his father Richard Pettyfer, who was playing Manuel in the show.  Richard has been a West End musical performer all his life and clearly passed on the thespian gene to his charismatic son.  Alex became the heart throb of every teenage girl after appearing  in Tom Brown's Schooldays and then the film Stormbreaker.   Alex will hit the headlines yet again today in the premier of the film Wildchild, as Freddie, playing opposite Emma Roberts (Julia Roberts neice).  Above is a photo of Alex and Frances, with Linda Thorson and Richard Pettyfer in the background at the after show party.