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 Sawnie
Burgos O'Brien and Mark
Meader,
a.k.a. the
Wonderland team, managed to save some shekels and were able to go to London to share a
week with
LYNDA CARTER
and see her in the play
“CHICAGO”, and believe us, it was worth
every penny (or shekel!). Full with photos, audio and video here’s the full
report about their week in London with Lynda Carter!!! |
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Sawnie
arrives on
Saturday 12
and meets Lynda by chance when walking our friend from Washington
DC,
Paul Corsi
to the
Adelphi Theatre.
When Lynda came out, there were many fans there to greet her,
complement her on her role of
“Mama Morton”,
and to have pictures signed, of course. Lynda looked incredibly and
naturally beautiful. While she was signing the offered items, Sawnie
said
“Hi Lynda!”
and she stopped signing, let out a very surprised yell
“Oh my gawd!!!”,
and hugged and praised Sawnie and our site to the skies and to the
fans who were there. Lynda asked when we (Sawnie and Mark) were
supposed to see the show, and we would discover later that it had a
purpose. She thanked for the flowers, plants and gifts she’s been
receiving since she arrived to London, and was very praiseful with
the site all the time. She is very appreciative of what this site
has become to her and her many fans, and had nothing but good things
to say about it, such as
“terrific, fantastic,
amazing, fabulous, etc. etc.”
These words would become common during the rest of the week. To the
fans surprise, Lynda’s family were also there having made the trip
over the pond to see Lynda’s performance. Jessica rapidly walked
out, and James stayed behind her all the time, while her husband
Robert was waiting across the street. |
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Mark got to
London on
Monday 14 and
together with Sawnie they go to the stage door with flowers that
evening, but the guard came out and told us that Lynda had left by
the front door to take some friends out to dinner. We were
disappointed, but felt that she was entitled after her performance
to be able to entertain her friends and to take a break from
greeting her fans. |
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The
next day we had tickets for the evening’s performance, and we came to the stage
door about 5:30 in the evening to wait for her, loaded down with cameras, tape
recorders and flowers. She didn’t disappoint us as all of sudden Lynda came
walking very fast down the alley wearing jeans & a white shirt and light blue
sweater under a beautiful full length golden fur coat, having taken a cab from
her hotel. She paused when she saw us, said “I’m a little late, guys,” but when
she saw Sawnie she came back out from the stage door. Sawnie introduced Mark to
her, and were just amazed at how beautiful she looked, her dark hair flowing
over the fur collar, freshly washed & fragrant, her smiling face framed by the
fur collar and so kind and patient as Mark stammered greetings and gave her the
flowers. She thanked Mark very graciously and offered him her cheek to kiss,
then paused for photos. We let her go into the theatre and walked to a café to
wait in anticipation to get our seats for the play. |
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The
Adelphi Theatre
was built in the early 1800’s, but was well lit and had a spacious
stall area for the patrons, plus two balconies. Sawnie and Mark had
seats in the
second row from the stage,
on the right side, and the theatre was quite filled when the play
began. Sawnie had previously seen the play on the same theatre a few
years back, but this time it was very special. The stage was bare,
with just a raised orchestra stand, which the players came around or
from stage left or right as the play began. Then during act one,
after the third song, the time came that we had been waiting for.
Lynda’s song was announced as
“And now ladies and
gentlemen, the keeper of the keys, the countess of the clink, the
mistress of murderer’s row, Matron Mama Morton!” She
strode out from stage right, right in front of us, and began to sing
“When You’re Good to
Mama, Mama’s Good to You.”
Her voice was beautifully rich and full, her black-clad dominatrix
presence was overpowering, and she clearly owned the stage that
night as she stalked back and forth! But to our great amazement and
joy, when she sang the chorus,
“When You’re Good to
Mama” her eyes
saw us in the second row and she pointed her finger at Sawnie and
Mark and ad-libbed
“Mama’s Good to
You…and You!”.
We were ecstatic! Her role as “Mama” continued as she exchanged
lines with
Roxie and Velma,
lawyer Billy Flynn,
and others of the cast, whose acting was excellent in their roles of
citizens of Chicago in the roaring 20’s. In act two, after Roxie’s
trial, Lynda and
Amra-Faye Wright
(Velma) sang the duet
“Class”, a
woeful commentary about the low-brow people they are forced to
contend with, and Lynda’s voice was as strong as before, although
she let Amra draw her words a little longer, as a pro would kindly
do for a young actress. When not singing or speaking her lines,
Lynda sat on the side of the theatre with other members of the cast,
pretending to ad-lib to each other and react while the drama was
played out on stage. |
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When the
play ended, some people from the theater took Sawnie and Mark
backstage. Outside the stage door there were more than a dozen fans.
We were announced, the guard called Lynda, and we were allowed to
wait inside the stage door as the other cast members left. When
Lynda came out, tired but still glowing from her performance, she
signed our programs and kindly let us record some of the messages
for her fans and
“Wonderland”,
while Sawnie presented her with one of the huge posters that
announced re-run of the ”Wonder Woman” series in Argentina last
year. She was very pleased that we enjoyed the play, and was
surprised to hear that we also had tickets for Friday the 18th’s
performance, too. Then she went out to her other fans, letting out a
surprised “Oh!” as she saw them. Always a gracious person, Lynda
tried to sign each and every fans offered items, posed for photos,
and as she chatted with some. Mark complimented her on her beautiful
fur coat. She thanked and then said wryly that
“I am surprised that I
haven’t been attacked by the PETA people yet.”
While she keeps signing autographs she interacts with Sawnie all the
time, praising and promoting the site! One fan who had asked for her
autograph on two photos mistakenly called her Linda Evans, and in
mock outrage Lynda grabbed for them and yelled,
“Linda Evans? I’m NOT Linda Evans…gimme those back!”
Sawnie added:
“What’s that site of yours? www.wonderlyndaevans-site.com?”
We all laughed, especially Lynda. She then had to leave, as her
right hand, which had been broken earlier last spring, was beginning
to ache from signing so many autographs. She then had to leave, as
her right hand, which had been broken earlier last spring, was
beginning to ache from signing so many autographs. Her driver had
her silver Mercedes waiting for her, and Sawnie and I watched as Our
Lady tiredly got into the back seat and drove away. With a big smile
she waves goodbye to us from inside the car! |
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Mark
went back to see the play the following two nights, and seated in
the balcony each time getting a better perspective of the play and
the actors in their roles. He was also able to study Lynda more and
how she moved and played her role. Although he had not seen the play
before that week, he was struck by Lynda’s acting, and how she
always was on the mark, reading her lines perfectly and never
failing to give a great performance each and every evening. Another
fan, who had seen the play several times, commented outside later
that Lynda seemed to be a more compassionate
“Mama Morton”
than other actresses had played her, and certainly when Mark watched
Lynda’s face as her bohunk prisoner
Catherina Hunyak
was hung, the look of utter shock and disgust was so evident on her
face that it spoke volumes to the audience of her feeling about the
inequality of the prison systems then. The people from the theatre
also commented us how Lynda’s performance was improving by the day,
but also mentioning that week she was superb! That night Lynda had
to leave early and could not stay. |
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The
following night, Sawnie and Mark went to the stage door, where we
met our friend
Pariac Kenny, a
fellow fan from Ireland (check out his review for the play on the
STAGE & VOICE section of this site). Although she was going out after the
play with friends from America, Lynda came out to greet her many
fans who were waiting. Looking stunning in black trousers and a long
black fur trimmed coat with her hair up, she asked that since she
was going out with her friends, could everyone limit everyone to one
autograph each? This done, she proceeded to sign with gusto each one
offered to her. She reacted to one person whom she knew to be an
autograph hunter , who had obviously been at the stage door many
evenings, with the firm statement
“Barry, I gotta tell
ya, you need to find something else to do other than coming here all
the time” in a
good natured way. When Pariac offered her a photo of Lynda as
Rita Hayworth, he asked her to sign
“Love”
with an exclamation point, which she had not done for many years,
and she was flattered and surprised that he remembered that fact.
She posed with photos with him and many others, then left with her
U.S. friends for a well deserved quiet evening, but not before
Sawnie managed to shoot a quick video for
“Wonderland”
of her graciously signing autographs. Pariac then joined us and we
went back to our hotel where we just raved to each other about her
beauty, and her kindness to all her fans who braved the cold to wait
for her. |
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Friday
evening Sawnie and I went again to the theatre and sat in the second
row, only a couple of seats from where were Tuesday, and Pariac and
his brother sat one seat over from us. It was supposed to be the 8th
anniversary night, but the cast had a celebration a week before. The
theatre was packed and Lynda was stunning. Once again as she sang
“When You’re Good to
Mama”, she
pointed at us, and also the Paraic who she also recognized from our
previous encounter. In the final bow, when she’s announced, Sawnie
stands up and deliver her three dozen roses. Lynda’s surprised and
takes them with a big smile while she thanks and says
“I love you!”.
When all the cast are bowing together, Lynda separates the roses and
gives a dozen to each of the other girls, that’s Amra-Faye Wright
and Sally-Ann Triplett. Not much later we meet again backstage.
While the others wait outside Sawnie gets inside and announces. A
few minutes later Lynda says hello again and thanks for the flowers,
then Sawnie shoots some of the videos with Lynda. One of them is
Lynda talking about her final run on Chicago and the other one the
welcome video for the site. Though she was wearing no make-up, she
looked naturally beautiful and fresh in spite it was a double-show
night. She was casually dressed in a colourful sweater and wool hat
in similar design. She walked outside and though she was tired she
patiently signed some autographes. As she did in previous nights she
interacted with Sawnie:
“Hey Lynda, what’s
that site of yours…?”
She looked at all the fans and said:
“wonderland-site.com”.
Then we said goodbye to her since Mark was leaving the following
morning. Once again Lynda thanked us for everything, saying she
hoped to see us soon. |
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Friday
evening Sawnie and I went again to the theatre and sat in the second
row, only a couple of seats from where were Tuesday, and Pariac and
his brother sat one seat over from us. It was supposed to be the 8th
anniversary night, but the cast had a celebration a week before. The
theatre was packed and Lynda was stunning. Once again as she sang
“When You’re Good to
Mama”, she
pointed at us, and also the Paraic who she also recognized from our
previous encounter. In the final bow, when she’s announced, Sawnie
stands up and deliver her three dozen roses. Lynda’s surprised and
takes them with a big smile while she thanks and says
“I love you!”.
When all the cast are bowing together, Lynda separates the roses and
gives a dozen to each of the other girls, that’s Amra-Faye Wright
and Sally-Ann Triplett. Not much later we meet again backstage.
While the others wait outside Sawnie gets inside and announces. A
few minutes later Lynda says hello again and thanks for the flowers,
then Sawnie shoots some of the videos with Lynda. One of them is
Lynda talking about her final run on Chicago and the other one the
welcome video for the site. Though she was wearing no make-up, she
looked naturally beautiful and fresh in spite it was a double-show
night. She was casually dressed in a colourful sweater and wool hat
in similar design. She walked outside and though she was tired she
patiently signed some autographes. As she did in previous nights she
interacted with Sawnie:
“Hey Lynda, what’s
that site of yours…?”
She looked at all the
fans and said:
"wonderland-site.com",
and then she perked up and exuberantly
pointed to Sawnie and Mark,
standing on either side of her, and said
"and hey, these are My
Guys, they do My Site, Wonderland, the Best Site in the World,
Yayyyy!" Then
with her cheers and marvellous words ringing in our ears and filling
our hearts with utter joy, we said goodbye to her since Mark was leaving the following
morning. Once again Lynda thanked us for everything, saying she
hoped to see us soon. |
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VIDEO:
"Outtake 2".
Sawnie directing Lynda
Carter! Outtake of the wonderland welcome video. |
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VIDEO:
"Outtake 3".
Who's directing who?.
Lynda asks Sawnie if ready as he drops the camera. Outtake. |
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The
following day, as Mark departures on his way back home, Sawnie is ready to enjoy
his last two days in London. That night back on the theatre Sawnie takes some
gifts for Lynda and talks with her on the phone. Lynda says: “What happened
Sawnie, did you miss your plane?”. It was Lynda’s last day and last performance
in Chicago, it was time for goodbye after a successful week in London for us,
but before that a final drink along some of the people of the cast. Thanks for
everything Lynda! |
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 Sawnie
Burgos O’Brien and Mark Meader. |
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