#Blog Alert I Saw Ron Moody's last performance.

I really enjoyed a celebration of 50 years of Oliver in 2010 at the Theatre Royal in Dury Lane now with Russ Abbot as Fagan, Rowan Atkinson had been the original Fagan.  The ensemble cast of kids were truly brilliant, the use of the stage and the sets and the clever way they played the murder scene all added to a terrific night.  Even though the Theatre was peppered with hardened members of the press we gave the cast a standing ovation and then something truly remarkable happened.

A podium was brought on and Russ Abbot walked up to and said ladies and gentlemen, please will you welcome to the stage of the Theatre Royal Dury Lane - the original Fagan - Mr Ron Moody, and on he came and spent the next twenty minutes talking about his life in showbusiness.  He held us in the palm of his hands, made us laugh, made us cry.  And then something truly remarkable happened.

The band struck up the first chords of 'Pick A Pocket or Two" the kids came on and a very elderly Ron Moody sprang, I kid you not, into life and danced and sung with the children as if he was thirty years younger.
 
I remember turning to Chris who was moaning about missing the last train, and saying "This is Ron Moody's Swan Song, we are watching his very last stage performance."  And again we all stood up and gave Ron a standing ovation.   

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