Thursday 14th November 1985 is a day I'll never forget. It was the day I was finally going to see my idol Davy Jones for the very first time. The guy that I'd adored from first seeing his face on the TV way back in 1967. Yes! He had finally come to my town. In fact he had come home. My town, or should I say city, is Manchester. David was appearing in "GODSPELL". The company of "Godspell" were performing at the Tameside Theatre Ashton-Under-Lyne. Which wasn't far from Higher Openshaw were David grew up (or didn't grow up, as David likes to say). The tickets I had bought months before. As soon as I saw the advert for it, I was on the phone booking. Two tickets one for me the other for my sister. Not that she's a David fan. She was there to keep me company. Plus it got her out of the house, she had two young children at the time. I arrived at the theatre with plenty of time to spare. The show didn't begin til 7.30 pm. I got there at 6.45 pm. Still the bar was open. We took our seats about fifteen minutes before the show started. I was getting butterflies in my stomach knowing that he was going to be on that stage in a short while. Come 7.30 pm the lights dimmed, and the show started. It was a good ten or fifteen minutes, and two songs before David made an appearance. Well he didn't disappoint me. He was everything and more than I had expected him to be.

For those of you who don't know, "Godspell" is a musical based on the gospel according to St Matthew. It was first performed in New York in May 1971/ Then six months later it came to London, at the same time as the other biblical musicals "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" were being staged. David played the part of Jesus. He had top billing along with Celena Duncan, a well known artiste at the time. The rest of the company were all mainly theatrical artistes. All very talented in their own right. David played the part very well. The show got a very good review in the Manchester Evening News.

I really enjoyed the show. Although it was biblical, there was plenty of humour in it. The songs were quite enjoyable. Some of the better known ones I was singing to myself for a few weeks after. I left that theatre feeling very happy that night. I'd waited nineteen years to see David other than on the TV or in a magazine, but it was worth the wait believe me. It took me another sixteen years before I finally got to meet him, but you know what they say "The longer you wait for something the better it is." How true that is. I enjoyed seeing him so much, that I went back again to see the show on the Saturday night. That first night opened up a whole new interest for me. Before then I was never one for going to the theatre. Maybe the occasional seaside show on holiday. Watching "Godspell" made me realise though how much more of a buzz you got out of live entertainment than watching the TV. So since then I've seen many marvellous musicals, and a few straight dramas over the years. So cheers David for opening my eyes to the wonderful world of the theatre. Especially the musicals. Perhaps you'll grace us again with your presence on the theatrical stage in the future. That would be something to really look forward to.