Make it (not) so

In a Trekkie's life one's greatest hope would be to see, meet, talk to one of the famous Starship Captains. I know that there isn't really a Starfleet and there isn't really a crowd of ridge-headed and pointy-eared aliens wandering around the universe somewhere (in the Alpha Quadrant, actually) waiting for us humans to get our act together, although the girl with the horribly misshapen teeth on the Tube yesterday may end up proving me wrong. I know that it's all a bunch of actors in funny outfits. I know this because
a) I've seen the sets where they filmed the TV shows.
b) From where I worked I would have been able to see the headquarters of Starfleet Academy at the Golden Gate Bridge, and it wasn't there.
c) I can tell the difference between reality and fiction, mostly.

Patrick Stewart (who played Picard) has been receiving the reviews of his career playing Macbeth in a production that has settled in London for the last couple of months. From work I can see the theatre where it's playing, walk past it every day, pretend to be a homeless guy and sit outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the Capt himself walking in and out.

This was my chance. I took out my Starfleet Uniform from the closet. I pulled the bat'leth down off the wall. I practised my best "make it so". I brushed up on starship schematics, deck configurations, and warp drive theory. I attempted (again) to build a holodeck in the living room, but Donna didn't like the lines on the wall. I even went bald trying to emulate my favourite Starship captain.

Last night, after months of anticipation (I might say years) we wandered into the theatre after a quick work-loosening cocktail to have a sign greet us at the door

Blah blah blah Patrick Stewart will NOT be performing tonight blah blah laryngitis blah blah doctor's orders blah

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
...oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
(repeat)

After I'd recovered from the disappointment, and apologised for punching out the usher, I settled in to what was an amazing production. I'm not sure that the setting of the production (Soviet Russia) was entirely successful; it made for wonderful production design and mood, but otherwise muddied the actual who-why-what of following what was happening, which seems to defeat the purpose. On the other hand there were so many outstanding moments in the play, the understudy Macbeth not least among them (I wish I could find his name to properly credit him here). However much we the audience was disappointed not to see Patrick Stewart play Macbeth (let's face it, that's what most people were there for), no one takes it more seriously than the actors themselves. I know what good actors are like, no accident that we get the show must go on from theatre. You live and die on the goodwill and support of your audience, and it isn't some abstract notion, they're sitting right there. It takes huge cojones to go on stage trying to fill the shoes of a more famous and celebrated actor. You know the understudy is less rehearsed, treated with less importance during the entire process, but when needed has to put all that aside and step forward. I could imagine him cringing backstage when the performance was introduced when it was repeated to us that Patrick Stewart would not be performing due to illness and a wave of "Boo!", "Disgraceful!", rose from the audience. When the understudy was announced, there was a cautious cheer from the balcony, which came forward and swept the theatre, so at least not everyone was out for his blood.

When they all took their final bows he didn't linger at the front of the stage, bowing almost apologetically. I hope he knows he had nothing to apologise for.

update! the name of the brave understudy was Tim Treloar.