NORMAL service is resumed after my annual fortnight covering Wimbledon.
So it was off last night to the Adelphi Theatre in London to check out Lee Mead in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
The winner of BBC1’s Any Dream Will Do was simply sensational at what was just the third preview show.
I’ve seen West End audiences go wild on plenty of occasions over the years.
The real Maria von Trapp walking on to stage on the opening night of a 1981 production of The Sound of Music comes to mind.
I also saw the classic 1990s London Palladium production of Joseph and the touring version at Manchester’s Palace Theatre.
But the ecstatic standing ovation Lee and the rest of the cast earned last night from an electrified audience was something else.
It’s not the done thing to review a show before opening press night, which is a week today.

THERE was just one match of the day on Centre Court today.
Two chaps called Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played the men’s singles final to a pretty decent standard.
The one with the posh blazer and Swiss timing won for the fifth time in a row, equalling some record or other.
You had to feel sorry for the Spanish one dressed like a pirate.
Both Nadal and Hawk-Eye’s line calls pushed Federer like never before.
The iceman even swore at one point before eventually restoring order in the fifth set.
Foreign reporters with one eye on a taxi to the airport reckoned it was a classic.
But this was just the warm up act for Scot Jamie Murray and Serb Jelena Jankovic in the Mixed Doubles Final.
Jeremy Bates had already done his bit with a British win a few hours earlier in the Gentlemen’s Senior Invitation Doubles.

JUST back from a walk around the grounds with a very special atmosphere building ahead of the Men’s Final.
Both Federer and Nadal attracted huge crowds as they warmed up on adjacent courts this morning.
It was a chance for ground ticket holders to see them close up on outside courts 15 and 16 before the big clash at 2pm.
I took a camera along on my stroll and thought you might like to see some of the SW19 sights, with the men’s final now just minutes away.
First up, I bumped into David Spearing, the longest serving honorary steward at Wimbledon.
You probably recognise him as the man in that hat who sits in the players’ box on Centre Court.
His job is to look after the players’ families and friends.
Thanks to the many glimpses of him on TV, and Terry Wogan’s comments on his radio show, David has become a cult figure.

MEN’S Final day at Wimbledon and we have a Murray on Centre Court this afternoon.
Not Andy Murray, but his elder brother Jamie in the Mixed Doubles Final.
No-one is more amazed that the young Scot and his Serb partner, world No 3 Jelena Jankovic.
Local hero Jamie, 21, is aiming to become the first British title winner at Wimbledon since Jeremy Bates and Jo Durie won the mixed doubles in 1987.
“When I got to Wimbledon on the first Monday, I didn’t expect that I’d be playing a match on Centre Court on Sunday, especially in mixed doubles,” he said last night.
Asked what it meant to him to reach a Wimbledon final before his brother, Jelena sparked laughter when she interrupted: “He’s going to be jealous, big time.”
Jamie added: “I hope so. I guess nobody thought I would get to a Wimbledon final before him.
“But it happens – he’ll have to work harder.”

YOU have to hand it to Wimbledon.
After a rain delayed fortnight, Venus Williams and Marion Bartoli walked on to court just five minutes late for the ladies’ singles final.
With both men’s semi finals finished, the sun was out and tennis fans in the grounds had smiles on their faces.
Some listened to the band, some sat on outside courts and enjoyed great entertainment from the doubles and juniors.
Others packed Henman Hill to watch the big screen.
And some were lucky enough to have a ticket for the clash between Williams and Bartoli.
The brollies were up again on Centre Court, but this time held by ball boys and girls at change of ends to shade the finalists from the sun.
There were no shocks today.
Sadly for Marion, her 007 inspiration Pierce Brosnan was a no show. He sent flowers instead.
Venus won 6-4 6-1, but it was no walkover.

THE morning after the night before and Wimbledon is still a little stunned.
It’s Ladies’ Final Day, with the added bonus of two men’s semi finals starting at noon.
But all the talk is of the shock exits of top seed Justine Henin and American crowd favourite Andy Roddick.
John McEnroe described events here yesterday as, perhaps, the most memorable day in Wimbledon’s history.
That’s taking it a bit far.
But you could have heard a pin drop in the press room last night as a shocked Henin was beaten by 22-year-old Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli.
After winning the first set 6-1, it appeared Henin – who has never won Wimbledon – would cruise through to today’s final against Venus Williams.
But Marion, inspired by a former James Bond, came back to create one of the biggest ever shocks in the history of the tournament by taking the next two sets 7-5 6-1.

STRANGE things have started to happen at Wimbledon.
Roger Federer dropping a set, for example. And shadows on court.
It was just like old times on men’s semi finals day at a blustery but sunny SW19.
Except for the fact that we actually played four men’s quarter finals and two ladies’ semi finals.
A feast of fabulous tennis, as they used to say back in the days before global warming.
Even our Roger had to be dragged away from his daily date with Jeremy Kyle to warm up for his match.
Rafael Nadal, who had waited five days to finish an earlier round, could see the irony of being the first man into tomorrow’s semi-finals.
“I’m very happy about my Wimbledon right now,” he smiled.

WHEN the rain falls at Wimbledon and the covers come on, the referee’s office tries to look on the bright side.
“We remain hopeful,” is one of the most common announcements to the spectators waiting for the showers to clear.
It’s also a phrase which could apply to British tennis after it served up yet another failure at the 2007 Championships.
The cream on Wimbledon’s strawberries may have gone sour again as far as home-grown success goes, but those in charge of the game in this country claim there is hope for the future.
Roger Draper has been chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association for just over a year, heralding a new ruthless era at the sport’s governing body.
He talks about producing a generation of “young warriors” who will grow up to plant their flags on Henman Hill.
One of them could be Daniel Smethurst, 16, from Failsworth, who has just been awarded a place in the junior squads at the new £40m National Tennis Centre in London.
It’s been quite a time for the teenager.
After sitting 10 GCSEs last month, he moved to the Lawn Tennis Association’s HQ a fortnight ago, picked by top coaches as one of Britain’s bright hopes for the future.

SHE’S the darling bud of Wimbledon, blossoming into a real crowd favourite.
Teenage Serb Ana Ivanovic reminds some in looks of Oscar winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Pop Larkin would also no doubt remark that her smile is just perfick.
Perhaps it’s no wonder that the girl who used to play tennis at the bottom of an empty swimming pool in war-torn Serbia has done so well at the wettest Wimbledon in years.
Both Ana, 19, and her smile have been in great demand at this year’s Championships, bewitching fans and the media alike.
One TV reporter visibly swooned when he interviewed her.
Now she’s through to a semi final against Venus Williams after victory over the Czech Republic’s Nicole Vadisova 4-6 6-2 7-5, saving three match points for good measure.
If French Open finalist Ana ever gets fed up with tennis and counting the millions of dollars already heading her way, she might like to consider a career in public relations.

WIMBLEDON referee Andrew Jarrett today hit back after complaints from players over some of the decisions at the 2007 Championships.
I spoke to Andrew earlier this morning, with a verdict on a third Monday looming.
Play is about to start here. But more rain is forecast at some stage this afternoon.
First, Andrew served up a response to the comments of Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian about not putting the players first.
“I understand players becoming frustrated with the situation. We all are,” he said, standing on the roof of the press centre.
“It’s difficult when players are going on and off court. Nobody wants that, whether it’s you guys in your profession – you want tennis to write about, we want to get the tournament through, the players want to play.
“So, yeah, understandably there’s frustrations and they’re under huge pressure for their matches.
“As far as fairness to players, that’s always our main consideration. We’ll try and treat all players equally and try to give them the fairest conditions that we possibly can.”