On Saturday, with no friends who were free, I went on my own to Trafalgar Square. I arrived around 10:50 (for an 11am start), only to realise that the line was so long there was no way I would get in in time! Luckily, I got entry into a side section with it's own screen, made a friend along the way (hi Jessica!), and got a great seat!
Performances I saw on Saturday:
- Disney's Aladdin (really enjoyed this performance!)
- Wind in the Willows (this one left me really intrigued, I've added it to my list for the summer)
- Wicked (FLAWLESS - they did For Good and Defying Gravity, and they were amazing!!! Have to go see this soon!)
- Motown the Musical (full of energy!)
- On the Town (really interesting, I didn't realise it was Bernstein music!)
- 42nd Street (Lullaby of Broadway was great)
- An American in Paris (didn't know anything about this one, but it was enjoyable)
- Kinky Boots (fabulous, but couldn't tell whether actors were boys or girls - the drag was very effective...)
- Matilda the Musical (performed Naughty, it was so so great!)
- Half a Sixpence (full of energy, they didn't stop dancing)
- Phantom of the Opera (absolutely awesome, they did Phantom of the Opera and also Music of the Night, and both the Phantom and Christine were so great!)
- Les Miserables (pretty much the entire cast - they did One More Day, which was awesome)
After seeing these shows, I went to lunch with my new theatre friend at a pub across the road (their pies were outstanding!). Then we went to Waterstones briefly. By the time I emerged, it was time for the performance from Jesus Christ Superstar. I didn't go back into the main area, just stood outside the fence on the edge to hear the performance.
After that, I went home, did some research, then created a spreadsheet of the things I wanted to see (mostly West End shows, with a smattering of straight plays, New Wimbledon touring shows and a couple at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre). There are 28!!!
On Sunday, I was able to have a friend, Joel, to come with me. We met even earlier, at 11:15 for the 12pm start. We lined up, and got in the gate just in time for the 10 second countdown timer! Got our spots in time to see:
- School of Rock - the Musical (really cool kids, apparently they actually play all the instruments too!)
- Disney's The Lion King (amazing and incredible)
- The Wind in the Willows (a different song to yesterday, but also really fun)
- Stomp (crazy talented, so much coordination - no speaking though)
- Thriller Live (so amazing to watch and sing along too - the Michael Jackson guy looked exactly like him! Interestingly, today is also the anniversary of his death...)
- Matilda the Musical (same song, but a different Matilda, which was really lovely)
- Bat out of Hell the Musical (Meatloaf music, was very reminiscent of We Will Rock You)
- Kerry Ellis (absolutely flawless, I love her so much. She sang a song from her new album, and Finding Wonderland from Wonderland. She's so fabulous omg.)
- Willemijn Verkaik (also flawless, she performed a Sara Bareilles song I already adore and Let It Go from Frozen, which she voiced for the German and Dutch versions of the film)
- La Cage Aux Folles (I Am What I Am, which is fantastic)
- Rachel Tucker (another ex-Elphaba, she sang an Ed Sheeran song which was great)
- Ben Forster (sang a song I don't know, and the Gesthsemane. I saw him in the arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar and he was so great!)
That wasn't the end of the weekend, but there weren't any other performances I wanted to see, so I headed home after that. It was a long, rather tiring weekend, but so so great and I adore the West End. Now, to see all those shows!!!
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