Theatre Trip: Crazy For You (#2)

CRAZY FOR YOU

Gillian Lynne Theatre

Date: 27 December 2023 (Wednesday), 2:00pm

Seats: Circle D 72-73

(Seen with Bri! Or I was supposed to...)

Notes: This was something I had talked about doing - seeing Crazy For You again! And this time Bri was on board so I booked us a pair of seats for the first matinee after Christmas. And then the drama started! She was staying out of town for the holiday and had planned to head into the city to meet me for the show. Except that when she got to the station, there had been a signal failure and there were no trains! With no other options, she considered getting a lift to another station or even into the city, but even then there would have only been a 5 minute buffer and so she was unable to make it.

Even I had a little bit of trouble - despite leaving with enough time to get to the theatre at 1:30, the train and then the tube both ran slow. Plus I had to pick up some food for lunch and it was a 10 minute walk from the station, so by the time I arrived it was 1:50 anyway. And then the line to get in was huge, so I walked into the theatre at the 3 minute call, left the bathroom at the 1 minute call, and then got into my seat as they were announcing the show would be starting! But I wasn't late and that counts.

The music in this show is so good! While not every number is a stand out that is listenable outside the theatre, I love how every single one fits the show so well and they are so catchy. I really like the chorus numbers in particular and the dancing as well is just mind blowing. That being said, I think with a little bit more training (and a total body overhaul!) I could totally be a chorus girl in this show. Slap That Bass and I've Got Rhythm in particular are perfection and joy in theatre!

This time there were a few things that I noticed were different this time around. Mostly Bela Zangler, who played up his role and broke the fourth wall a few times to get extra laughs from the crowd - and it totally worked! Clearly all the performers are nice and relaxed and ready to have some fun in their final week.

Of course the cast of this show is spectacular. This time I particularly noticed one of the chorus members, Bradley Trevethan. He had been very athletic and had a few standout moments with jumps and flips! Turns out he is a swing too (and assistant dance captain too!) so that is very cool.

But that core duo of Carly Anderson and Charlie Stemp are just magic together. The way that they dance together is smooth and joyous, and I wish I could move like that! Charlie is also phenomenal, the way that he dances and clearly enjoys it so much while somehow also making it look easy? Impossible but somehow he does it.

I have appreciated this show so much both times I have seen it and while I do tend to lean towards more modern shows, I would love to see more in this vein as it is just such a great time.

Theatre Trip: Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S OLD FRIENDS

Gielgud Theatre

Date: 14 December 2023 (Thursday), 7:30pm

Seats: Circle E 15-16?

(Seen with Bri!)

Notes: I had heard so many good things about this show! I din't know when or if I was going to be able to go because of work and Christmas coming up, but then Bri messaged me to say that she had seen Today Tix having a 24 hour sale and she picked up a pair of tickets for £15 each, which is a total steal! It was a Thursday but that is manageable for sometimes. So I got up extra early and caught the train to work and then left as early as I could manage to get into the city!

We met at Fortnum and Masons as Bri needed some things, so we tried to get dinner there (they do lovely bagels and such - except they close that counter at 5pm!). Instead we wandered in the direction of the theatre on the hunt for something not crazy junk food and nice and fast. We ended up at Whole Foods where we got a slice of pizza each and some madeleines for interval sweets, which turned out to be perfect for eating as we walked over to the Gielgud.

Our seats were upstairs in the Circle but had a quite good view as that theatre has a lovely rake. I don't think I would have liked to be further back, especially because this show has no set changes and minimal costumes. It is a review style show which was set up to honour the work of Stephen Sondheim and was put on for a few gala performances. It did really well and then the passing of Sondheim meant that they decided to bring it back, with some amazing cast members! More on them later. 

Because there is a lot of Sondheim shows, this features music from all of them - Sunday in the Park with George, Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, West Side Story, Gypsy, plus more. I am familiar with the main music from almost all of those shows, even for the ones I haven't seen, and of course I am very familiar with some of them; Company, Sweeney, and Into the Woods in particular. It was interesting to hear the music from a beautiful on stage orchestra out of context from the shows and to hear which ones they chose.

Each show had at least a few numbers and some got entire sets, with some basic costuming and staging. But while the music is of course a big draw, the actors are the real deal and were an incredible part of this show.

The 'chorus' featured a lot of actors I've seen before, most of whom got starring moments and their own feature songs. Christina Allado got to be Anita in West Side Story (who I've seen in Prince of Egypt), Damian Humbley had some stand out songs, and then there was Bradley Jaden. His starring song was as the Wolf in Into the Woods, opposite the Red Riding Hood of Bernadette Peters. It was a great interpretation and he was gorgeous! Jeremy Secomb also had a starring turn as Sweeney Todd opposite Lea Salonga's Mrs Lovett. I also didn't realise ahead of time that Bonnie Langford was in this! She is an absolute British icon and still an incredible singer and dancer (I wish I could do the splits at all, let alone at 59!) and she was a part of the trio for You Could Drive a Person Crazy.

But of course, the two big performers are absolutely insane. Lea Salonga hasn't performed on the West End in about 20 years but is a big name on Broadway and was first discovered here in London. She had about half of the big songs, including A Little Priest, Children Will Listen, and Everything's Coming Up Roses. Her voice was powerful and resonant and she delivered every song beautifully! My favourite was definitely her Mrs Lovett

And, for the first time, making her West End debut at age 75 and an absolute icon, Bernadette Peters. She dances so well, sings amazingly, with her highlights including I Know Things Now, Broadway Baby, Old Friends. It was also very clear that she was indeed an old friend of Stephen Sondheim's - at one point they had a video reel and she was clearly moved by it. She had worked on many shows with Sondheim and they clearly knew each other well.

I feel so grateful to have seen Bernadette, after seeing the legend Patti Lupone in Company previously. Two Broadway legends ticked off, plus Lea (who is on her way to becoming one), and a West End one too in Bonnie Langford! And to see it with my oldest friend was purely a bonus.

Theatre Trip: Crazy for You

CRAZY FOR YOU

Gillian Lynne Theatre

Date: 13 October 2023 (Friday), 7:30pm

Seats: Stalls C 1-3 (Front Row!)

(Seen with Jess!)

Notes: Another Friday night at the theatre! I do love a post-work theatre trip, even if it's a pain taking the train to work at 7am on a Friday. I saw this with Jess after picking up tickets for a super price, with restricted view seats on the edge of Row C. We did our usual pre-show routine - meet at McDonalds, eat dinner, head over to the theatre.

We had issues getting in, as once we got to the theatre. I lost my phone signal and couldn't load the tickets. I was plenty happy about that because I knew we could just go to the box office and ask for printed ones (which go in my diary), but they just let us in anyway using the written seating plan on my email. Mildly disappointing, but we needed time to get ourselves organised - program, drinks and bathroom before the start of the show.

When we got to our seats we realised that our seats were not restricted at all. We were right on the edge of the row - and C was the front row! The only thing restricted about it was that it was slightly lower than the stage, so I had to sit up REALLY straight to be able to see the best part - which was watching the dancers feet.

I didn't know a huge amount about this show other than it was from the 1990s. In fact it is, but it is a rewritten version of a musical from the 1930s which also entirely uses music by George and Ira Gershwin. This means that despite only being 30 years old or so, it feels more like 100. It had a really classic musical old-school feel which I really liked. It also means that the music has a really coordinated feel and all the songs are super coherent - nothing is new but the Gershwin's have a huge back catalog which they could pull from to make it fit together as well as possible.

One of the highlights of this show was definitely the choreography. Now that I am learning tap, I was so excited to see a classic musical with BIG chorus numbers and they did. Not. Disappoint!! The coordination was incredible and the steps were amazing. The chorus as a whole was great to watch and worked together amazingly as a team. Of particular note was the guy who played Moose, who was very funny.

In more major character news, there were 3 great leads. Bela Zangler was played by Tom Edden, who was wickedly funny and over the top. The beautiful Polly Baker was played by Carly Anderson. She moved incredibly gracefully, danced like an angel and made a perfect partner to the real star of this show. Charlie Stemp played Bobby Child. I've never seen someone so perfect for a role. He practically floated across the stage, his footwork was impeccable, he looked so graceful and he was the perfect partner. And the comedy routine with Bela Zangler, and his impressions? So amazing. He's only just 30 but Charlie Stemp is a really rare talent and now I want to see absolutely everything he does for the rest of my life.

This is only on until January, and while it is currently December already I really want to see this absolute classic again before it closes!

Theatre Trip: Rebecca

Rebecca

Charing Cross Theatre

Date: 24 September 2023 (Sunday), 3:00pm

Seats: Stalls M 2

(Seen solo!)

Notes: This show was a whole experience, one that I really enjoyed! I had heard about this show originally from one of the YouTube channels I watch, Wait In The Wings. Brendan does all sorts of short documentaries about the history of different shows, and one of his famous and radical was about the musical Rebecca. 

Written in German by Michael Kunzer, and premiering in 2006 in Vienna, it has been extremely popular and running the Europe for 17 years. And yet it has never been staged in English. It was due to have a West End premiere, and then when they were excavating under the theatre they were going to use to put in a big set piece, they found an underground stream! So they had to cancel it on the West End. That was supposed to be the test for Broadway, but they decided that instead of doing a different tryout somewhere else, they would go straight to Broadway. Then it turned out that it all fell apart just after rehearsals started when it came out that one of the investors, a mystery man, didn't actually exist?! If you're interested in more definitely watch the Wait in the Wings documentary.

This production is in a very different staging to the original. It has been greatly scaled down in terms of set pieces and staging. The theatre it is in is also new to me - the Charing Cross theatre is in... Charing Cross. It's actually underneath one of the railway arches, so it's tiny! It must have been about 20 seats across in each row, and my seat in row M was behind the centre cross-aisle, so it must only have had a total capacity of a couple of hundred.

The show itself is the same as previously - no changes were made that I understand to the plot or music. The plot is based on the Daphne du Maurier book by the same name, in which the main character (only referred to as 'I' in the book, and not really referred to in the show) meets and marries a millionaire, Maxim de Winter. He brings her back to his house (mansion), only to meet the housekeeper Mrs Danvers, who is extremely loyal to Maxim's first wife Rebecca. Rebecca disappeared in mysterious circumstances and nobody knows what happened. It all unfolds from there and it is very interesting. Eventually our main character realises that she needs to become more confident as secrets about Maxim and Rebecca are revealed, and she becomes exactly who Maxim needs in his life; however, Mrs Danvers is not to be trusted, particularly as Rebecca's influence wanes. And of course, a dramatic ending!

I actually really enjoyed the music in this show. It had vibes of early Andrew Lloyd Webber with a big and slightly electronic sound. I found myself waking up the next morning with a song from the show in my head, which is always an excellent sign. I found out afterwards that actually, and despite the small theatre, it has the second biggest orchestra on the West End! Bigger than Phantom and second only to Wicked. Which even though they can't be seen, really makes a huge difference.

The cast of this show had nobody I had heard of before but there were some really amazing people! Lauren Jones played 'I' - she has had some understudy roles but nothing major. She was very sweet and she really developed over the course of the show as her character grew within herself. Richard Carson played Maxim de Winter - his main role that he has played was Sky in Mamma Mia. He was pretty good, but the definite standout was Mrs Danvers. She did have the best song in the whole show (and it's reprise), and balanced really well creepy and effective. Kara Lane played this role and she was AMAZING!

I'm so glad that I went to see this show. It was a really interesting show and knowing the story behind it made it so much better. Plus, the theatre was excellent! Totally worth it once but I don't think I need to go again.

Theatre Trip: Oklahoma!

 Oklahoma!

Wyndham's Theatre

Date: 17 August 2023 (Thursday), 7:30

Seats: AA 8-9 (Front row!)

(Seen with Jess!)

Notes: This show is a classic - but not as you know it! This show was a last minute pick, and the only show I managed to fit into my summer break due to the few little trips that we took (home to Oz, overnight trip to the Cotswolds, and the 70.3 World Champs in Lahti, Finland!) over my summer holiday. I had grand plans of a matinee every week but that just did not happen... sadly.

But Jess and I decided on the Wednesday to try a show on the Thursday. My list of shows to catch over the summer was long, but my top 3 picks were Oklahoma, We Will Rock You and Spongebob. Jess picked Oklahoma, so on Thursday morning we went for the rush. Jess got upstairs seats and I could not believe my eyes when I was STALLS AA on mine! It had to be front row so we pounced on it!

When we arrived I saw the set and had a mild panic. There were steps going down to the audience... So I asked and was told that there MIGHT be some mild audience interaction and that it MIGHT involve us. So I steeled myself as we sat down. I've seen Oklahoma once before - in a semi-staged prom early in our time here in London. I think it may even have been 2017? So I know the show - it's a classic anyway so I knew all the big songs, and knew that it was Hugh Jackman's big break back in the 90s (not that I was old enough to see it then).

This production has come over from Broadway and it had SUCH a buzz. There was a lot of talk about it being very different and much more modern and edgy. I wasn't sure how they could update the show for a more modern audience but they totally managed it and did it SO WELL. One thing that has stayed the same is the music - I believe some of the orchestrations are different but the lyrics and melodies that you all know are totally there, which for me made the modernisation even more intriguing.

The staging was very bare which I felt really put the focus on the actors and the music. There were definitely no distractions with only a large table and some chairs on the stage, with a few smaller props. It means you have to picture some things but I didn't find that an issue at all. When they were in the smokehouse where Jud Fry sleeps, they did something amazing - they turned all the light off! Every single one, including the exit lights in the auditorium. And they whispered directly into a handheld mic. It was creepy and made it so much more intense and intimate. They even had one gunshot go off in the dark, which I'm glad I saw coming because I'm sure it made a lot of people jump! I was hanging onto Jess' arm at first panicking slightly because I've never been in a theatre so dark and intense before, but funnily enough I adjusted and it became more home-like. The acting was also more intense - the romance was super played up in a sexual way and everyone was just heightened. It really transformed what I had thought of as an old-fashioned, slightly stuffy show into one more thrilling and tense. The ending as well (SPOILERS!!!) was really dramatic, with the shooting of Jud Fry and a violent spray of blood up onto Curly and Laurey. They then sang the final reprise of Oklahoma in a completely different tone, Laurey beginning to melt down as she sung. And then it was over and they were bowing - no curtain music, no bow choreo, no happy ending. It makes sense but it was so shocking that at first nobody was clapping. And then we all were once we realised what had just happened and how it had been done!

They also completely restaged the dream ballet, re-orchestrated using a guitar and more modern instruments and danced by a solo ballet dancer. It was modern ballet, which I found a bit confronting (probably was the point!) but it was really interesting to see that. They also during that and some other points, a handheld camer for extreme close ups which they live projected onto the backdrop so that we could see every tiny thing to bump up the impact even further!

There were a few standout members of the cast for me. Most of them had solo songs, and nobody is really a background performer in this show! I was excited to see one name I knew in the cast - Sally Ann Triplett, who I haven't seen in anything personally, but she's kind of a legend. Her Aunt Eller was really gutsy and just the right amount of coarse and I loved the energy she had. But energy - Paige Peddie as Ado Annie was phenomenal. Her 'I Cain't Say No' was something else! It gave more depth of meaning to the song with her movements and phrasing throughout, and her voice was KILLER. She even came down the stairs in the second verse, moved a lady in the front row out of her seat, and sang to the lady's partner while playing with his hair. His face and the way she did it was priceless. They also added an extra reprise of the chorus using the handheld mic at the end which had a more rock-y vibe that I really liked. She is supposed to be a quite promiscuous character so I liked that she was much less restrained in this version. And then there was Stavros Demetraki as Ali Hakim. He was crazy - very intense and over the top the whole way through, but in the best way. At one point in the dance scene he came right up to the edge of the stage, sculled a beer, then splattered some over us all in the front row. He really seemed upset by the events that befall him throughout the show and made intense and funny eye contact with several audience members at various points, including us! We were hysterical watching him.

The main 3 were also excellent. Patrick Vaill (Jud Fry) was an amazing actor - and reading later, he has played this role in this interpretation of the show in every staging since it was created at a university (including Broadway) and I can see why. He has these intense eyes and serious manner that really does creep you out a little bit. His acting, even in the mostly dark, was really wide-ranging and I really felt for Jud in a way I hadn't before. Sam Palladio played Curly and he was cocky and perfect... And while Jess knew him from a TV show and I then had mild reservations, his voice was incredible. But not as good as Anoushka Lucas (Laurey Williams). She was acting her heart out, and from the front row we could see every little expression and the way she folded in towards Curly in the intimate moments. Her voice was warm and expressive and beautifully controlled through all the emotions and especially through the end.

In the end I'm glad I went to this over Spongebob. It is a classic musical and this adaptation just turned it up to 11 in every way. It was like watching it in bold colour - maybe too intense for some, but it gave this show from 1943 (literally!) a whole new lease of life and showed a modern audience that the material really is a classic. Incredible.

Theatre Trip: RIDE

RIDE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Date: 22 July 2023 (Saturday), 2:30

Seats: B12-13

(Seen with Jess!)

Notes: This show. Wow.

I had heard about this show from a YouTuber I follow, who had seen it in its previous version, and did a video where he live reacted to the release of the cast recording. I listened to it and watched along with the video and fell in love. It is a new British musical, only 3 years old and the second production of it in this form. When I looked up the production it was being ahead at a new to me venue as well - the Southwark Playhouse Elephant. I have been to the Southwark Playhouse before, seeing Ain’t Misbehavin’ there as well as one of my all time favourite shows, Preludes, but this is the new venue they opened in 2021. It is just near Elephant and Castle station and not far from what is now called Southwark Playhouse Borough! So I booked Jess and I preview seats for one of the final preview shows, and just after school finished and all.

When you see a show in a theatre as small as this (only 300ish seats) every seat is a good one, but ours was excellent in Row B! We were within much eye contact distance, which also definitely happened - they even pointed at me at one point! The premise of this show was also super interesting. It is about Annie Londonderry, the first woman to cycle around the world, which happened in 1894-5. The show takes place after that journey, while pitching herself to the New York World newspaper as a their newest writer. She retells her travels, with the help of the secretary Martha, who plays every other character along the way. Accents and simple costumes included! That’s the basic premise but there is a deeper level, about what is actually real, what is not, and who Annie Londonderry really is as well as why she set off on their journey. A fascinating story!

I really enjoyed the staging of this show. It is set up as the interview room with table, desk and chairs which are all on wheels to be moved around to form different parts, and with functioning drawers with costumes and props coming in and out the whole show. The coatrack serves as both a place for Annie to hang her hat, but also a place for the costume pieces. And then about halfway through, it opened up (as Annie does!) to give more space including space for riding bikes! Every inch of the small stage is cleverly used and made worthwhile which I really appreciated.

The reason I wanted to see this show was the music, which I have been listening to on repeat ever since I first heard it. I loved the accents, the clever rhymes (as Annie travels through Asian cities), and the soaring vocals. The main themes of each song is reused cleverly throughout to link the themes. My favourite numbers are the title song ‘Ride’ - it is a sweeping bop which extols the virtues of riding a bike as a tool for freedom, particularly for women of that era. Also incredible is ‘Miles Away from Boston’. It has a beautiful rocking guitar line, those clever lyrics again (‘heck if it wasn’t so franchise it could be romantic, you know’, ‘look at who we are/we’re like fire and ice, you’re verbose I’m concise that won’t do/a disastrous pairing so why am I staring like this at you’), and with a heartbeat underpinning the whole thing. And despite being a love song between a female and male character, it is two actresses as Martha is playing the role of the male. So it becomes a 2 female duet, with the most gorgeous harmonies I’ve heard in ages between two ladies. To die for, even in the recording, and even more so live. And definitely sapphic vibes between Annie and Martha.

I definitely think that a lot of the show relies on the actors, and this is even more true when there are only 2 people in the show. Katy Ellis played Martha, and while I took a while to warm up to her character, I think that’s supposed to be the case as she takes time to warm up to the show too. As she came out of her shell I only liked her more and her character work was very good - she does a great French accent! The mixing of the voices was sublime. But Annie. Played by Liv Andrusier, and having won the 2023 Off West End Award for ‘Leading Performance in a Musical’ for this role, is perfection as Annie. A flawless Bostonian accent all the way, super character work, brutal honesty and heartbreaking moments abound. And the way she was mixed in the sound meant that she was as loud as she could go without breaking the sound, loud enough to drown in. Physical chills on multiple occasions, and in person ‘Miles Away From Boston’ brought me to tears. She is the perfection of this role and I hope it gets recorded so I can watch it forever.

Because this show was a preview, it was only £16 a seat. One of the most incredible shows I’ve seen in ages, and for an incredible price! We are so lucky to have this life here in London, really. I love it so much. I would want to see it again before it closes but we are in Australia. I don’t think I will ever forget this show and will see it again in a heartbeat if I get the chance in the future!

Theatre Trip: Newsies

NEWSIES

Troubadour Theatre, Wembley Park

Date: 25 June 2023 (Sunday), 1:00pm

Seats: Manhattan ZA, 9-11

Understudies: George Crawford (Jack Kelly), Bobbie Chambers (Katherine Plumber), Ross Dawes (Joseph Pulitzer), Les (Ethan Sokontwe) 

(Seen with Linda and Jess!)

Notes: This one was a bit of an adventure! I had heard so many good things about Newsies and we were lucky to find a decent priced seat with a 1pm Sunday matinee! Perfect for driving, especially given it was out in Wembley Park. I've never been out there and at 9am it said it was only a 55 minute drive so I committed to driving and got ready for the rest of my day. Then around 11am I checked again so I could get there nice and early, and it said 1 hour 35! So I left and of course traffic didn't improve. I arrived at the car park (pink) right on time - only to find that the actual theatre is another 15 minutes walk away! I rushed over there only to arrive at the 10 minute call, so I had just enough time to go to the bathroom, and my way in took me past a kiosk shop where I picked up a water and a program before taking my seat. Jess and Linda, on the other hand, drove from a similar place but went a different route and got stuck in traffic! They ended up arriving around half past 1 and coming in part way through the show.

Going in, all I knew about this show was that it was about the 1900s newsboy strike. I was actually wrong - it was 1899! The newsboys lived in poverty, mostly without parents, selling 'papes' they buy from Joseph Pulitzer for 50c/100. When Pulitzer, trying to make more money, raises the price to 60c/100, they quickly unionise and go on strike! There's also an intriguing female reporter trying to break the story so she can get a job outside the social pages (that way there can be romance).

I didn't know anything about the music ahead of time but really fell in love with a couple of the songs, 'Seize the Day' and 'King of New York' in particular. I think it was because of the dancing! this show has an amazing (mostly) male cast that do a WHOLE lot of dancing. Most of it (including Seize the Day) take place in this gorgeous ballet style which is super athletic and cool to watch. But despite me doing ballet, I got wayyy over excited at the beginning of Act 2 because their shoes were shiny on the bottom... Which means a TAP NUMBER! I have become utterly obsessed with 'King of New York' and have listened to it so many times that I have begun dreaming about tap choreography! It was amazing and the whole show really fueled my drive to continue dancing.

I really liked some of the characters, particularly the lead female, Katherine Plumber. I liked her chutzpah and pizazz! Her characterisation was really great and I liked the idea of the female reporter who was trying to break into the big time out of the social pages. We actually got a few understudies in this performance and Katherine was one of them (Bobbie Chambers). I really really liked her characterisation and performance! She was eager but so full of character and sassy and she was really great. We also had an understudy for the lead, Jack Kelly. I knew he was an understudy straight away as the regular guy is black, and this understudy was fine. A few cracks but usually at parts with feeling so he got away with it. The guy who played Joseph Pulitzer I was surprised to see was an understudy given how much I enjoyed his performance. He was really excellent! And Les, the child actor was amazing! I always am so impressed by child actors in West End shows.

It turns out that Newsies is closing at the end of July, so it seems like I got in just in time! It was such an amazing show and I'm so glad that I caught it before it closed.

Theatre Trip: Bonnie & Clyde

BONNIE & CLYDE

Garrick Theatre

Date: 12 May 2023 (Friday), 7:30pm

Seats: Grand Circle, C 3-4

(Seen with Jess!)

Notes: This was a show I went to see purely because it was closing and I was curious. It helped that I knew that Jeremy Jordan had played the lead in the original broadway cast and of course I've heard of Bonnie & Clyde but all I really knew was that they were criminals in the 1920s and they died in a shootout. There was so much more to it!

Jess and I met in the city for this show. She ended up delayed so rather than eating our customary McDonalds together, I ate in the city and she ate on the train but we still had our usual meal! We met outside the theatre around 7:15, plenty of time for the usual bits. I was actually really pleased because I couldn't get the app to load our tickets, so I went to the box office and asked - and I got given PAPER TICKETS! I missed paper tickets and will probably do this all the time going forwards so I can get them for my journals.We booked seats for £25, and it may be the best £25 we've ever spent on seats, even though with our seats labelled 'restricted view' we did lose the front right corner of the stage (but there wasn't really much happening there to miss, which was good). VERY good value!

This show started the way we all know Bonnie & Clyde end - driving their car and being shot with more than a hundred bullets, which of course killed them. Then you go back to the beginning with Bonnie, a waitress who wants to hit the big time as a movie star, and Clyde, who is a petty criminal who enjoys playing renegade. They meet and it's love (or lust) at first sight and they soon become inseparable. They follow each other as things unravel and they become famous, just like Bonnie wanted, but not for the reasons she wanted. She nearly leaves but then realises she loves him, and besides, it's too late. Throw in Clyde's brother and his wife and things get very crazy! I liked the story - it was wild and romantic and dramatic too which fit them as characters really well. I also thought the staging and choreography was really great and fit the style so well - a bit country, a bit 20s, it felt similar musically to Chicago which was fun.

A couple of the more minor characters I thought were played really well. I liked Ted, the sweet boy who is in love with Bonnie (played by Cleve September). His singing was so lovely! And the Preacher (Dom Hartley-Harris) totally blew me away - I really loved the song Made in America that came at the beginning of Act Two!

But there were 3 stand out actors in this show that I adored. Jodie Steele played Blanche, Clyde's sister-in-law. She sang so beautifully but more than that, she is a true triple threat! Absolutely gorgeous singing, great acting (she was actually very funny, unexpectedly in a show like this), and she also danced with the ensemble for the church numbers which she also did really well. I have seen her in Heather before but it seems that she is so much more than that. Incredible. Bonnie (Francis Mayli McCann) was beautiful, to look at, and she sung like a bird. I really enjoyed how fiery she was with Clyde, she clearly showed that Bonnie had such an equal relationship with Clyde. And Clyde. Jorden Luke Gage. I have seen him in &Juliet, where he played Romeo, and he had also been in Heathers at one point (but I had missed him). He was phenomenal. a gorgeous voice and just the right amount of intense and scary. His scene in the jail? Blew me away.

If this comes back, I'm seeing it again - I've been listening to the soundtrack and am annoyed I waited until a week before it closed to see it!

Theatre Trip: Sister Act

 SISTER ACT

New Victoria Theatre - Woking

Date: 24 February 2023 (Friday), 7:30pm

Seats: Upper Circle H,  15-16

(Seen with Jess!)

Notes: We were off to a new theatre today! We have never been to Woking before, let alone for a show. Used to going to Wimbledon for touring shows, this one seemed to be only at Woking before the end of the tour so off we headed! Jess joined me for this one - leaving work as soon as it was over to drive the 2ish hours around the M25. Such dedication to shows! She arrived at my place around half 5 and we chatted for a bit before leaving and driving to Woking to arrive there at half 6. It turns out the theatre is in a whole shopping centre, but at that time on a Friday the only thing in the centre open was the cinema, the theatre and the McDonalds. So burgers it is!

I was very familiar with the original cast recording for this show but actually they seemed to have changed the plot a little, and the music quite a bit. One of the songs has the same melody but totally different words! I started getting a bit worried about some of my favourite songs being missing but they were still there intact. The plot of this show is the same as the film, I think? It's been a long time since I saw it if I'm honest.

The show as a whole was really fun! It was definitely a Friday night vibe and a Friday night crowd, everyone was really into it. Unfortunately there was one cast member that I didn't like. It was a real shame that it was Sandra Marvin, who was playing the lead role of Deloris. She wasn't out of tune or anything, but she just took too much liberty with the songs and notes which I found frustrating. It happened too much and too often for my liking but the rest of the crowd didn't seem to mind.

It was a shame because there were so many other performances I loved. Lesley Joseph played Mother Superior (I have seen her in Young Frankenstein previously and thought she was fabulous, and Sister Mary Robert - who sings my favourite song, 'The Life I Never Led' - had previously played Tracey Turnblad in Hairspray and absolutely killed this role! A few of the other nuns also were great; Sister Mary Lazarus (Anne Smith) and Sister Mary Patrick (Catherine Millsom) killed their smaller parts.

Honestly the real standouts in this show were the boys! They were all great, but the standouts were the trio of boy backups. They were hilarious and so in sync with the cheesiest dance moves which only made them even funnier! But Eddie Souther though. Clive Rowe is a bit of a British theatre legend, although after googling him I realised I've only ever seen him in a single episode of Doctor Who (and he doesn't sing in that). But he was so good in this! His vocals blew me away and his dance moves were great too. My favourite moment by far was during his big number he was revealed through a velcro quick change that he had a disco suit on under his police uniform... Except he also had another police uniform on under that and there was another velcro quick change which took us both completely by surprise! What a great twist.

Well, I would definitely head out to Woking again. It's definitely not London or Wimbledon, but it's only a half hour drive from home! Totally worth it.

Theatre Trip: Moulin Rouge!

MOULIN ROUGE

Picadilly Theatre

Date: 24 January 2023 (Tuesday), 7:30pm

Seats: Stalls M,  12-13

(Seen with Richard!)

Notes: This ticket was also part of my Christmas/birthday goodness. I have wanted to see this show since it opened last year. I love the film and it is absolutely iconic! However, it also happens to be one of the hottest tickets in town and therefore on a weekend costs around £150 for a decent seat, so we hadn’t had a real reason to spend that much yet (even our tickets to Hamilton weren’t that expensive - they were only £100 which feels cheap in comparison) until we decided to do this festive season. We also picked a Tuesday night because the same seats that were around £150 were now £85 just by virtue of it being midweek. Normally I wouldn’t go to a show mid week now that we live in Epsom, but just this once it can’t hurt that much (and it didn’t!) and it was worth every. Single. Second!

I have to say, I much preferred this to the film, probably partly due to the live nature of it. It had a similar vibe to the opening sequence - opulent, decadent and a little overwhelming, but in a good way. When you enter the theatre, they've redone it with deep red velvet on the walls, and there are ensemble members walking around on stage. You have the windmill up on the left and the elephant on the right (I think they were in the boxes?) which were very cool and the large fluorescent 'Moulin Rouge' sign which moved up and down (starting down on arrival and moving when needed). It all felt very real and very fancy.

As well as the staging, I adored the costumes. So many corsets! So little other clothing! It was very showgirl chic, so corsets and tights and not much else. The leads costumes were great too - very similar to the film to match the aesthetic. Satine's outfits were gorgeous - I wish I looked half as good as her!

Of course the plot is the same as the film. They did move around a couple of the songs and give some to other characters but this didn't change the story line. They updated the music by adding more songs into each medley with updated references and they also changed a few songs (they lost 'One Day I'll Fly Away', replacing it with Katy Perry's song Firework - totally worked!) I really liked the updated songs and the pace of the references! They gave a more modern feel to the show which worked to refresh it for all of us who know the plot already.

Some of the secondary characters I really really liked. The Argentinean (Elio Lo Tauro) I thought was just mostly funny, until we got to Bad Romance and he really let loose - wow that guy can growl! So cool. I also liked the guy playing Toulouse-Lautrec. His Nature Boy was really sweet and despite not looking at all like John Leguizamo I thought he brought his own to the role really well. The Duke was also awesome (Ben Richards) - he was exactly the right mix of creepy and attractive and tread that line really well. Fabulous acting!

We had one understudy in the show - for Harold Zidler (Craig Ryder). He was so full of energy! I adored him and he seemed so at home on that stage playing that role you'd think he was born to it. Cheeky and a bit sexy and vocally great too.

But the two leads. Melissa James played Satine and she was something else. Tall, leggy, and incredible dancer - I couldn't take my eyes off her when she danced (all the sparkles certainly helped!) Her voice was gorgeous and she really took on the role seriously, her consumption slowly taking over was really well acted to be dramatic but not too much so. She was really great.

But the highlight for me which made me go now rather than later. I always wanted to see this show but when they cast Jamie Muscato (who had previously WOWed us in Heathers multiple times) as Christian I couldn't get there fast enough! And he absolutely slayed me. And the role. Vocal perfection. Saving the growl for the most dramatic number (Roxanne). He was absolute perfection and anyone who even slightly likes him needs to get themselves into that theatre IMMEADIATELY.

We realised during interval that there are seats right at the front. Looking it up later, they are called 'Can Can Seats', and they look amazing. The stage comes out in a T shape and there are seats in front of the T as well as behind the bit that sticks out. When we return to this show (which we inevitably will, as it will run for ages I'm sure!), I would LOVE to sit there and get up close with all the action. For a first viewing our seats were perfect for getting the whole picture but I love me a close up shot! Next time...

Theatre Trip: Wicked (#14)

WICKED

Apollo Victoria Theatre

Date: 21 January 2023 (Saturday), 7:30pm

Seats: Stalls B 25-26

(Seen with Richard!)

Notes: I had been muttering about seeing a show around my birthday - either Wicked or &Juliet, thinking I’d be doing Rush tickets and being perfectly happy with that. And then on my birthday morning, when opening my birthday card, inside was a piece of paper and a note. Richard had gotten us seats to Wicked on the second row in the stalls and a reservation for a Japanese BBQ restaurant! I’m so spoiled.

So on Saturday we popped into the city early for a bit of a wander before our dinner. Dinner was really great (one of those Japanese places where you order everything raw and cook it ourself on the grill), and we made it over to the theatre in plenty of time. We both thought that the cast change had just happened, but actually it doesn’t happen for a few more months so I was pleased to see no understudies and the full current cast.

Of course I know the plot and songs in Wicked super well, so I’m there for the nostalgia and to see the cast! We only had one substitution, which wasn’t listed in the theatre anywhere that I could see but I saw on the West End Understudies twitter page. Rhidian Marc played three roles in one show! He was the Witch’s Father in the beginning, then he was Doctor Dillamond (he’s the first cover for that role), then he was the Wonderful Wizard as well! He is the second cover for that part. I’ve never seen anything like it! He was also an amazing Wizard, with a lovely tone of voice and I thought he balanced the silliness of the Wizard quite well with the serious parts of his roles.

My favourite performers of the night were the three main ladies. Carina Gillespie as Nessarose was really powerful and I thought her acting was really good as well. Her learning to walk was really good and believable which I think could be hard, and while Nessa is only a small part it is mighty. If I was in Wicked I’d love to play her.

Helen Woolf was a beautiful G(a)linda! Her tone was clear as a bell and her top notes really rang true. There was no sliding which others have done in the past, intentional or otherwise. Just bang, top note! Perfection. She and Elphaba clearly know each other well and are friends in real life. Speaking of, I was totally chuffed to be able to watch Lucie Jones as Elphaba! I’ve seen her in several things before, notably Waitress and she is amazing. Beautiful tone and she did a couple of awesome riffs which had me in chills. She did look like she may be pregnant but vocally she blew me away. I’m so glad that I got to see her in this role!

I will need to go and see it again after the cast change - after this it will be the first time ever that all three leads will be played by black performers, and more people that I know and like or haven’t had a chance to see yet! But that will be for the second half of the year.

Theatre Trip: Bring It On

 BRING IT ON

Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre

Date: 30 December (Thursday), 2:30pm

Seats: Stalls, Row FF, 5-6

(Seen with Jess!)

London has been a little bit crazy! Most everyone seems to have Covid, and it has really been affecting the west End shows. Many cast members have been out due to getting sick, and self-isolation requirements for close contacts mean that there have been 3rd covers playing roles for the first time. Great for the understudies and cover actors, but not so great for other shows when they have to get cancelled.

This show (Bring It On) was actually also cancelled in the lead up to Christmas, but luckily everyone was back in for this show. It was only a few shows after the Christmas break, after all. Jess and I decided to catch a matinee over our Christmas break.

We didn't know much about this musical. I have seen the movie it is based on, and Lin-Manuel Miranda worked on the music and lyrics - plus I didn't realise until the program that Jeff Whitty (of Avenue Q fame) wrote the book! So it has pedigree.

We actually almost ran late, as the tickets on the TodayTix app only had 'Southbank Centre' down as the theatre, so we headed for the main building. We popped to the bathroom beforehand and got to the theatre at 2.15, only to find out it was the wrong theatre and we needed to go to the Queen Elizabeth Hall in a different building! Luckily it was right next door so we still made it in time.

Unfortunately, the show itself wasn't a stand out. The music was fine - it wasn't particularly memorable (I couldn't sing you any songs from it) but you could tell Lin had a hand in it (particularly when someone started rapping!) The dance and cheer parts were definitely the highlight. The performers were amazing dancers and they were doing actual cheer, basket tosses and the like, right there on stage, which was very cool!

Some of the performers were great. I really liked the girl who played Eva (Campbell's nemesis - played by Alicia Belgarde), she was a little powerhouse when it came to singing and dancing! Bridget (Chelsea Hall) was also amazing, and unexpected because she seemed like she shouldn't have been very good. So great. I did feel like some of the actors might have been a bit poorly or off-colour though, as some weren't great. I think that some of them were on their first job as well, which might be a factor.

All in all, it was good. I am glad that we saw it, but I would rather go and see something else again instead. But I'm always glad to see something new!

Theatre Trip: &Juliet (2)

 &JULIET

Shaftesbury Theatre

Date: 16 December (Thursday), 7:30pm

Seats: Stalls, Row B, 20-23

(Seen with Lisa and Louise from work!)

Understudies: Anne Hathaway (Kirstie Skivington), Lance de Bois (Ivan De Freitas), Francois de Bois (Billy Nevers)

We had booked this one a few months in advance. I had seen online that you could book the front row seats for the very reasonable price of £35. After seeing this the first time I realised that Louise, a colleague from work, would really love it, so I texted and suggested we see it together! After I mentioned it to Lisa she was in as well so I booked for the 3 of us in the front row for a few months later! It was actually good timing as Lou left us at the end of this term so it became a bit of a celebration for her.

We finished work around half 4 and headed straight in to Tottenham Court Rd station. Nearby was a Shake Shack, so we ate and chatted while we waited for the show to be ready to start. Then of course programs and getting to our seats.

And sitting in the front row was amazing! Even though we had 3 understudies it was such a cool party experience - and there were empty seats in the theatre (and also they had closed the grand circle and moved people down a floor) but everyone was really into it!

We had such a great cast - Kirstie Skivington was on again for Anne Hathaway, who we saw last time. I was disappointed I haven't had the chance to see Cassidy Janson yet (she is injured at the moment according to her Instagram), but Kirstie Skivington is amazing in the role and I love her portrayal. I just wish that I could get the chance to see Cassidy and compare it. We also had Ivan de Freitas in the role of Lance. He was great too - I do wish a little he was David Bedella as his portrayal is everything, but my friends said he was just as good and they wouldn't have known he was an understudy. And Frankie - the understudy was incredible! I preferred his portrayal to Tim Mahendran, actually, he had this amazing growl moment in one song that had me like WOAH. Billy Nevers, you were incredible!

Of course most of the regular cast was still in - Miriam Teak-Lee was awesome as always and my colleagues particularly loved Mel la Barrie (I swear she gets funnier every time!), but for me the draw is always the boys. Jordan Luke Gage was absolutely awesome as Romeo as he was the first time. But Oliver Thompsett is always the biggest draw of this show for me and it was an utter delight to get to see his facial expressions and reactions up close!

I had a couple of 'moments' during the show with cast members too. One of the perks of being on the front row! On Ollie's entrance, I may have made a rather loud noise which had him look and smile directly at me! It was a lovely moment. And at the end, Lisa pulled me up and we danced at the front, and at one point Kirstie looked over to us and did a little boogie at us, which was also awesome.

Such an amazing night, and I was really glad to introduce this show to my colleagues - they have both decided that they need to take their families to the show now! I can't wait to go see it again soon.

Theatre Trip: Hamilton (FINALLY!)

HAMILTON

Victoria Palace Theatre

Date: 14 December (Tuesday), 7:30pm

Seats: Stalls, Row C, 30-31

(Seen with Richard!)

Understudies: Alexander Hamilton (Alternate - Nuno Queimado), Aaron Burr (Jay Perry), King George (Aaron Lee Lambert)

This show we had been waiting SO LONG to see! Booking tickets to Hamilton was my 30th birthday present (which was in January 2020), and we booked for 6 months later to make sure we could get amazing seats. However, 2020 (and 2021) had other plans and our show was postponed a year, then again 6 months as the new date was one week before the theatres reopened properly! So it took almost 2 years, as I now turn 32 in just a few weeks. It was totally worth the wait though!

Richard and I got some sushi from Itsu for dinner and ate it outside the theatre before we went in. We had plenty of time and even though the queue looked long it was pretty quick to get in. Our seats were amazing! We were close enough we could see absolutely everything and with lots of detail but far enough back that we could see the whole stage in one go. The set doesn't move very much with helped too. We had a few understudies as well due to Covid sickness.

I thought the show was amazing. I knew the music well but I hadn't seen the Disney+ version so I didn't know anything about the staging or choreography and I thought it was amazing! Really dynamic and musical, and the ensemble was really amazing. They had a lot to do and did it all in their costumes, which I thought were really clever. They wore their base layers (which were vaguely period) and continued to add and remove additional layers depending on who they were in any number.

There were a few cast members who I thought really stood out. Angelica Schuyler (Ava Brennan) was fab, and every time I saw her I wanted to see her more. We did think that Hamilton (Nuno Queimado) was VERY good and that he got stronger throughout the performance. I also really liked Jefferson in Act 2 (Waylon Jacobs), he was an excellent balance of funny and witty and had a really excellent suit! I also loved King George (Aaron Lee Lambert) - he had everyone in hysterics with just his mannerisms.

It was also much funnier than I thought. This sounds obvious, but you can't see facial expressions on a cast recording. Some of the more deadpan lines were much, much funnier when you could see the visual gags that went along with it!

I am so grateful we finally got to see it! I am really looking forward to returning to see some other performers in the roles, particularly of Hamilton and Burr. It also turned out we had great timing - as due to more extended absences, Hamilton has been closed for almost every show since (I'm writing this almost a week afterwards, with shows not going ahead for Wednesday, Thursday (2), Friday, Saturday (2) or Sunday!) so really we should consider ourselves lucky that we go to see it at all. I am very grateful and will be returning when things settle down again.

Theatre Trip: Tim Minchin - Back Again Tour

Eventim Apollo

Date: 9 November (Tuesday), 7:30pm
Seats: Block 7, Row E 66-67 

(Seen with Richard!)

Even though it was a Tuesday night and we were already quiet tired (and with Richard due to fly to Spain early the next morning as well), but we had even more tickets booked! Tonight was a very exciting one, as we had been waiting a while for it. We had tickets to see Tim Minchin. Now he is probably best known for being the composer of both the Matilda and Groundhog Day musicals, but he has been a musical comedian for more than 15 years! He is an Aussie with a fab strong accent and a really irreverent and smart style.

We headed over to Hammersmith for this concert, to a new-to-us venue, the Eventim Apollo. It's very big but we were happy with our upstairs seats and a decent view. It did start a little late, I think they had people still coming in for a while after 7.30 so we didn't start until almost 7.50! This tour is just called Back (Again), but has the fun subline 'Old Songs, New Songs, F**k You Songs', so we knew we were going to get some fun songs we already knew!

He opened the concert alone at the piano with one of the songs from the new album, 'If This Plane Goes Down'. It was a more somber way to start the show but I liked it. In between each number Tim spoke a bit, a lot about what his life has been so far and his experiences and they were all really good interludes! I love his absurdist  but realist sense of humour and I feel as Aussies (and to a lesser extent, Brits) we really get his style.

After the first number he launched into one of my favourite really old songs, F Sharp. It's very musically clever and I enjoy the dissonance of it! I really love overall how Tim Minchin doesn't ever talk down to his audience, that every piece of humour is smart, even when it's crude or includes swearing (and in some other songs of his there is A LOT of swearing!). Tim even had us singing along with the F# at the end while he is playing in F, and of course Richard and I nailed it!

Then he included one of his beat poems - his first. Before it again he introduced a concept which came up a few times in the show: the 'Glossary of Terms'. This was partly to make sure everyone knew what he was on about, but also partly to point out how old we are and that THERE ARE ADULTS AT THAT SHOW WHO WERE BORN AFTER THE YEAR 2000. Crazy, right?! After the relevant terms, we heard Mitsubishi Colt. I really like that one, and Tim pointed out that it is also interesting because the backing to the beat poem is improvised every night. It was very cool!

Then he performed another of my old favourites - Thank You God. After that it was back to a new song 'Airport Piano' - and partway through the song, the curtains fell back to reveal the amazing band back there on stage! There was even a 3 person brass section! They were used really well throughout, I felt. They finished Airport Piano together, then followed it up with 15 Minutes and The Absence of You from the same album. Topping off the first half was another classic, If I Didn't Have You. It was an older song but in a completely reworked form, Latinising the song and giving it a super groovy vibe which had me grooving in my seat.

After interval we were back for just a few more songs. Starting with Leaving LA, which was accompanied by the projection of the video clip on the big screen (I liked it's stop motion vibe a lot!). And then he performed possibly my favourite Minchin song. He spelled out... C...H...E...E...S...E...! CHEESE! He even put in a break for a monologue right before the cheese puns, where he theorised that this might be one of the greatest songs ever written... Or complete crap. I'm going with genius though.

He finished up the second half with I'll Take Lonely Tonight and Talked Too Much, Stayed Too Long (which sounds like me to be honest!) We gave him a huge standing ovation, and after a minute he came back out for Carry You, a final song from his newest album.

It was such a fun evening. I laughed until I cried, enjoyed the new songs very much and absolutely loved seeing the old ones live. I wish that I could have seen it more than once!

Theatre Trip: Heathers

HEATHERS

New Wimbledon Theatre
Date: 5 November (Friday), 7:30pm
Seats: Stalls W10-12

(Seen with Jess and Linda!)

It's another touring show at Wimbledon! These are my favourite on a work day, because no matter when I say I'm going leave (5pm) versus when I actually leave (just after 5:30!), I can still have time for dinner and a quick catch up before a show. Today Jess and I met at McDonalds at half 6 to grab some dinner before the show. I also had her birthday present to give to her, as I haven't seen her since her birthday last week! Linda ran late and had to sneak in after the opening number, but it was lovely to have her.

As it is Heathers, I have seen it before on the West End several times. This production was essentially the same in plot and staging as on the West End. It has, however, been several years since we saw it and of course the cast has completely changed. We also had several understudies in our performance.

We even got drinks at the interval - it has been a long week after all! Being Heathers, they have slushies for sale, and I got us each one with an added shot of vodka for interval! Unfortunately, my drink was so frozen that it got stuck in the straw and I couldn't actually drink it until it melted, which meant I didn't get it to actually drink until after the show!

I thought the Heathers in this show were quite good. Heather Chandler, Duke and MacNamara were played by U/S Daisy Twells, Merryl Ansah, and Lizzy Parker respectively. Heather Chandler was much funnier than I remember Jodie Sam Steele was, but her vocals weren't quite as strong, especially up in the higher register. Heather Duke, I actually preferred to T'Shan Williams from the West End cast. Her vocals were stronger and she didn't fade into the  background as much in this version, which I liked. Heather Mac I also really liked. She had a very different, less silly portrayal than Sophie Isaacs in the other cast and I liked her vocals a lot. 

Ram and Kurt (U/s Callum Connolly, Liam Doyle) I didn't like as much. They were good jocks, of course, but I didn't think they were actually handsome enough! If you're going to spend more than an hour every night wearing just your underpants you need to be looking good. JD (Simon Gordon) was quite good - a little shouty at times but good. He didn't really get as creepy as I expected, either, until the key moments when his psychopath side actually came out.

Veronica (U/S May Tether) I really liked. Her comedic timing and facial expressions were totally on point! I thought it made her much funnier. Her accent was VERY strong and meant a lot of the vowels changed shape (and therefore sound) and it made some of them a lot harsher, but her notes were very accurate and I felt like she balanced the character of Veronica really well. I have to admit I was more impressed than I would have been given that she is the understudy rather than the usual Veronica. Unusual to have an understudy on a Friday night, but oh well.

In summary, it was a very good show and I loved being able to see a show I really like again! It's just that the original West End cast was the only cast of this show most people have experienced, and being on the recording too means that their versions of the characters feel like they are set in stone for me. So they weren't bad, just very different versions. And I did still like them a lot! It's nice to see different versions of familiar characters.

Theatre Trip: HMS Pinafore

 H.M.S. PINAFORE

Coliseum Theatre
Date: 30 October (Saturday), 7:30pm
Seats: Upper Circle A 21-22

(Seen with Richard!)

We were excited to come back to the Coliseum for another ENO performance! We decided that rather than rushing a takeaway dinner after our old favourite Mod Pizza has shut up shop in the UK due to the pandemic, we'd head to one of the many pubs near the Coliseum and eat there. Looking at the pubs there was one serving Thai food which we wanted to try but by the time we got there it was full! It was half 6 at that point so we popped into a nice looking Thai place just a few doors down.

By 7 we had ordered, received and finished our entrees and we were waiting for our mains. But unfortunately it got to 7:15 and we still didn't have our food. By this time I was stressing, so I went to the bathroom in the restaurant, but I got back and we still didn't have any food! By that time Richard had asked for it to go instead, so at 7:25 we were literally running out the door of the restaurant with our food all boxed up (they did give us the noodles for free for the trouble, which was nice) the one minute to the theatre.

We arrived, had to run down to the cloakroom (of course we couldn't take our food to our seats!) which had already closed, so find someone who could open it for us, check our food, then run up 2 flights of steps to our seats. Luckily we actually made it just while the orchestra was tuning up!

This performance was quite fun. As with other G&S performances we have seen, I knew the show well because of the version with Jon English in Australia in the 90s. This is definitely one of the more comedic operettas and I really enjoy the twisting of the plot in this particular show. They definitely added some things in an attempt to make the show even more funny, although we did feel a bit like some made them feel more like a panto - and not always in a good way. The addition of the Midshipmite was a good call, but they also added a silly Boris Johnson gag, a repeating seagull joke which was quite silly, and the worst one - one of the aunts who never lifted her head, walked with a cane (like a old person stereotype) and kept walking across the show or into parts of the stage. The rest of the audience seemed to think it was funnier than we did, so maybe it is funnier if you're British?

The main casting draw for UK people is Les Dennis, who is a famous comedian and was playing the role of Sir Joseph. He was fine, although it was clear he was not a singer. I much preferred the ENO cast proper though. There were a pair of Harewood Artists in the cast. This means that they have a special programme of training to boost and support their new careers. In this case, both Ralph Rackstraw (Elgan Llyr Thomas) and Josephine (Alexandra Oomens) were these artists and I was very impressed with them vocally. Particularly Josephine - I thought that she had a gorgeous voice and surprisingly good comic timing!

The 2 best performances were definitely Captain Corcoran and the Midshipmite (a new character created for this version to be the cabin boy, and played by a child). Rufus Bateman was the Midshipmite at this performance and he was appropriately cheeky and I felt like he added quite a lot to the performance. Turns out he also is a killer tap dancer! So was the Captain, played by John Savournin to a tee. He was serious when he needed to be and silly when needed too. They added some tap dancing into the show which I thought was very well placed.

Despite the drama getting in (and the fact we had to eat out dinner after the show when we got home!), it was a very enjoyable evening. After lots of modern musicals, I do enjoy an operetta to get back to my childhood, it feels like.

Theatre Trip: ALW's Cinderella

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S CINDERELLA

Gillian Lynne Theatre
Date: 13 October (Wednesday), 7:30pm
Seats: Circle, E51-52

(Seen with Richard!)

Another week, another weekday show! I bet this looks very exciting, but actually I'm going to need a break soon as my sleeping habits and caffeine consumption are not working super well together! In the, we were running late and we arrived at the theatre at 7, and through the doors at 7:15. They've recently redone the theatre though, so it was easy to get around, there were lots of places to buy drinks, and plenty of bathrooms (even for the ladies we never waited more than a few minutes) We were lucky enough to win lottery tickets with the chance to purchase tickets for £25. It turns out our seats were much better than I expected - they were up in the Circle, but the theatre has been resigned very well and all the seats in the house would have had a good view. Because we were further back we could easily see all the action and there was only a small amount of action that we missed.

The music of this new show - his most recent since School of Rock - is very good. At one point Richard and I turned to each other and said, 'This music feels very Gilbert and Sullivan', and it definitely does, but in all the best ways. There are 4-5 main themes which keep coming back being reused in different ways and it has a little bit of a pantomime vibe; but again, in a good way! We really enjoyed the music side of it.

The book for this was also quite good. Emerald Fennell has written the book for this and she got great fame for her recent movie Promising Young Woman, which I loved, and she has made this plot more modern. I felt like all the changes worked well and it definitely felt more modern than Cinderella usually is.

All of the actors in the chorus seemed great. There were some very hunky guys who did an excellent number with pretend weights and other such 'strong' showing off. The stepsisters (Georgina Castle as Mari, Laura Baldwin as Adele) were really funny and totally vapid. Laura I knew could pull off a role like this as she was Dawn in Waitress and while she was not vapid in that, she was quite a caricature and that works for her as an actress.

The older ladies were not my favourites in the show. The Queen (Rebecca Trehearn) was more genuine and she definitely had amazing costumes! Her voice was also very lovely and she was the right balance of silly and fun. The Stepmother I didn't actually like all that much. Victoria Hamilton-Barritt did a fine job of acting in the role, but the character she chose (as it said in the program) was a cross between David Bowie and Joanna Lumley, which I felt was way over the top and just too pantomime. It didn't really feel like it fit with the rest of the acting choices the other characters made.

The main prince in this Cinderella isn't actually Prince Charming but Prince Sebastian, Charming's younger brother. He was played by Ivano Turco, a new graduate in his first West End role. I feel like you could tell how new he was to being on stage, and his voice was more on the pop end of things rather than musical theatre. His voice was lovely though, if a little overpowered by the band at times. And boy, I'm trying not to spoil anything, but THE BOY CAN DANCE! I'd like to see him again in the role in a few months once he's had time to settle into things.

The biggest draw in this show for me was Carrie Hope Fletcher, playing the titular role. She seemed really at home in this show! The singing parts seemed to be written exactly in the best parts of her voice (maybe they were, as she has been Cinderella since the original workshop) and it meant that she could put everything she had into the big numbers. Her costume is very cool and she is witty and funny, which is refreshing for what is normally a Disney princess! I really enjoyed her in the role and am looking forward to seeing her again. I will be continuing to enter the lottery - Jess is too because she wants to see it with me next!

Theatre Trip: &Juliet (finally!)

 &JULIET

Shaftesbury Theatre
Date: 7 October (Thursday), 7:30pm
Seats: Stalls, P3-4
(Seen with Jess!)

Understudies: Anne Hathaway (Kirstie Skivington)

Finally, I get to see &Juliet! I had had tickets to this show twice already... But the first time I had a migraine and the second we were due to see it at the end of March 2020, and that got cancelled by the pandemic. But finally, our time has come!

We got great Stalls seats in row P. The Shaftesbury is smaller than I expected and so row P is actually quite close! Seats 3-4 are right on the right hand side, so there was a tiny bit on stage that we couldn't see but that didn't matter for anything important in the show.

The staging of this show is very simple. The stage isn’t big, and is framed as a musical within a play so the staff is kept pretty simple. It all looks great and it definitely doesn’t need big set pieces to hit home. The main feature is, of course, the music! This show is a jukebox musical, but rather than by an artist it’s about the composer/producer. Max Martin wrote and produced a huge amount of music since the 90s, so there is a lot of options to choose from. This means that it doesn’t feel at all like a jukebox musical, because the music fits so well with the plot of the show. But people my age who grew up in the 90s and 00s, you would recognise all the songs! So it’s such a trip hearing these songs in a new context.

I know a few actors in this show. Grace Mouat was in the chorus (with a leading role and a few mini solos tonight), and I remember her really well from being one of the backup Queens in Six. I really enjoyed watching her perform! Juliet’s father was played by a guy who I recognised instantly as Ivan de Freitas. The last time I saw him perform was in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Barbican, and he was very good. Mel la Barrie I remember from even further back, having seen her as Madame Morrible in Wicked, back in 2008 on my gap year. She was absolutely phenomenal in her role here and I was nowhere near prepared for her to be so amazing, or to be able to sing so well with a thick Jamaican accent! And David Bedella played opposite her, with a deep voice that instantly took me back to 2008. He was in the production of Chess then that I went to in the Albert Hall, playing Molokov, but in this he was so different! His deep voice and fake French accent were so good and he was really really awesome.

Romeo was played by Jordan Luke Gage, freshly returned from Heathers on the West End. He was so poppy and I felt like he really fit the character super well. His characterisation was really good (although Romeo is a terrible character - predictably, given the 'girl power' theme of the show) and of course, his voice is phenomenal! Miriam Teak-Lee played the lead role of Juliet and she was also amazing. Her voice at times, had too many riffs and felt a little out of place on a musical stage, but she was very very good. I would like to see her again so that I can hear if she does the same performance night after night, or if the riffs change!

The actors I was most excited about, are actually two who I have seen since 2008 when I first saw them as Fiyero and Elphaba in Wicked! Oliver Tompsett plays William Shakespeare and he was so amazing. His voice is like butter, even with a Cockney accent and they gave him a lot of great puns, on Shakespeares name and works, which I appreciated a lot. Sadly, the other person I was very excited about was out for the show. Cassidy Janson (who I have seen as Elphaba as well as many more!) is cast as Anne Hathaway, arguably the most important character in the show - as she is the one who interferes with Shakespeare's original plot and leads it astray. Sadly she wasn't in on this evening and so the role was played by Kirtie Skivington. I felt that she was very good, but especially during the big number I was thinking about how phenomenal CJ would be in that role. Also I would like to see the chemistry between CJ and Oli as they have history together!

I will definitely be going again though, as I messaged my colleague as I was walking out and told her that she would love it. In response, I have booked 3 front row tickets for myself and 2 colleagues for just before the end of the school year - and in the same week as Hamilton! It will be such fun to experience this on the front row.

Theatre Trip: Hairspray

 HAIRSPRAY

Coliseum Theatre
Date: 23 September (Thursday), 7:30pm
Seats: Dress Circle, B1-2
(Seen with Jess!)

Understudies: Wilbur Turnblad (Dermot Canavan), Motormouth Maybelle (Sharlene Hector), Male Authority Figure (Christopher Howell), Lorraine (Tinovimbanashe Sibanda), Tammy (Annie Guy)

I was very excited for this show! I love the movie of Hairspray but I have never seen it live. I thought I might miss it given it was on over the summer, but luckily we have refund vouchers and it was on for just another few weeks. So Jess used the voucher from one of our other shows and we booked it!

We picked the seats in Row B which were supposedly restricted view but when we got there ended up being pretty amazing! I enjoy seeing a little bit off the side of the stage so it was good for that and the only thing we couldn't see was the scoreboard at the dance competition, which was totally fine.

We were a little disappointed about the understudies when we arrived. Les Dennis plays Wilbur, Tracy's father, and he is a pretty famous comedian here in the UK. He was off, which wasn't what I really was annoyed about. I was most excited to see Motormouth Maybelle, who was being played by Marisha Wallace. We had recently seen her in Waitress and she had been great, so I was very sad to see that she was actually out this evening.

I needn't have worried though, the cast was amazing. A lot of the young people were starting their careers on the West End with this show, including Link (Jonny Amies) and Tracey (Lizzie Bea), and every single one was incredible!!! Tracey was flawless and Link was swoon-worthy but I think my favourite was Amber (Georgia Anderson) and Penny (Mari McGinlay). Amber was such a toddler, throwing tantrums and being very over the top which was lots and lots of fun! Penny was also over the top, but she was such a nerd. Twitching and being deliberately dorky which really made everyone laugh, and she had such a great transformation as a result!

The Motomouth Maybelle was incredible - you would never have guessed that she was the understudy! She was so amazing vocally and had such an incredible power. And the understudy for Wilbur was also super, although he did corpse at one point. Edna made him laugh so much that it put them both off in 'You're Timeless To Me'! He had embraced her form behind and had hidden his face because he was laughing, but Edna could feel his shaking and made an on stage comment about it which had the audience cackling!

The main draw in the casting was Michael Ball playing Edna! He was so fantastic, sang gorgeously and of course, did it all in heels! Super star. The curtain call had everyone up on their feet dancing along and Jess and I did our best to keep up with the choreography! Even though it was a Thursday night after working and we were both tired, this show had us back on our feet jumping up and down! It was so fun.