I have been immensely fortunate when it comes to exposure to
musical theatre and live-stage performances. When I was younger, my aunt used
to purchase tickets for myself, my younger sister and my mother to see shows on
the West End, some of which, I still have the programs for now. I remember the
first West End show I went to was Hairspray when I was around eleven or twelve
years old. We got to stage door after the performance and the programs we
bought were covered with signatures from cast members that were delighted that
we had enjoyed the show. The last time I went on one of those trips was when I
was sixteen. I had seen Wicked with my family and not everyone had enjoyed the
performance as much as I had. But I was still much too young to go to the
theatre alone. However, my love for musical theatre in particular didn’t cease.
It was only recently, in October of 2018, that I went to
another West End performance, where I saw Heather’s on tour with two of my
friends, just weeks after I’d managed to purchase Hamilton tickets for myself
and my mother in the new year. It was then that I realised I had happened
across an expensive habit. Since then, I have made four more trips to see shows
in London; Hamilton (twice), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Harry Potter and
The Cursed Child and The Great Gatsby at Gatsby’s Drugstore.
I figured that, I would share some anecdotes about my
experiences, because, honestly, I just love to share and remember the fun I had!
SO, Harry Potter & The Cursed Child
On 16th January 2019, I went to London to meet
with one of my best friends, Emma, and one of her friends to see Harry Potter
& The Cursed Child. I can’t deny that I was apprehensive to meet Emma’s
friend Charlie, but I had heard that she was lovely. Having heeded my warning
from having seen Heather’s with my friends just a few months prior, we met with
two hours before Part One would begin. That gave us enough time to get
acquainted, explore the local area, locate the theatre and get something to
eat. We did, however, lose track of time and ended up having to eat our McDonalds
outside of the theatre but in doing so, we managed to sneak some really pretty
photos of the theatre!
One suggestion I would give to people going to see this show
would be to do your best to stay hydrated before the show as this theatre does
not allow outside food or drinks in. We were lucky enough to smuggle a half-eaten
packet of Maoam Pinballs into the theatre before Part Two, as they were in my
pocket and the person doing bag searches didn’t seem to mind too much. Probably
as a handful of sweets are less likely to be of issue when compared to
sandwiches, crisps or loud food that would distract the other members of the
audience form the dialogue and staging of the show.
As we had decided to purchase the slightly cheaper tickets,
which were £15 per part, it meant that we did have a restricted view of the
show, which wasn’t too much of an issue until the second part, where in one
instance, everyone in our area had to stand to watch what had taken place. This
wasn’t too much of an issue for us as we were at the edge and didn’t restrict
the view of anyone behind us by standing. If money isn’t an issue, when
purchasing a ticket, I would recommend being closer to the stage than we were.
But, the show was amazing, despite being so high up.
I intend to purchase tickets to Harry Potter & The
Cursed Child again, to take a friend after Christmas. It was fantastically
staged and I would definitely recommend seeing it, as the script translates so
well to the stage. Seeing it on paper doesn’t do the story justice, in my
opinion, at least.
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