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, Heathers!
On 25th October 2018, I travelled to central
London with a friend of mine to see Heathers: The Musical on stage. My friend,
Matt, was already on the train, and I joined him when it pulled up at my
station. We met our friend, GL, over in Leicester Square. Admittedly, we had
left very little time to eat and get to the theatre, as he had had lectures at
university and we had been running late due to issues with the tube, having
missed one to get us to Leicester Square faster.
One thing I would definitely suggest, in hindsight, if
possible, is to give yourselves as much time as possible to get to the theatre,
and, if possible, avoid making commitments that clash. In our case it was
unavoidable as education, rightly, comes before going to see a musical, but if
you can choose to travel down earlier, I would do so. We ended up inhaling fast
food before running to the theatre, which wasn’t the easiest place to find,
which had, ultimately, made me anxious, despite my friends insisting that they
knew where they were going. Another suggestion would be don’t down a large
chocolate milkshake and then run off to the theatre, it doesn’t make for a
comfortable start to the show!
Heathers, was, however, amazing. I had been a fan of the
soundtrack for several months, and I had been lucky enough that a colleague of
my mother’s was selling the tickets as she was no longer able to attend the
show. I had bought all three tickets without hesitation, desperate to see the
tour, as I was sure that I would have struggled to purchase my own tickets. I
loved the songs that they added in such as “I Won’t Shut Up Anymore” by Heather
Duke, as I felt that it epitomised her attitude about finally being able to
step into the spotlight instead of constantly being belittled by Heather
Chandler.
My friends and I had enjoyed the entire show, relating to
the songs and their lyrics, despite, neither being the biggest fans of musical
theatre themselves. Below is a photo of us, taken after the show, outside the
theatre.
I have heard rumours and speculation online, that the tour
may return to the UK someday, should that be the case, I wouldn’t hesitate to
go back to see it again. Heathers is such a great show and if anyone ever gets
a chance to see it, I would definitely suggest going for it! If high-school
angst is your thing, definitely check it out!
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