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, Hamilton, again!
On 17th August 2019, I returned to the greatest
city in the world with my mother, grandma and aunt to see Hamilton: An American
Musical, again! It was my mother’s suggestion to have everyone go and see the
show again, and I purchased a ticket as a birthday present from me to me!
This time, it was much more stressful. With a larger group
seeing the show it was much harder to get everything to take place in a relaxed
manner, just as there were more people to try and accommodate for. We met in
Trafalgar Square, ten minutes later than we were meant to and then struggled to
contact one another. I struggled with this as someone who would rather be
thirty minutes early than five minutes late.
After meeting up we went to The National Gallery and looked
at the paintings by Van Gogh and Monet to fill the four hours before we would
have to be in the queue at the theatre. After wondering around we had a sit-down
at the café and later made our way to Victoria on the underground during rush
hour.
We went for dinner at Prezzo where I had salmon pasta with
chilli and peppers. It was delicious and I’d definitely suggest it as something
light for dinner, as its easy and quick to eat. Everyone else enjoyed their
food too! But by the time we’d finished eating it was seven pm – which stressed
me out as the doors would close in fifteen minutes.
We ended up running to the theatre and getting into the
queue and admitted very quickly. I was unable to take photos outside but hoped
I would get some after the show.
I was very excited to watch the show again and was hoping I
would get the chance to stage door once again. My mother agreed to do it, as
she knew that I had had very bad luck with stage dooring in the past, having
been unable to go at Cursed Child due to train times, missing out at Hamilton
because she was in pain, and being unable to meet Roy Haylock / Bianca Del Rio
due to the weather. She admitted defeat as soon as I asked and I was elated!
During the intermission, I ran to purchase a programme and
on my way back to my seat I was approached by a friend of mine from university.
I hadn’t seen her since March and was stunned to see her in a theatre in
Central London considering she didn’t live locally. Seeing her made me even
happier!
One thing that was a significant issue during the second
half of the show, was the heat. Sitting in the theatre during the show had made
the space very warm, and my aunt and grandmother were struggling to focus on
what was happening onstage because they were so uncomfortably hot. With that in
mind I would suggest packing a fan and dressing lightly when going to see a
show during the summer months, as you want to be as comfortable as possible.
I ended up crying for a similar length of time when compared
to the previous trip, welling up at the start of Stay Alive Reprise and
struggling to stop until the curtain call. However, we were quick to make our
way to the stage door. Despite it being a Saturday night, only one member of
the cast actually came to the stage door that evening, but it was still amazing
to go!
I can’t wait for the next opportunity to see it, whenever
that may be!
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