12/3/20 - Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Be More Chill!

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, The Great Gatsby at Gatsby’s Drugstore, Dear Evan Hansen, Six, and most recently Be More Chill – which is the show I’ll be discussing today!

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, Be More Chill!

I bought the tickets for Be More Chill on their presale for a combined gift for a friend’s birthday and Christmas. She, like me, was not as into the show as we had been previous ones, but were intrigued about the show that gained a viral reception in the USA.

Despite us having limited knowledge about the show, both hesitant to read the book until we had seen the show onstage, we were very excited to finally see it, the two of us sharing a favourite song in the form of ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ which was an immensely apt depiction of experiencing anxiety.

When I went to London to see this show, I headed in much earlier than normal in order to visit other places. But, when it finally came to going from The Theatre Café in Leicester Square to The Other Palace, I cannot deny that I was grateful that we left early. Even though I had time to stop at the Costa on Cardinal Place, we struggled to find the theatre, and were dependent on Google Maps, which failed us. What I would recommend doing is exiting Victoria Train Station at Cardinal Place and following the path past Costa and turning left when you reach the main street, and follow the path. That way you won’t find yourself wandering aimlessly around the streets, struggling to navigate the vague instructions from Maps. If you struggle to find it, don’t be proud like us, ask a staff member in one of the stores along Cardinal Place. You won’t be the first, nor will you be the last to struggle to find The Other Palace. It isn’t in the easiest location to find. I would wholeheartedly suggest that you give yourself enough time to get lost.

We were still about thirty minutes early for the show and got to enjoy the bubbly atmosphere, with fans of the show all excited to see what would happen – we spotted fans wearing custom jackets that mirrored Michael’s from the show, and official merchandise.

The show itself was interesting – I went into it blind, and couldn’t deny that it was very clear the pacing was dependant on the intermission, the build-up toward the climax at the first act was much slower than most other shows I had seen. But, as much as it was a tad annoying to be at the edge of my seat, waiting to see something happen that would be detrimental, I really enjoyed the show. The second act was much faster, dramatic and the intermission seemed essential to set the pace for the immediate fallout. Had the show been without an intermission, the sudden shift in pacing would have been immensely jarring.

My favourite things about the show had to be the costuming. Although at the start, the use of colour appears slightly jarring, however, the use of bold, pop-ish colours are dramatic and work well with the use of backgrounds and technical motifs. There are references to classical gaming and coding – I really enjoyed seeing the abject absence of bright green until the finale, where everyone seems to be wearing green except for Michael, who wears red – the colour symbolism between the characters is amazing. I won’t spoil what they mean, but it was very clever.

The Squip’s costumes were fantastic too! I loved every single upgraded outfit and how it seemed that almost every time he came onto the stage, his outfit became more dramatic as he became more prevalent in the story, worming into Jeremy’s life. I found it super clever, and was in awe of the use of texture, patterns and clean-cut whites, silvers, greys and blacks with the Squip’s clothing.

There were some fantastic songs in the mix as well – I loved watching ‘Michael In The Bathroom’ live on stage, but was awed by how exciting The Pitiful Children was on stage. The lighting, choreography and drama really worked for the song. The clean movements were succinct and very dramatic. I really enjoyed it.

I had a great time at Be More Chill! It was unlike most of the musicals I have seen on the West End thus far, but I couldn’t help but fall in love with the intricacy of it.

Be More Chill is playing at The Other Palace theatre in Victoria, and tickets are available for performances until the 14^th June.

Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you get a chance to see this show live! It was so good!

And remember,

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Six: The Musical

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 many more trips to see shows in London; Hamilton (twice), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, The Great Gatsby, and Dear Evan Hansen.

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, Six!

Six The Musical is a pop musical that tells the story of Henry VIII’s six wives: Catherine of Aragon, Ann Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr. It provides a modernised and easy to access platform for history.

The musical itself is the equivalent of one act in length and runs without an intermission in an easy to follow manner. All of the songs are catchy and have a lot of character to them – that way the audience can access the story and build upon their pre-existing knowledge. Each song in the show provides context about the wives and the breakdown of their relationships with Henry VIII.

The staging is effective – with a small stage that the six actresses filled and elevated spaces for the musicians that perform alongside the cast. The lack of a background set means the eyes of the audience are caught and captured by the performance and can’t stray form the cast.

My personal favourite aspect of Six is the costuming department and how they incorporate aspects of the historical dress in the Queen’s costumes, while each are still presented as modern. They each wear high heeled shoes and wear corresponding outfits that make them resemble a girl-band. There are nods to their original portraits from the Tudor times in their costumes – from Ann Boleyn’s top and skirt combo being a glittery green tartan, a nod to her green sleeves, to the addition of glittery skeleton frames of puffed up sleeves, corsets and petticoats. These Queens would not go amiss in the sales industry.

I loved getting to see Six, I found the entire experience really empowering, the stress of needing a man’s love to be amazing and the emphasis that Henry VIII is only remembered because he had six wives, so they seemed to elevate him more than he did them. The show ends on a high note, declaring how important unity, solidarity, and supporting one another. It really is an immersive, electric, almost concert-like experience. I look forward to seeing the show on tour.

Six The Musical is playing at The Arts Theatre and tickets are available to purchase until January 2021.

Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you give this show a go! It really was amazing!

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Dear Evan Hansen

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, Dear Evan Hansen!

I was first introduced to Dear Evan Hansen, when I was on YouTube, listening to songs from Hamilton. But, I was not in a situation where I actually listened to it until my housemate played one of the songs and I recognised Ben Platt’s voice. That night, I listened to the entire soundtrack and I made the thorough descent into obsession.

We bought presale tickets for the show, having freaked out when we found out it came to the UK. And, managed to watch the show within the first two weeks of its run.

I had gone into the show with high expectations and all of them were met; we had a great view and were made very emotional by the cast’s handling of such an emotional and raw, heavy subject like suicide and having context of the story at my disposal made me weep.

Characters I didn’t initially understand the motives of, like Alana Beck came alive and were so easy to relate to - Nicole Raquel Dennis’ acting was superb and really changed my opinion on Alana, who I initially just thought was pushy. The show really provided the chances for the most minor characters to make mistakes in desperation, like Alana releasing Connor Murphy’s supposed suicide note onto the internet. I related immensely to her struggles to feel accepted by her peers while desperately looking for a place where she would fit.

My favourite part, however, was the staging, everything from the use of artificial social media feeds, which had me convinced it was a live twitter dashboard, to the way that phones were cast down onto the stage in the form of spotlights was phenomenal. The nuanced movements between feeling shut out and welcomed was so emotive, when it was something as simple as a 180 degree turn. I had not seen these methods being used before and I was absolutely floored.

I hope to get the chance to see the show again soon, but until then, I keep the soundtrack downloaded on my phone.

Dear Evan Hansen is playing at the Noel Coward Theatre in London and tickets are available to purchase up to 30^th May 2020

Thank you so much for reading and I hope that you check this show out! It really is amazing!

And remember:

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

- Imogen. L. Smiley

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: The Great Gatsby

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 many 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, The Great Gatsby!

On 25^th September 2019, my best friend, Wendy surprised myself and three of our friends to a trip to an immersive theatre performance of The Great Gatsby at the venue known as Gatsby’s Drugstore. It was a celebration of her 22^nd birthday as our original plans fell through, but we agreed that this was a much better way to celebrate than what we had planned previously.

She had surprised us, telling us that we were going to London for an event where we would need 1920’s style dress and I was excited to find out what it was. The attention to detail even with the confirmation email that she was sent, and she printed off to give each of us as a surprise invitation was amazing – filled with references. Each confirmation email was written with the invitation Gatsby gave to Nick on it, followed by the actual booking information. Wendy had printed copies of this email and put each one in an envelope addressed to us individually, which we opened on the train to the event.

Wendy and I were immensely excited, discussing whether everyone would enjoy themselves as we were unsure how familiar everyone was with the source material, spouting references to the book and film every other word. The excitement was only growing.

The show was immersive, so the cast were amongst the guests waiting for the show to start. I was approached by Myrtle Wilson early in the night and taken up to a better vantage point to view the space. She was amazing and made me feel more welcomed than uncomfortable.

The show was a very split experience, and your perception of the events would be dictated by who you ended up being accompanied by. The show starts as a unified experience, with cast and guests getting to sing along and dance with the cast, learning the choreography and lyrics to some of the songs that would end up being repeated during the night. But quickly after you are introduced to the fact that Tom Buchannan and Daisy’s marital issues, the group ends up being split.

Daisy ended up chatting with Wendy and gravitated toward us and took us along with her to learn that she had been asked to visit Nick for tea. She spoke to the room of ladies about her experience of love and marriage. It was a wholesome and emotional experience, making the audience gain rapport with her.

In the book, Nick acknowledges that she has a quality about her that makes people fall in love with her, and the actress ended up capturing the essence of that quality amazingly when portraying Daisy, talking to us intimately and wanting us all to be included in the story.

I felt like Wendy and I got a great draw, ending up, along with our friend Marika, with Daisy before she and Gatsby met again for the first time in five years, and all five of us: myself, Wendy, Marika, Kyle and GL, were with Myrtle and her husband George before she was killed in the crash and with Nick and Gatsby after the accident which would lead to his death.

The execution of the production was fantastic, as was the cast’s means of engaging with the crowd. Both Wendy and I had been welling up with tears at the conclusion of the show. We are eager to go back in the future to see other character’s sides of the story! 

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Hamilton... AGAIN????

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 17^th 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!

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Everybody's Talking About Jamie

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!

On 12^th June 2019, I went to see Everybody’s Talking About Jamie as a belated 21^st birthday present from one of my best friends, Emma. As both of us are anxious travellers, we decided that even though the show was going to start at seven, that we would meet at 1pm in Leicester Square, that way we could catch up and hang out as appropriate for the weather.

We were, however, very unlucky that it was raining and we therefore optimised on our travel-cards and retreated to the warmth of Stratford and Westfield Shopping Centre. We ended up spending an hour and a half in a coffee shop there, before heading back to Leicester Square and having an early dinner at Burger King. When we got to the theatre, we were, once again, caught in the rain and were advised to retreat into the McDonald’s down the street as it was too early for admission to the theatre.

We were lucky enough to be allowed in twenty minutes before normal admission time due to the weather. However, the weather would end up being the bane of our existence for the rest of the day.

I was immensely lucky, as a long-time-fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, to have been gifted tickets to see Everybody’s Talking About Jamie when Bianca Del Rio was in the cast as Loco Chanel! Emma had teased me for insisting we shouldn’t go in June, and should go after the summer as the tickets could have been cheaper. However, instead we ended up getting tickets for June and seeing Bianca. Emma said that my reaction to her arrival was hilarious because I all but started screaming as soon as I heard her voice.

I tweeted about how star-struck I had been in the intermission and she liked, and retweeted my fangirl-ing onto her own account. This made me even more excited to potentially stage door at the end of the show.

After an amazing evening and an emotional performance, we went to the back of the theatre, programmes in hand, hoping to get them signed. The rain made a brief appearance and meant that some of the cast including Roy Haylock AKA Bianca Del Rio wouldn’t be able to do an appearance at the stage door as they didn’t have understudies. It was a reasonable but frustrating declaration, but still we waited, in the hopes to see some of the other cast. We were lucky enough to catch Layton Williams and bag a selfie! He even wished me a happy birthday, seeing the badge we’d bought. It was the best birthday celebration ever! I was so happy!

My advice in this instance would be to always be aware of the weather and how it may positively or negatively impact your experience at the theatre, you might not always be lucky enough to get early admission to a show because of the weather, nor might you be able to see everyone you want at the stage door.

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Hamilton

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:

On 20^th February 2019, I finally got the opportunity to be in the room where it happens and got to see Hamilton: An American Musical with my mother. In this instance, the day was really stressful as I was doing a 24 hour round-trip from my student accommodation in Derby, to London to see the show, back home to Essex and then back to Derby before a 5pm lecture the next day.

I was very stressed doing this, and, generally, wouldn’t recommend this to anyone unless they have a better grip of their anxiety than I do. The only reason I opted into this is because I knew that my lecture was non-compulsory and informed my lecturer well in advance that I may be slightly late to his class, just as I didn’t want to go to class with my luggage.

One thing which did confuse me about the system at Hamilton was some of the wording on the website as it said that tickets needed to be collected for the show by 6pm on the day of the show. I took this as meaning that, as I had already bought my ticket, I would have to be at the ticket box by 6 to collect my tickets before the show started at half past seven. This was not the case, and it actually meant that anyone who was hoping to purchase tickets to see Hamilton that evening would have to have done so by 6pm on the day of the show. I am writing this as this misunderstanding meant that my mother had to leave much earlier to meet me in London than she had to, which, I will admit, eased my anxiety significantly.

Due to the proximity to Victoria Station, we decided to have dinner in the station, and then head to the theatre to take photos outside the venue, join the queue and buy programmes before the show so we wouldn’t have to queue in the intermission. My mother, understanding my anxiety, was accommodating to my whims, despite being fed up of me taking photos. I just couldn’t contain my excitement! After two years of being obsessed with this musical, I was finally going to see it onstage!

To say that the show made me emotional would be an understatement! I didn’t stop crying from Blow Us All Away until the curtain call! The only thing that would have made the show better would have been being able to stage door afterward, however that was something I was unable to do due to my mother having a bad pain day and with issues with the trains and us not wanting to have to wait an hour to travel home when she was that much pain. I relented and went home with her.

Travelling back up to Derby was significantly more hassle than it necessarily needed to be. I had been lucky; because I bought my train tickets from my home in Essex, back up to Derby on the day I bought my Hamilton tickets, I was only able to purchase an open return. Which was, thankfully, the best thing. I had run into several issues enroute back to Derby in the process of coming back to Derby, one of which being that I was unable to take the District Line from Tower Hill to Kings Cross.

Instead, in the company of one of my friends, Marika, who I ran into at Fenchurch Street, on her way to a lecture, I went to Aldgate East, which took ten minutes. When I got there, we had to wait for a Hammersmith and City Line train to Kings Cross, and by the time I arrived, the train I had been hoping to get from London back to Derby had departed. Had I bought a train ticket for a set time, I would have had to buy a new one, so I was lucky enough to just have to wait for the next train, which was due to depart forty minutes from my arrival. So, my last piece of advice in this instance would be, if you’re travelling cross-country to see shows on the West End, buy an open return, because you cannot predict what will happen to the London Underground.

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Harry Potter & The Cursed Child

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 16^th 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.

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Heather's

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 25^th 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!