Showing posts with label West end. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West end. Show all posts
Hey everyone!
Hope your all well! I thought I would do something a little different today, I don't often do 'tags' but I came across this one the other night and thought since I love a good musical so much I would do this one!
3. Were you ever in a musical??
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Hope your all well! I thought I would do something a little different today, I don't often do 'tags' but I came across this one the other night and thought since I love a good musical so much I would do this one!
1. What was the first musical you saw in the West End??
The first musical I saw in the West End was Chicago back in 2010 at the Cambridge Theatre in London
2. What was your favourite musical growing up??
I think it was probably Les Miserables. My nanna loved that musical and while I was growing up I heard a lot of the sound track and saw the 10th anniversary concert with her. To be honest I think this is probably what got me started in musicals!
Obviously I have never done anything in the west end (what a dream that would be eh!) however I was in 2 musicals when I was at school; Bugsy Malone and Grease! Theres me at the back there in Grease, one of the pink ladies :P And on a side line note, the blonde haired lad sat on the oil drum is my brother!
4. Favourite musical (seen on Stage)??
Oooo now that is a hard one! I have seen some fantastic shows in the west end. I love Wicked and is my most seen show but then the first time I saw Les Miserables was absolutely magical.
5. Favourite film adaptation of a musical?
It has got to be Les Miserables. After looking forward to it for so long it definitely lived up to expectations and was fantastic!
Oooo now that is a hard one! I have seen some fantastic shows in the west end. I love Wicked and is my most seen show but then the first time I saw Les Miserables was absolutely magical.
5. Favourite film adaptation of a musical?
It has got to be Les Miserables. After looking forward to it for so long it definitely lived up to expectations and was fantastic!
6. Favourite musical performance??
I really love both the 10th and 25th Anniversary editions of Les Miserables - probably the 25th more as I was old enough to appreciate it and went to the local pictures to see it live :)
7. Favourite composer or lyricist??
I LOVE a lot of the songs from Les Miserables and Wicked so probably those 2
8. Favoutite song from a musical??
Again another hard one! I have quite a few, My House (Matilda), Bring Him Home, A little Fall of Rain (Les Miserables), Im Not that girl, Defying Gravity, As long as your mine (Wicked)... I could go on and onnnnn
9. Favourite quote from a musical??
"To love another person is to see the face of God" - Les Miserables
10. What show are you desperate to see?
I really want to see how they have done the theatre adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate factory - turning something well known like that can be very hit and miss if it is not done well. I loved how they had turned Matilda into a musical and although it isn't done by the same people I am interested to see how they have done another of Roald Dahls books!
11. Have you seen any musicals that you did not enjoy??
I haven't seen the full show but i saw Stomp at West End Live a few years ago and I can not say that I enjoyed it at all - it just sounded like a load of noise to me...
12. What musical makes you laugh??
Shrek was quite a giggle when I saw that.
13. What musical makes you cry??
I never fail to cry at either Les Miserables or Wicked!
14. Favourite character in a musical?
I really love Eponine in Les Miserables - sort of the understated female character in the show.
15. Favourite actress that has been in a musical??
No matter how many times I have seen Wicked and even though I have never seen her in the show itself - Elphaba in Wicked will ALWAYS be Idina Menzal! I absolutely LOVE her!!!
16. Favourite actor that has been in a musical??
Again although I haven't actually seen him live, Colm Wilkinson will always be one of the best Jean Valjean although Alfie Boe does come a pretty close second!I really love both the 10th and 25th Anniversary editions of Les Miserables - probably the 25th more as I was old enough to appreciate it and went to the local pictures to see it live :)
7. Favourite composer or lyricist??
I LOVE a lot of the songs from Les Miserables and Wicked so probably those 2
8. Favoutite song from a musical??
Again another hard one! I have quite a few, My House (Matilda), Bring Him Home, A little Fall of Rain (Les Miserables), Im Not that girl, Defying Gravity, As long as your mine (Wicked)... I could go on and onnnnn
9. Favourite quote from a musical??
"To love another person is to see the face of God" - Les Miserables
10. What show are you desperate to see?
I really want to see how they have done the theatre adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate factory - turning something well known like that can be very hit and miss if it is not done well. I loved how they had turned Matilda into a musical and although it isn't done by the same people I am interested to see how they have done another of Roald Dahls books!
11. Have you seen any musicals that you did not enjoy??
I haven't seen the full show but i saw Stomp at West End Live a few years ago and I can not say that I enjoyed it at all - it just sounded like a load of noise to me...
12. What musical makes you laugh??
Shrek was quite a giggle when I saw that.
13. What musical makes you cry??
I never fail to cry at either Les Miserables or Wicked!
14. Favourite character in a musical?
I really love Eponine in Les Miserables - sort of the understated female character in the show.
15. Favourite actress that has been in a musical??
No matter how many times I have seen Wicked and even though I have never seen her in the show itself - Elphaba in Wicked will ALWAYS be Idina Menzal! I absolutely LOVE her!!!
16. Favourite actor that has been in a musical??
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The 39 Steps is a play at home in the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly in London's west end. It is based on the 1915 novel by John Buchan.
When we went to see this we didnt really know what this was about. I remember seeing an adaptation on the BBC about 4 or 5 years ago with Rupert Penry - Jones but I couldnt really remember what it was about. It has been one of the shows me and Matt said we wanted to see next and so we got tickets for it on Saturday Night when we were in London. We booked the tickets direct at the theatre box office and paid £38.50 for seats in the stalls.
The first thing we noticed when we got there was how small the theatre was and that it was practically underground! In fact it was weird because during the show you could hear the subway going past!
It is made up of a cast of just 4 people which when I first read I was shocked about, I mean how could you do a west end play with just 4 people!!! I have to say it was very so well done, there is the main character and then the 3 other cast members play multiple roles which is at times absolutely hilarious as you can probably imagine!
The story is about a man called Richard Hanney who becomes tangled in a plot with a group of spies and when a freelance spy is murdered in his flat, he goes on the run to try and uncover the truth of that the 39 steps are.
Obviously I dont want to say too much about what the plots involve in case any of you are planning to go and see it. We said one of the best things about seeing it was the fact that we didnt really know what to expect or what it was about because it meant we didnt know what was going to happen.
If you in London and you get the chance to go and see this then you must. As I say the theatre is quite small so I would imagine where ever you sat, you would have a good view of the stage, we were sat in Row P of the stalls in seats 11 and 12 which was right in the centre of the stalls just where the overhang of the balcony is.
It doesnt look here like the view is good but you were not meant to take picture in the auditorium so i just wanted to sneak a photo so you could get an idea. We could see the stage perfectly.
I would definitely say this is up on my top productions in the west end. It made a nice change to see a play instead of a musical. Although I have only seen a few it is defiantly in my top plays!
Have you seen 39 steps? What did you think?
When we went to see this we didnt really know what this was about. I remember seeing an adaptation on the BBC about 4 or 5 years ago with Rupert Penry - Jones but I couldnt really remember what it was about. It has been one of the shows me and Matt said we wanted to see next and so we got tickets for it on Saturday Night when we were in London. We booked the tickets direct at the theatre box office and paid £38.50 for seats in the stalls.
The first thing we noticed when we got there was how small the theatre was and that it was practically underground! In fact it was weird because during the show you could hear the subway going past!
It is made up of a cast of just 4 people which when I first read I was shocked about, I mean how could you do a west end play with just 4 people!!! I have to say it was very so well done, there is the main character and then the 3 other cast members play multiple roles which is at times absolutely hilarious as you can probably imagine!
The story is about a man called Richard Hanney who becomes tangled in a plot with a group of spies and when a freelance spy is murdered in his flat, he goes on the run to try and uncover the truth of that the 39 steps are.
Obviously I dont want to say too much about what the plots involve in case any of you are planning to go and see it. We said one of the best things about seeing it was the fact that we didnt really know what to expect or what it was about because it meant we didnt know what was going to happen.
If you in London and you get the chance to go and see this then you must. As I say the theatre is quite small so I would imagine where ever you sat, you would have a good view of the stage, we were sat in Row P of the stalls in seats 11 and 12 which was right in the centre of the stalls just where the overhang of the balcony is.
It doesnt look here like the view is good but you were not meant to take picture in the auditorium so i just wanted to sneak a photo so you could get an idea. We could see the stage perfectly.
I would definitely say this is up on my top productions in the west end. It made a nice change to see a play instead of a musical. Although I have only seen a few it is defiantly in my top plays!
Have you seen 39 steps? What did you think?
This is the second part of this post. If you havent read parts 1 to 5 then check that out here (or scroll down to the next post - it was yesterdays post :P). As I have said these are all from my own personal experiences so I can give you my own proper experiences and not talk about things I havent done.
Hope that you have enjoyed my top 10 things to do in London feature and keep peeled for the next feature coming soon xxx

6. London Eye
Official Website: Here
The London eye is probably one of the
most famous attractions in London. Its hard to miss it dominating the
sky line by the Thames. It costs from £15 depending on the type of
experience you are looking for. From a standard ride to a champagne
ride. Check out the website for all the different ones available. I
think now I have been on the eye, I am not sure I would do it again
unless we did it at night. We used our Merlin Passes which included the
eye. I would say if your going to do it then get there for when it first
opens as it gets really busy. When we were on the eye we could see the
crowd below building up and I would not want to have been in that queue.
7. Open top bus tour.
If you dont fancy the hussle and bussle of the underground and fancy seeing London in a classic way then what better way than riding an open top bus. Its a great way to see the different sites and takes you to a lot of places you would perhaps not think of walking/taking the underground to such as the place where the fire of London started and as you are going round there is a tour guide talking you through all of the places you are going past which you learn some interesting things. However compared with underground travel they come at quite a hefty price tag at around £25-£30 depending which of the companies you choose to go for. We did the Original Bus tour which included a free river cruise. It is cheaper to book tickets online. Bare in mind these tours are not so fun in the rain or the cold.
8. West End Live
Official website: Here
West End Live is a free concert which takes place in June. It is a 2 day event which sees the best loved shows from the west end performing. I dont want to say too much as I am going to do a separate post about it. Its worth a look if you havent seen it before.
9. Christmas Market by the Thames
We came across this Christmas Market when we went to London in November 2010. It is pretty much like the Christmas Markets they hold in the other major citys (well I have been to the one in Manchester and it was like that and I know Birmingham and Leeds have them too) - If you have been to one of these its pretty much the same. Little wooden huts with rows and rows of lovely stalls which handmade gifts, clothing, jewellery, breads, cheeses, alcohol, meats, sweets and probably a million and one other things! It was lovely and christmassy! And who doesnt love a good christmas market???
10. Go on the Underground
Official Website: Here
The London underground is a great way to get around London. Its also relatively cheap compared with Buses or Open top bus tours. It costs around £2 a trip for a single journey. However if your there for the day its worth getting a day pass which is about £8 depending on the time of day (peak/off peak) and the Zones you want to go in. Its worth getting a 1-2 railcard if your planning on going to all the sites as some fall out of Zone 1 and you could be fined. Its also worth bearing in mind that there are certain discounts available if you buy from the ticket booth at the station rather than the machines. After about our 4th or 5th trip to London we only discover this time we could get around £2 off a day pass with our 16-25 railcard and any pass up from Zone 1 to Zone 1 - 6 is just £5.60 off peak which is after 9.30 Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday!!!
Hope that you have enjoyed my top 10 things to do in London feature and keep peeled for the next feature coming soon xxx

Im back again with another post on the London Feature. This one is Top 10 things to do in London. As I have already said in the previous post, these things are from my own personal experiences - I have only mentioned things which I have actually done myself. Note these are not in any particular order - I have split it though because it was just getting too long and you dont all want to listen to me harping on for about 20 pages!
Part 6 to 10 coming tomorrow xx

1. See a Show
There is nothing quite like the feeling of having tickets for your favorite West End Show in your hands! There are many shows on the West End - some which come with hefty price tags and some which you can get for relatively cheap. If your fancy the theatre in London check out my Top 10 Theatre Tips here
2. See the Sites
I dont think there are many people who can say they have been to London and not seen any of the sites there. Keep your eyes peeled for my next post in the London feature which is my Top 10 sites to see.
3. Changing of the Guard
Official Website: Here
The changing of the guard is a ceremony which takes place outside Buckingham Palace. It is the changing of the old guards to new guard. It varies at the times and frequency depending on the time of day. . Make sure if you want to be able to see anything you get there really early. We got to Buckingham Palace about an hour before and we ended up standing on the fountain/round about. We still had a good view of the parade but couldnt see what was going in Buckingham Palace Grounds.
4. London Film Museum
Official Website: Here
We visited the film museum last year on a weekend in London. To be honest we stumbled across it when someone handed a leaflet for it in the street and liked the sound of it. We went to the one on South Bank next to the London Eye but I believe they have now opened one in Covent Garden too. The museum contained lots of different memorabilia from a variety of films including Harry Potter (woo), Mission Impossible, Zorro, Johnny English and Billy Elliot to name but a few. It your a bit of a movie buff then you will love seeing all the different things. I think we paid around £13 to get in but it was worth it. Its also worth checking out what exhibits there are on.
5. Madame Tussaud.
Official Website: Here
Madame Tussauds is a Wax work museum which is located next to Baker Street Tube station. It is a wax work museum which contains wax work models of a variety of different famous people including the royal family, actors, sports stars, pop stars and many more. We visited the museum in 2011 when we had Merlin passes which meant we were able to get in for free. It usually costs £30 to get in but if you keep your eyes peeled a lot of places (Tesco, WHSmiths, The sun newspaper) offer 2 for 1 vouchers which usually have until the end of the year on them. Also if you take a look on the website you can combine a visit to another attraction such as the London Eye or you can get cheaper tickets if you book online.
Part 6 to 10 coming tomorrow xx

Anyone who knows me will know how much I absolutely LOVE going to the theatre and especially how much I love my musicals. So here are my Top 10 Tips for London Theatre trips.
- TAKE IT WITH YOU - Drinks and sweets are SO expensive at the theatre. When we went to see Wicked I ended up paying £3 for a bottle of Pepsi. I mean seriously how can they justify charging that much for a bottle of Pepsi??? Needless to say next time we went we called to Sainsbury's on the way to get supplies.
- TRY RESTRICTED VIEW - OK so not all restricted view can work in your favour but it is seriously worth a look. We have done restricted view tickets twice now. We saw the Wizard of Oz last year in October on restricted view for £15 on the front row and the only things you could not see was the dog and the yellow brick road. We also did restricted view when we went to see wicked a few weeks ago and were really far on the left but we were 5 rows back on row E. Again there were bits we didnt see but 95% of it we could see.
- WAIT UNTIL LAST MINUTE/ON THE DAY - Last year in October when we went to London we stumbled upon the Palladium while walking down Regent Street and it was 10 minutes before the show was due to start. We ended up with front row seats for £15. I am pretty sure they would rather sell the tickets for cheap at the last minute than have the seats go empty.
- UNDER 26 OFFERS - If your a theatre lover like me and under 26 you may remember a little thing a few years back called a night less ordinary with free/discounted theatre tickets for the under 26's. When we went a few weeks ago we discovered that (at least one) theatres in London do such offers for tickets at discount prices. Check the websites to find out about these offers. Cambridge Theatre where Matilda is currently showing offer 8 seats for every show at just £5!! However these are very restricted view (back of the upper circle). Plus you need to get there extremely early to be in with a chance. We got there at near 9 o clock (when the theatre opens at 10) and we were like 11 and 12 in line (gutted!!!)
- BOOK ONLINE - There are 100's of sites out there - shop around before booking. Try sites like ticket master where you can choose your own seats.
- LEICESTER SQUARE - There are loads of ticket booths here and some offer some great discounts. We always use London Theatre Bookings which is on the right as you get off the tube.
- BE CONSCIOUS - Not all of the theatres like you to take pictures inside of the main theatre - even if it is before the show/interval. Her Majesty's theatre and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane are 2 of the ones we have found.
- TRY BEFORE YOU BUY - West End Live is a great way to get a snippet of each show (full review coming soon) or have a look on Youtube for some clips of the shows you want to see.
- BE OPEN MINDED - Think you may not enjoy something or not 100% sure. Try it - you may be surprised. We were not 100% sure when we went to see Shrek with it being a film first but we really enjoyed it and it was hilarious!
- DO NOT ARRIVE LATE - I can not stress this enough! DO NOT ARRIVE LATE! I was shocked by how many people came in after the show had started! Even more annoying - if you know you have tickets in the middle of a row dont ruin it for everyone else! Get there early.

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