I couldn't visit London without at least one West End theatre experience. I managed two superb evenings. The first was Wicked which I hadn't seen in Melbourne. It has been running for many years at this theatre, but they seem to keep swapping performers and there was no hint of tiredness that you get with some long run shows. I got a last minute ticket and paid a bit more to get a great seat three rows from the front in the Circle. Great views and I was even luckier that there was no one in front. The performance was wonderful! Excellent singing, acting, and the props and effects were brilliant. I have to admit that I didn't even know the ending so I was taken by surprise, but really pleased. It has great music and the characters were really engaging. I did want to throw Glinda somewhere though.
The second show was Matilda which is a new musical based on the Roald Dahl book with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. Prue had seen it and told me I must go. At my first attempt at tickets I was told it was sold out for all the time I was remaining in London, but I tried at another booth and was told that I would be able to get one for that night at £80. I baulked at that, but decided that it was my only chance so I would pay. When he rang the theatre to check on seats they had one for £40. Yay! It was in the upper balcony but just to the left of the entry way in the middle so the view was good. The only downside was that most of the balcony seemed to be full of school kids. I suppose I should have expected it, but it seems a fairly extravagant school excursion. The row in front of me was full of little boys, about year 4 perhaps, who were mostly well behaved, although one further down the row started talking in the second part. No one was shutting him up so finally I leaned over and said shhhh very loudly. He looked across and I put my finger to my lips. He looked quite surprised that I was telling him off, but he did shut up.
The musical was fantastic. The stagecraft was brilliant, the performers, both child and adult were all excellent, the singing was clear, so important because the lyrics are very clever. The girl who played Matilda was amazing. I'm not sure how old she was, probably about 12. She was in almost every scene and had to go through a range of emotions as well as sing and dance, and she made it look effortless. The adults were delightfully over the top, without going too far. I loved the way the various props appeared and disappeared above and below the stage. As you can tell, I was captivated by the whole show. At no time did it lose its momentum and it remained faithful to the essence of the book while creating a genuinely new production. The delights continued right through to the bows at the end, and I was really pleased to see the musicians appear on stage for their bow as well.
When it comes to Melbourne it is a must see!!
The second show was Matilda which is a new musical based on the Roald Dahl book with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. Prue had seen it and told me I must go. At my first attempt at tickets I was told it was sold out for all the time I was remaining in London, but I tried at another booth and was told that I would be able to get one for that night at £80. I baulked at that, but decided that it was my only chance so I would pay. When he rang the theatre to check on seats they had one for £40. Yay! It was in the upper balcony but just to the left of the entry way in the middle so the view was good. The only downside was that most of the balcony seemed to be full of school kids. I suppose I should have expected it, but it seems a fairly extravagant school excursion. The row in front of me was full of little boys, about year 4 perhaps, who were mostly well behaved, although one further down the row started talking in the second part. No one was shutting him up so finally I leaned over and said shhhh very loudly. He looked across and I put my finger to my lips. He looked quite surprised that I was telling him off, but he did shut up.
The musical was fantastic. The stagecraft was brilliant, the performers, both child and adult were all excellent, the singing was clear, so important because the lyrics are very clever. The girl who played Matilda was amazing. I'm not sure how old she was, probably about 12. She was in almost every scene and had to go through a range of emotions as well as sing and dance, and she made it look effortless. The adults were delightfully over the top, without going too far. I loved the way the various props appeared and disappeared above and below the stage. As you can tell, I was captivated by the whole show. At no time did it lose its momentum and it remained faithful to the essence of the book while creating a genuinely new production. The delights continued right through to the bows at the end, and I was really pleased to see the musicians appear on stage for their bow as well.
When it comes to Melbourne it is a must see!!
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