Lyle and I both enjoy live theatre – any
live theatre really, but especially musicals. In that way, being in London was
perfect for us. The city has a plethora of theatres offering live entertainment
and we managed to squeeze in three separate performances in our short stay
there.
The first show we saw was Billy Elliot. Because the play is set in the UK, and in
spite of having seen it once before in Sydney Australia, we knew that to see it
in London was a must. Even on the second time around, the show didn’t
disappoint. The youngster who played Billy did an exceptional job as did the
rest of the cast.
The second show we saw was Matilda, The
Musical. We didn’t have tickets for this ahead of time and were prepared to
sit wherever seating was available. I was thrilled when a helpful box office
staffer found us two seats in the front row, so close that our knees knocked
against the side of the stage. Lyle wasn’t quite as excited with the seating
arrangement as I was but it was the best seat in the house for me.
I enjoyed the production and the young actors
were very talented. However, although I am a Roald Dahl fan, (he is the author
of books for children), Matilda is not my favourite book and that did influence
my feelings about the show a bit. It was a weeknight when we went to the
performance and I was surprised at how many young children were in the
audience. I wondered how many of them
had read the novel and how much of the humour they understood. It seemed to me
that much of it was directed towards an adult audience.
The last show we saw was Wicked. We
didn’t know much about this musical ahead of time. My only information was that
it was the story of the witches from the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy
arrived on the scene. Also our daughter and son-in-law had seen the Calgary
performance and liked it, so off we went. It turned out to be our favourite of
the three.
The acting and singing were brilliant and I
liked the story line. The stage setting
was great. I think that it really helped that the show was in a permanent
setting and so the lighting and stage sets could be more elaborate. The Apollo
Theatre was truly a magnificent old building.
If nothing else, just being inside the theatre was an experience.
We enjoyed all three shows, but Wicked definitely
received a thumbs up from us.
As a postscript, I must write that, because
of the age of the buildings, the toilets in each theatre were awkward and
tricky to get to. There were steps and narrow entrances. I think that the washroom
facilities had been added as a bit of a modern afterthought.
Finally, the box office staff at each
theatre when we purchased our tickets were extremely helpful in finding the
best seats for us at the best possible price. I have a better chance of seeing
the stage when I sit slightly to the right of it and of course, closer to the
front is the best for me. The staff were great in trying to accommodate my
vision needs. Should we ever get the opportunity to go to London on a future
trip, I know that we would plan on including theatre performances in our
itinerary.
No comments:
Post a Comment