West End Review

I have been very lucky this summer to have visited the most amazing plays and musicals in the West End. As a annual musical goer it was nice to change it up a bit and not stick to the same musicals. In total I have seen 6 plays/musicals and each have had their own amazing good points and incredible cast members which have made them awesome. Without giving anything away about plots to these shows I will be talking about what makes each one awesome and why you should go see them!

Funny Girl

In May, as a dissertation hand in treat and a chance to see my mum, I bought tickets to see my amazing Sheridan Smith in Funny Girl. As we all know Sheridan has had a tough couple of months but luckily for me this was the day before the Baftas. I knew absolutely nothing about this musical but knew that it had been a big hit 50 years before with Barbara Streisand. With all my faith in Sheridan's incredible acting I knew this would be fantastic, and it was! She plays a humorous character who is nothing like your usual actress but she gets her chance and her career takes off. She plays alongside Darius Campbell who is also very charming. I loved the main song 'Don't Rain on my Parade' as Shez's voice is incredible. This musical is still going until October I think?! So please go see it! I also got the chance to meet her (on the evening of my Phantom day) which was incredible, I literally love her so much. 

Dr Faustus

I have spoken about Dr Faustus in a previous blog post as I told you all about my day meeting the lead actor - Kit Harington. Dr Faustus was a book that I had studied for A levels so I thought it was just fate for me to go and see it. It is a very dark play but this play had equal amounts of light and comedy that it made it seem less daunting. Seeing Kit in his boxers and dancing around on stage really did make this better too! Unfortunately, this play has now ended but I am sure Kit has got the taste for more plays. 

Phantom of the Opera 

I got Phantom of the Opera tickets for my 21st birthday from my nan and my mum is a big fan of the musical and has seen it twice before this trip. So who better than to take than my mum! I absolutely love this music and have always wanted to see this live. It took me a while to get into it but by the second act I was hooked and wanted to go back again. The last scene in the show is absolutely incredible and I did tear up a little bit. The lead, Christine, was played by Celinde, who I saw in Les Mis as Fantine, and she was incredible. The Phantom himself was the best portrayal ever. He was a standby Phantom so it wasn't Ben Forster but this guy had so much experience. This musical has been going on for 30 years which just shows you how amazing it is. The set is cleverly done and there are many surprises through out. I did also meet Celinde at stage door afterwards too!

Guys and Dolls

I got asked to come to this musical by my lovely friend Kirsty and I was a bit worried as I hadn't actually heard of the musical or songs. The two I had briefly known were 'Luck be a lady' and 'Your rocking the boat'. The lead role, played by Rebel Wilson was probably the main reason we went and she did not disappoint. She was exactly like she is on screen, amazingly funny and so lovely. There was one moment where she had to strip down to just a corset, the audience cheered so loudly, its so lovely that she has confidence in herself and she just shows what a good role model she is to unconfident people. The show itself was upbeat and told the story of how two different people could fall in love. I've never seen an audience clap so loudly for Rebel but she definitely deserved it! The show has now ended but I would like to say that it is touring! I would say that it is definitely aimed towards the older generation with some jokes but me and Kirsty enjoyed ourselves. 


Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Now I have had these tickets since November time. They are in high demand so I was very lucky to get them. Without spoiling it, it was THE best play I have ever seen. The amount of incredible staging techniques and acting made it the best. I can also say that the guy who played Harry was insane and definitely deserved his role as Harry. The magical tricks are superb and there are lots of surprises throughout each part. You definitely need the break between Part 1 and 2 even if you are seeing it on the same day. You also have to give credit to the actors as they are performing for 2hrs 45 in the first part and 2hrs 35 in the second which is a lot of lines to remember. Each actor has an amazing amount of energy which is incredible. The play book and the play are identical and I've loved reading it back and remembering which lines got the laughs. 




The Collector

Now this one is still fresh in my mind as I have only just seen this one yesterday! It has had a very short run in the underground theatre of the Vaults but it was so good as different! The venue in itself is mesmerising and any seat you picked would have been a good view. It is a two actor play - Daniel Portman and Lily Loveless. They were both so engaging and you really get into it. The plays about a guy who kidnaps a girl because he loves her and he wants her to love him. Its creepy but you get to see what happens over a month. Not once were we bored, they both captured us from the word go. Also have to give credit to them both as there is a lot of lines to remember and to have to portray them with different emotions is cool. You wouldn't have believed that Dan is Scottish! Its actually quite sad that this play is actually ending today because I think it could have got a lot more attention and audiences with the spread of how good it was. I was also very lucky enough to meet Dan afterwards and he actually remembered me which was quite cool. I also loved the genuine appreciation when he said to me and my friend Lauren for coming to see his play. Unfortunately Lily didn't come out as she had hurt her back, so hope she is ok for her last show!

Love the security guard photobombing the photo!

I have had the most amazing opportunities this summer to experience the most wonderful plays and musicals ever! I cannot wait to plan ahead and book so many more for next summer. Plays and musicals are an awesome way to see incredible talent from up-and-coming actors and actresses. I love seeing live music and how sets and props can create different realities so you actually feel like your in that place or time period. From small casts and sets to plays with so many costume changes and scenes. They are all amazing in their own right so try and see the less common ones for a change!

Have you been to any musicals or plays recently? Message me with suggestions!

Love Em

xxx