Cats - January 2015

I know I only blogged last month about going to see Cats at the Palladium, but I did say that I had booked myself a ticket to see it again. And this past week, I was back to watch it again. I had booked my ticket the morning after seeing it originally, through the Get Into London Theatre deal. I did not think I would manage to get a ticket, but I did and for only £20. My seat was still in the Upper Circle, but more in the centre, so feel my seat was better than last time as I had a better overall view of the stage!.

I am glad I got to see the show a second time and may just go again before the end of its run, now it has been extended to April. Last time, I was so excited to be finally seeing it and even more excited that Nicole Scherzinger was performing after being announced online as not being scheduled to do so that night. I was able to enjoy the show much more as I was more relaxed. Even so, the show was still absolutely incredible.

I paid more attention this time, so knew and understood the story. As I mentioned in my previous blog, it is set around the poems by T.S. Eliot. It tells the story of Jellicle Cats (and I am still not sure what they mean by that, but does that really matter?), who attend the Jellicle Ball, during which one cat will be chosen to reborn. Then through songs, we are introduced to a variety of cats and are told about them or told their story. Such a clever concept as it makes the show an ensemble show, providing more performers a chance to take centre stage, rather than just two or three cast members.

As I spoke at length in my last blog about Nicole Scherzinger (who was phenomenal again), I want to talk about the other cast members and other musical numbers. My absolute favourite number is Macavity. It is a song I have know since I was little and it has stuck with me despite having never seen the show till last month. Zizi Strallen and Charlene Ford take the lead on this number and absolutely shine. They prove they are true triple threats as performers throughout it. Both give their absolute all throughout, showing that if you have the talent, you can sing and dance at the same time!

Another musical I love is The Rum Tum Tugger. I know there has been some uproar about them updating the song to make more in line with current music trends. Personally I think it works, as he is the cat that likes do what he wants. Antoine Murray-Straughan performs role so well, merging dancing, singing and rapping!

I went to the stage door after the show. Last time I did not meet any of the cast as I was so confused to each person was, plus it was packed. This time, there was me and a handful of other people, which made it a little easier, so I met many of the cast members. And despite, holding out as long as I could, I did not meet Nicole. But from I can gather very few people have manage to do so via the stage door.

Nicole finishes her run in a couple of weeks, with Kerry Ellis taking over until the show closes in April. So if you get the chance, go and see it!

Once - January 2015

It has been nearly a year since I went to see Once for the first time, so it seemed like it was about time to go back and see it, for the third time. I brought the tickets for my friend, Kirsty's birthday as it is her favourite musical currently playing on the West End. Even better, I got them for £20 each in the Get Into London Theatre offer! To top that off, on our arrival at the theatre, we were upgraded to the front row of the Grand Circle, which are usually sold for £55 each!

Before the performance begins, the stage is open to the audience to get drinks from the onstage bar and to be treated from a performance from the supporting cast. I have never stayed onstage for the performance before, so it was great to be able to see it up close. The one thing I love about it, is for me, it is the supporting cast's chance to have their moment to shine before the leads come on. The current cast really make the most of this chance and are extremely talented!

The current leads, and who will be the leads when the show closes in March, are Ronan Keating (of Boyzone) and Jill Winternitz (Baby in the West End cast of Dirty Dancing). I have had my reservations about Ronan taking on the lead as I was not sure he would be able to produce a great performance. And as for Jill, I had never heard her sing before as in her previous show, the singing was provided by other members of the cast. I got a sneak preview through a performance on Children in Need in November and I was quite impressed by both, even though Ronan did not perform the high notes in Falling Slowly. But it was enough to convince me to give him a shot!


Well, I will admit now, I , the Take That fan and Boyzone hater, do admit that Ronan Keating produced a fantastic performance. Yes, he could not hit those high notes, but to be honest it did not really matter, because he gave a beautiful vocal performance and his voice went well with Jill's. He made the role his own, without losing the essence of the character or the music and that is what matters! I also applaud for doing so well in learning the guitar as quickly as he did.

Jill really impressed me as well. She has stunning voice, which I was so pleased to be able to finally hear. She was funny as hell when she needed to be and she plays the piano beautifully. I cannot wait to see what she does next after Once!

One other member of the cast deserves a mention, and that is Brandon Ellis. He has taken over the role of the bank manager. He has come straight from the Broadway production, which closed at the beginning of the month, and was an original Broadway cast member and now he gets to close out the London show! He has joined the show outside of the normal cast change and has done an tremendous job of fitting in.

If you get the chance to do so, go and see this amazing show before it closes on March 21st!

Matilda the Musical - January 2015

Time for the truth: I have been avoiding going to see this for a while now. Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie! Think perhaps, I was worried, it would just not live up to the movie. Then there was the thought that it was just too much geared towards children. Perhaps, it was because Tim Minchin had written the music and lyrics. Quite honestly, I am not sure what it was but I just did not want to see it. But I caved into my daughter's demands and brought her tickets to see it on her 11th birthday. And I will hold my hands and fully admit I was completely wrong to put off seeing this fabulous show. It is beyond me why I waited so long now!

I have never been to the Cambridge Theatre before. We had seats in the Upper Circle, which are not always the best seats to have. However, I was quite surprised. We had plenty of legroom, which is a rarity in theatre. We also had a great view, besides the one rail that very slightly obstructed our view. The set itself was huge, colourful and extremely clever. Definitely one of my favourites I have seen on stage. 

The children are quite obviously the stars of the show. They shine throughout! At our performance, Matilda, the title character, was played by Tasha Chapple. We were very lucky to be able to speak to her after the show, along with her father. She is an extremely talented young performer, who I feel has a bright future ahead of her. Throughout the show, she is telling a story and Tasha performed those lines with such expression. And then when it was just her on stage, she managed to feel the theatre with her presence, her voice and talent! 

The role of Miss Trunchball was played by Craige Els. He really impressed me with his vocals. But what impressed me most was his dancing and the fact that despite he had on a fat suit, he did a fantastic forward roll over the vault during one of the numbers. Another cast member who impressed was Kay Murphy, who played the role of Mrs Wormwood. She did fabulous piece of Salsa dancing, with her legs just literally going everywhere and then shocks the audience by just throwing herself into the splits! Mr Wormwood, played by James Clyde, was fantastic and so funny. The 2nd half begun with him coming out onto stage to sing a song after telling the kids in the audience not to read (as a joke obviously) and it was not until after that song did the lights go down and the 2nd half truly begun.

As for the music and lyrics, all I can say is Tim Minchin wrote a masterpiece, which truly embodies the story that Roald Dahl wrote. I was in love with song Naughty before I saw the show but the entire soundtrack is fantastic, that I do plan on buying it. One song that stood out for me was School Song. It is set on the children's first day at school and is staged so well. During the song, the words have written to emphasise the letters of the alphabet and is staged that building blocks with the letters on are placed within a frame during that section. I thought it was a genius number with fantastic staging! 

So yes, I hold my hands up, I was so wrong to doubt the quality of this musical. It is not just for children, but for adults as well. The music and lyrics are amazing, the staging is fantastic and the set is one of the best on the West End. I definitely want to go and see this musical again!

Wicked - January 2015

So as you all know by now, I am a huge fan and supporter of Kids' Week, thanks to the amazing deal of the child going free with a full paying adult. There is also another offer which takes place in December for theatre shows throughout January and February called Get Into London Theatre. I have known about for a while now but have never used it until now! Basically shows offer seats either at £40, £30, £20 or £10. So I took advantage and booked for a number of shows, including Wicked.

After a few attempts at being refused a chance just to book one seat, I ended booking two seats to see it at the beginning of January. Usually I seat in the circle, near the front. However, this time I ended up in the stalls with amazing seats in Row G for just £20 each! No reason to complain about that!

The main reason I booked to see Wicked again was the chance to see Jennifer DiNoia in the role of Elphaba. Jennifer has performed the role on Broadway, Chicago, the National Tour in the US, Seoul and Sydney. London marks her 4th country and 6th production in which she has performed the role of Elphaba, while it also marks her West End debut. Cast changes for the night included Sophie Linder-Lee in the role of Elphaba and Daniel Hope in the role of Boq.

The moment Jennifer took to the stage I was won over by her performance as Elphaba. It usually takes me to the end of Defying Gravity to make up my mind about whether I like whoever is playing the role. Jennifer, however, captivated me immediately. It really was no wonder in my mind why she had played the role for so long, in different countries and different productions. She made Defying Gravity her own, choosing at times to speak the lines rather than sing them. She made you feel everything her character was feeling! However it was her rendition of No Good Deed that made me just go "WOW". It was powerful and full of emotions and she used her body while performing, especially on the big notes. She would lull you into a false sense of security, making you believe she was not going to anything special on the big notes but then BAM, she would hit you with hell of a riff! Simple fact was she was truly phenomenal in the role of Elphaba, and I am so happy she gave to West End, even if for a limited run, to give the British audiences a chance to see her perform.

As always the entire cast was fantastic and it was great to view the show from a different place within the theatre. I spotted Jeremy Taylor participating in the first number, despite the fact he plays Fiyero and does not appear until Dancing Through Life. Definitely not something I have spotted before while seating in the circle! After the performance, I met the cast as always. I told Jeremy on behalf of my friend Kirsty that he had a nice bottom! And I also made sure to tell Jennifer she was the best Elphaba I had ever seen in Wicked.

A Year in Review: 2014

I said this last year, but after such an amazing 2013, how was 2014 going to live up to it? Well if you have been reading my blog this past year, you will know it most certainly lived up to 2013, being one of the most amazing years I have ever had! I met and made new friends, met more celebs than I could have possibly imagined, met living legends, saw more musicals in one year than I have ever seen before and so much more. 2014 truly has been one of the best years ever!

My year got off to its usual start by attending the last night of the Royal Ballet's production of The Nutcracker, as part of Rachael's 10th birthday celebrations. As always, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and it rounded out what had been a great Christmas period for us and helped start off our 2014 in a fantastic way. Sadly, the Royal Ballet is not performing The Nutcracker this year, so we shall be attending a different show for Rachael's birthday. 

January was rounded off by a trip to see Once at the Phoenix Theatre. We had managed to get day seats, paying a low price for premium seats. The show was outstanding and one of a kind, with the actors playing their own instruments rather than relying on an orchestra or band. To add to its' uniqueness, before the show begins and during the interval, a bar opens on stage for the use of the audience. 

February saw the music acts of Series 2 of The Big Reunion perform at the Hammersmith Apollo. This time I had managed to secure a ticket the moment tickets became available, getting a seat downstairs in the stalls. I was most excited by the return of A1, one of my fave bands from my teen years. All the acts were fantastic on stage, with many proving that were good enough to perform live and getting the chance to prove it with this last performance as a band. The surprise act of the evening though had to the supergroup, 5th Story, formed of Gareth Gates, Dane Bowers, Adam Rickett, Kavana and Kenzie. The group was add something amazing to the show and the songs their performed!

February also saw my second trip to the What's On Stage Red Carpet. This year it was at the Prince of Wales theatre, which is really not suitable for this sort of event. However, despite the pushing and the shoving and the absolute no space I had to even breathe, I got meet many theatre stars and was absolutely shocked to be able to meet Rupert Grint and David Walliams. 

The beginning of March saw me, Rachael and Matthew spend two days in Cardiff for Cardiff Film and Comic Con. This was the first time I had two done two days at the convention, purely as there were guests only attending on one of the two days it was open. We had a fabulous time meeting many guests, with my daughter cosplaying for the first time. I finally Danny John Jules, who had cancelled at the last minute at the last convention I had attended and I also got to meet Hannah Spearitt, who was in a band I had loved as a teen, S Club 7. I also threw in an additional surprise for the kids, with tickets to the Doctor Who Exhibition which is located in Cardiff Bay. We had timed it well, with props on show from the most recent Christmas Special (Matt Smith's last episode as the Doctor) and the 50th Anniversary episode. 

April saw my much loved camera break just as I arrived at The O2 Arena to see the Backstreet Boys in concert. Luckily for me, I had my DSLR with me and as I had a seat for the floor seating, I was able to use it! This was the first tour in a few years where the original line up of the band had performed and they were fantastic as always! Loved that the platinum VIPs got to go on stage during a small portion of the show. I even spotted a fan I chat to on Twitter! Their support act was All Saints and they were fantastic live! Hope to see more from the girls in the future.

April also meant Olivier Awards time. This year, I chose to go up even earlier and arrived to find that a number system had been put in place, with me and Rachael being numbers at around 40 something. It meant a great spot once we were allowing into pits. We met so many celebs, though Tom Hiddlestone had to my fave meeting. Rachael threatened his publicist, who luckily thought it was cute and funny, and Tom was just an absolute gentleman to meet! It was also this day that I got to know Kirsty, who is now one of my closest friends!

For my birthday, I went to see Once for a second time on Good Friday. I had purposefully booked after it was announced Arthur Darvill would be taking over the lead role for a limited run. Funnily enough, I had joked at my previous trip to Once, that it would be great if he took over the role as he just recently finished a Broadway run in the same role! Sadly I didn't get to meet him after the show, but was not too disappointed as I had met him at the Oliviers barely a week before.

May saw the closure of two musicals. First was the X Factor inspired musical, I Can't Sing. I was supposed to go on my husband's birthday to see it, but the closure date was about three weeks before. Luckily I was able to refund those tickets so I could pay to book tickets to one of the final performances. The show was fantastic, funny and had a talented cast. Such a shame it had to close, perhaps it will do well on a tour instead.

The second of the shows to close was the long running, We Will Rock You, a musical built around the music by Queen. I had been putting off going to see this for some reason, but the announcement of its closure made me book finally. It was a great show, but with many seats not filled, perhaps this is why it ended up closing. The lead Oliver Tompsett did not perform that night as it turned out he had arrived to find he was booked in for a night off and he had forgotten! I was disappointed but he apologised when I met him a month later. 

June arrived, which meant the beginning of a busy summer for me, kicked off by West End Live. This year, I attended both days, after only attending on the Sundays. It was two beautiful days, full of great company, great shows and music, lots of laughs and painful sunburn! I got the chance to meet Louise Dearman again and the chance to finally meet Oliver Tompsett. I saw the weekend as a chance to preview the shows I had booked to see over the summer, reassuring me I had made the right decision in booking. It also gave me a chance to see a couple of cast members from a number of musicals I would not be getting a chance to see after that weekend! David Hunter of Once and Willenmijn Verkaik of Wicked are the two that spring to mind.

The day after West End Live saw me head to my first show of the summer, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and my first ever time at the Savoy Theatre. On arrival I ended up being upgraded to a different and better seat. The show was fantastic and well cast with Robert Lindsey, Rufus Hound, Katherine Kingsley and Samantha Bond. I only got to meet Samantha Bond at the stage door but she was very kind in letting us know that the cast were having drinks and would not be able to come and see us! So I much appreciate her coming and doing photos and autographs.

The end of June saw me attend a recording for Virtually Famous, hosted by Kevin McHale, best know for Glee. The show was extremely funny, with Seann Walsh ranting about Cat Videos and Pixie Lott ripping sellotape of Chris Stark's face. Throughout I had a nasty headache, but it did not stop me hanging back at the end to meet Kevin. He was kind enough to sign an autograph for Rachael, telling her in it I was the best mum ever!

Beginning of July I attended the London leg of the Tour de France, which involved a long wait for a few minutes of action. Totally worth the experience though! The same evening I saw The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales theatre. I was not sure I was going to like as I am not a fan of South Park. I ended loving it as it is an extremely clever, funny, rude, dirty and over the top show. It is really no surprise that it ended up winning Best New Musical at the Oliviers. I chose to a good time to see as the original leads as I found out after the show, were due to leave the show just two weeks later!

London Film and Comic Con was two days of pure madness and brilliant guests. Along with Matthew and Rachael, I had the honour of being to meet Stan Lee, comic book legend, in his final European convention appearance. I met so many guests from Jenna Coleman to John Hurt, and TJ Thyne to Lena Headey. It was truly an amazing weekend, yet expensive, but worth every penny I spent to meet all these people I so greatly admire and respect.

The end of July, Matthew and I visited Scotland as part of Glasgow 2014, staying in Edinburgh and travelling over to Glasgow to attend the Hockey as part of the Commonwealth Games. While we did not stay as long as the session lasted, we saw a great match, with all the goals being scored directly in front of us, as we were sat behind. We had an amazing time with the Scots being extremely welcoming!

August saw Rachael and I see four musicals over four nights, and us being absolutely shattered as a result. The tickets were brought as part of Kids' Week, with Rachael going free. We saw Wicked, The Pajama Game, Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. With four musicals being seen, it meant four trips to the stage door and lots of photos and autographs. We finally got to meet Savnnah Stevenson after missing her twice previously, who was touched that we had been trying to meet her. We finally got to see and meet Michael Xavier in a musical, despite being familiar with him for a couple of years. Les Mis saw an extremely well organised stage door, with someone on hand to make sure cast members stopped for the fans. Phantom of the Opera was a pure magic with me being able to meet a cast member who had been in Sex and the City.

The end of our summer finished with a trip to National Paralympic Day and a chance to meet our fabulous paralympians. This included Jonny Peacock, who apologised for not winning his race at the first London Anniversary Games the year previously after I told him how Mattie had got upset when he lost. We also attended the swimming at the Aquatic Centre for the first official competition since London 2012.

The end of September saw me unexpectedly attend The Saturdays' Wembley gig after securing a great seat for a low price and a chance to meet my friend Jenni. The show was amazing as always, they are always fantastic to see live. I also got meet Marvin and Aston from JLS as they were sat not too far from us.

October was a busy month for me. Starting with seeing Memphis at the Shaftesbury Theatre on the second night of previews. I was absolutely blown away by this phenomenal show, with outstanding performances from Beverley Knight and Killian Donnelly. It has fast become one of my favourite shows in the West End and I hope to see it do well in the upcoming What's On Stage Awards and the Oliviers.

A busy weekend followed, starting with The Big Reunion Boyband tour. 7 boybands from across both series, how can a girl say no to that? I had managed to secure a seat 6 rows from the front through the presale, giving me the most amazing view. I had a fantastic time watching these bands, even with the loss of Abz from 5ive and with Simon from Blue not performing due to his commitment to Strictly Come Dancing. However, it was a great surprise to see Bradley from S Club 7 fill in for Simon!

The next day I was up early for London Film and Comic Con Winter. While a quiet event, I still managed to have a long list of people who I wanted to meet and all guests were amazing. Two stand outs were MC Gainey, who gave me an additional autograph for free, and Mindy Sterling, who is just a fun person to around! Even better though, was being able to meet Alan Ruck, who played Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which is one of my favourite movies!

December saw me back in the West End for my final musical of the year, Cats. This was the first time I saw the show, despite knowing the music well. A surprise came in the form of Nicole Scherzinger, who had been announced as not performing this date on the website. The show was incredible and to all the haters who Nicole was wrong for the role, well you were wrong, because she was phenomenal!

My year ended with a local event in the form of a Homecoming Gig for Ben Haenow in the centre of Croydon. As one of the finalists, he got to come back to his hometown and do a small set. Despite waiting in the cold and rain for three hours, it was absolutely worth it as this boy knows how to perform live! Even better is that he went on to win the series a few days later!

Well it was such a busy year for me and so far it is looking no different for 2015! A few musicals are booked in already and my first time at a Glee Convention! It is going to be an exciting year!