On With the Show!

“Another day, another destiny.” Les Miserables

London is famous for its theater… or should I say theatre? So, we’ve been taking advantage.

We bought tickets for Sunny Afternoon before we left home, just to make sure we wouldn’t miss out. The show, the winner of four Olivier awards, including Best New Musical, is based on the music of the Kinks…. kind of a British Jersey Boys.  The lads who formed the band were a scruffy lot who made an impact on the music scene of the 60’s and the show was laced with all of their hits: “You Really Got Me”, “All Day and All of the Night”, ” Plastic Man”. Our seats in the Harold Pinter Theater  edged the runway to the stage, and we had to keep our feet tucked in so we wouldn’t trip any of the performers as they bounded up on stage. We were surrounded by high school kids on a field trip, and what fun it was to dance and sing along side of them in the raucous finale numbers like “Lola”. You know the words, “L-O-L-A!”

A few days later, we tried our luck at the Leicester Square TKTS booth, queuing up at ten am for same-day bargains. Score! The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, row 12 center in the beautiful Guilgud Theater for a fraction of the price of a downtown Chicago show,  and no annoying Ticketmaster convenience fees. Curious, the winner of five Tonys, recreates the story of a teenage boy with autism who faces a dilemma. I loved the book and the play’s creative staging and lighting adds emotion and energy to the story. Thumbs up!

Back to Leicester Square yesterday, this time for Les Miz. Success! Last night in the dress circle of the Queen’s Theater, we saw a beautiful production with all its exhilarating pageantry and haunting, poignant, and rousing music woven through each scene. Bravo! All day the refrains of  “On My Own” and “Do You Hear The People Sing” have been running through my head.

We’ve got one more show lined up… so far. Tomorrow we’re seeing a matinee of The Woman in Black. It’s a ghost story that’s been playing on London’s West End for over 25 years. Reviews to follow.