The Play's The Thing

If you know me personally you know I am a total theater geek. Ive loved it since I was a little girl and that love has never left me. I studied theater in college, though I never made a career out of it  - regret of mine? Possibly, but that's another day & blog post. As much as I love the small, dark theater with a show and actors no one has ever heard of there is nothing that compares to the swelling of passion and emotion you feel in your chest as you leave a West End theater on a chilly London evening.

Unfortunately living in the US I didn't get to see much theater, not like I did when I was young. In college I was never interested in the shows the students were doing and driving to Atlanta for a show was too much.  In high school my theater teacher would buy group tickets to popular shows and I signed up for 95% of them - plus she was a close family friend so if she saw something more avant-garde she would let me & my parents know so we could get tickets.

After college I rarely saw shows. I worked 2 jobs so free time was at a premium, money was tight and I rarely had anyone to go with to see it. I was also out of the loop of what was showing, aside from the big name shows at the Fox.

Now that Steve and I are a stones throw from London we have access to some of the greatest shows on earth, yet having been here 6 weeks we haven't seen anything. Steve isn't the theatre lover I am, he hates Webber (blasphemy!!) and classics like Oklahoma! so I know I have to ease him into the world I love so much. In order to do that I think we should start with big, colorful musicals that you know are box office hits & are easily recognizable.

Both Steve & I really want to go see the Book of Mormon. Only problem is everyone else wants to see it too so I imagine tickets are hard to come by.

Follows a pair of mismatched Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. 

Steve wants to see Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - he loves the movies, not sure if he's read the book. I love Roal Dahl so I'm happy to see it. 

The mysterious Willy Wonka is opening his Chocolate Factory for just one day, and for Charlie Bucket it promises to be a mouth-watering chance to feast his eyes on sweets beyond his wildest imagination. 

 I am over the moon this movie has become a musical. I can't wait to see it!

Inspired by a true story and based on  the Miramax film written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie Price who has reluctantly inherited his father's Northampton shoe factory. Trying to live up to his father's legacy and save the family business from bankruptcy, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola. A fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos, Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he's meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible… and discovers that when you change your mind, you can change the world.

Have you seen any shows on the West End? Anything we must see or should skip?