A trip to London always guarantees an early start for me, so sure enough, I was up just after 7 in the morning. I made my journey to Gatwick Airport by bus, then queued up for my all day travel card, then I was off on my way! Just like two weeks previous, I was lucky enough to get a seat on the train. To tell you the truth, it was surprisingly quiet on the train actually!
A seat on the train. Good start to the day!
I arrived in London just after 10am, which gave me plenty of time to explore. I hopped on the bus to visit Oxford Street. It was on the first bus journey of the day that I recorded my first ever Facebook Live video. I've always wanted to do a spot of vlogging, so I suppose that was a good way to start! Luckily it was quiet on the bus, so I didn't look like a fool while recording myself and talking to my phone! I have to admit I was slightly nervous when recording but I got more confident when making more live videos throughout the day.
My first ever attempt at vlogging!
I had to have a selfie with my buddy R2-D2!
Lunch at The Fresh Pizza Co. always goes down a treat!
With a full stomach, I head off on the tube to Piccadilly Circus. Once there, I took a walk around the many theatres in the area, including my favourite, Her Majesty's Theatre, also the home of The Phantom Of The Opera. I thought I'd try my luck and see if I could spot any of the cast heading into the theatre before the matinee performance started. True enough, I was lucky enough to meet a couple of the cast I met two weeks ago, including the very lovely Matt Blaker, who had a quick chat with me about my day in London. I just find it so nice that all of these actors take their time to talk to the fans.
Me and Matt Blaker, such a great guy!
After my meeting with the Phantom cast, my day was about to take a dramatic change, in a good way though! As I was in London just for a matinee performance, I knew I had lots of time to do other things after the show. I started to walk around Leicester Square when I noticed the TKTS theatre tickets booth. I thought to myself 'Shall I treat myself and see a second show?' so I went over to the ticket booth and took a look at the deals on offer. Considering it listed every show in London and the fact I want to see as many shows as possible this year, I was quite spoilt for choice! One show did stand out for me though... Half A Sixpence! The show I'd heard so much about! My mum and some of my theatre friends said I'd 'probably' like it. I didn't have a single clue what it was about, other than being a refreshed version of an old 1960s musical (of the same name) starring legendary entertainer Tommy Steele. With so many good things in the press about the show (and recommendations from friends) it was most definitely one of my must-see shows of the year. With tickets on offer at just £25 per seat in the stalls, it was too good a deal not to miss! So naturally, I queued up and got my ticket! Lucky for me, it was actually the last ticket available at that price. I was also given a free Jersey Boys pen, something else to add to my growing collection of theatre memorabilia.
I'm one happy man!
With a second show lined up for the evening, I made my way over to the Criterion Theatre to watch the show I primarily came to London to see, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery. One of the things I loved most about this theatre was that it was actually underground! Even during the performance you could feel the underground trains shaking the floor beneath your feet! As with every show I watch, I always buy a programme. I went to buy my programme at the Criterion Theatre's bar, only to realise there was a £10 minimum on using credit cards. With no cash in my wallet I thought 'Oh damn!' So what to do? I know, treat myself to an alcoholic beverage, a first for me at the theatre. So after enjoying a glass of Prosecco (how classy!) and reading the programme, I made my way to my seat, which was just 5 rows from the front and almost right in the middle, a perfect view! Before the show started, lots of 1950s rock n' roll songs were played through the speakers, which had me tapping my feet. After a few minutes, the lights dimmed down and it was showtime!
Prosecco at the theatre. Just pure class!
It's almost showtime!
Someone got the diamond in the end!
With tears of laughter still rolling down my face, I thought I'd try my luck and meet some of the cast. Phantom is the only show I've ever met a cast before, so I thought it would be good fun to do it at another show. The stage door for the Criterion Theatre is pretty well hidden but I found it thanks to some directions from one of the lovely girls at the theatre. I didn't have to wait too long until some of the cast came out. They were all so nice, especially the girls! Everyone was so talkative and also so appreciative that I had waited to meet them. Naturally, I got all of their autographs and selfies with them! It just had to be done!
Me and the jokers! (From left to right - Mike Bodie, Steffan Lloyd-Evans, Niall Ransome)
Sean Kearns and Me.
Me and the very beautiful and equally funny Hannah Boyce.
Me and the very lovely Holly Sumpton.
After I met the cast of Bank Robbery, I headed over to Her Majesty's Theatre to see if I might catch any of the cast of Phantom after their matinee performance had finished. Much to my delight, I got to meet that day's Phantom himself, Scott Davies! Scott has played the lead Phantom before in London but is now the main go to man if Ben Forster isn't performing the lead role. Scott was brilliant! I told him that I'm a massive fan of the show and was yet to see him perform in the show. He then said that I could friend him on Facebook and he would send me all of the dates he was performing in the show. I mean how awesome is that, one of The Phantom's actually being your friend on Facebook! Sure enough, I added him and he accepted my request later in the day and sent me all of his performing dates. What a guy! As with all of the other Phantom cast members, he was more than happy to pose for a selfie and sign my autograph book.
Me and my new Phantom friend, Scott Davies!
With Half A Sixpence starting pretty soon, I got myself a takeaway latte at The Theatre Cafe and said hello to my friends working there, who loved my Theatre Cafe hoodie, naturally! I had to get something to eat, so I thought a cheeky McDonald's would be my best bet! Only problem was that I couldn't find anywhere to sit in the restaurant, so I thought I'd sit in Leicester Square! After recording another live video, I started tucking into my McDonald's when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye scurry past me. It was a mouse! I turned around and saw there were at least 10! So naturally, I got myself out of there and decided to eat my food while walking to the Noel Coward Theatre, where Half A Sixpence was playing.
Live from Leicester Square!
A cheeky McDonald's and update from Leicester Square!
I arrived at the Noel Coward Theatre, brought my programme, then made my way to my seat. I couldn't believe how good my view was! Considering I only paid £25 for my ticket, I was almost central and about half way back in the stalls, a perfect view! Even better though, there was two empty seats in front of me and one empty seat next to me! I couldn't believe my luck!
The Noel Coward Theatre. Absolutely loved this theatre!
Only £25 for this view, what a steal!
I couldn't wait for the show to begin!
The show. Oh my. What a show! I can honestly say that it was one of the best things I've ever seen! Considering I knew practically nothing about the show, it was such a pleasant surprise! I absolutely lapped it up. I've never smiled so much throughout a show. There are so many good things to say about this show that I could write a whole blog about it, actually, I might do that one day! Anyway! What did I love about the show? The songs, the performances, the sets, the atmosphere, just everything! There were so many catchy songs in this show to mention. I hadn't seen the original Tommy Steele film but even I knew the song 'Flash, Bang, Wallop', which was without doubt the best moment of the show. I can't mention the songs without talking about 'Pick Out A Simple Tune', which is one of the new songs written for the updated musical. This song was one hell of a set piece! It was so refreshing to watch an old fashioned musical which also felt surprisingly fresh. It really made made me feel like I was living in the Victorian era. As I mentioned above, the performers, my god, they were just out of this world. The two leading actresses, Emma Williams and Devon-Elise Johnson were fantastic in their roles. Interestingly, I saw Emma Williams in her first West End role, when she played Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium. The supporting actors were all also very fantastic. I can't go any further though without mentioning the extraordinary Charlie Stemp, who plays lead role Arthur Kipps. What a talent! He just has everything! At the age of just 23 (the same as me) he is going to have one very wonderful career ahead of him. He actually reminded of a young Lee Evans. Charlie Stemp can sing, dance, act, just everything needed to be a West End legend and he is definitely a legend in the making!
Charlie Stemp. What a triumph!
I left the theatre with one massive grin on my face, while singing 'Flash, Bang, Wallop' out loud, I didn't care! I had never felt so happy after leaving a show. Like I said, the show had me smiling throughout. I can honestly say I've never seen such a fantastic response from a crowd like I did at Half A Sixpence. The finale/curtain call ending had the whole crowd standing on their feet clapping and singing along to the music. It just felt so good! Buying my ticket on a whim was honestly one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life! Anyway, it was getting late, so I needed to make my way to Victoria Station as quick as I could. I still had the time to record a live video of course. Thankfully, the audio cut out, as I did mention a couple of 'F' bombs, although it was in a good way, saying how much I loved Half A Sixpence.
What a show!
So I eventually made it to Victoria Station and hopped on my train home to Gatwick Airport. I was so tired! I hadn't expected to see two shows in a day, so I think it knackered me out in the end, although I will definitely be doing it again! I eventually got home from the airport about 12am and fell asleep almost instantaneously!
I was one very tired man!
Was theatre days number 2 better than theatre days number 1? Let's give it a quick review shall we?
Trip Rating: 10/10
Stop the press! We have a full score! My second theatre trip of the year was simply awesome! There were so many factors for this. The day itself was great. Apart from rushing to get home, the rest of the day felt much more relaxed than my first trip did, even though I stayed overnight on that trip. I think the biggest factors for the best trip of the year so far were without doubt the two shows. The Comedy About A Bank Robbery was just utterly hilarious. I've honestly never laughed so much at anything! The cast were top notch! Then there's Half A Sixpence. Writing this now I can't stop thinking about how good the show was. I'm tempted to book a ticket right now to see it again! I can honestly say that the show has become an instant favourite of mine! It's definitely up there with The Phantom Of The Opera, and that's saying something, because Phantom is an obsession of mine! That's honestly how much I loved the show!
"Pick out a simple tune!"
Talking of things I wasn't expecting to happen, buying my ticket to Half A Sixpence on a whim was a pleasant surprise. Having never brought tickets on the day, it's definitely something I'm going to be doing on my many more theatre trips this year!
I didn't meet many people like I did on my last trip but I did meet one very lovely guy from Sweden at Half A Sixpence. As I mentioned above, I had an empty seat next to me, and this guy was sitting in the next seat along. We got talking during the interval about our love for musicals and all things theatre. He eventually revealed that he was a drama student. He said that his dream role would be The Phantom. Go for it mate! Let your soul take you where you long to be!
Theatre days number 2 was one heck of a brilliant and memorable day! It's going to be hard to beat but I'm sure there'll be many more great days out in London.
No more shows planned for February but in March I've got The Book of Mormon and Thriller Live to look forward to! I may just sneak in another spontaneous show too!
Looking forward to seeing both of these next month!
Thanks for reading! Here's to theatre days number 3!
Lots of love,
Michael x
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