I have walked by The Palace Theatre on Shaftesberry Avenue at least a dozen times while I've been here. Yes, it's a fifteen minute walk from where I live and not really in the direction of any of my everyday activities, but somehow I always end up walking by the theatre. It's become a bit of a landmark to me. It's familiarity. And I know how to get home from there, which is always a good thing!
Ever since I saw the marquis the first time, the theatre has been beckoning me and it has been at the top of my must-see list ever since.
I mean come on! Wouldn't it beckon you? His arms and warm smile are welcoming you in a sea of brightly colored umbrellas filled with classic music and dancing. What is there not to like?
(By the way, all photos are courtesy of google except for the one above - thank you iPhone 4 and instagram filters.)
I woke up yesterday morning at 8:30am to get to the theatre around 9:45 and get a day ticket - only 25 pounds! I know what you're thinking - only 9:45?!? And the answer is yes! And I was second in line. The reason this sounds crazy is because if I was in NYC and wanted to see this show at a discounted rate, I probably would've had to have been at the theatre around 8:30 (maybe earlier), standing outside with other students who can't afford to see the show unless they wait in line for three hours as well - usually in the cold. But thank you London for providing easy and affordable tickets ALL THE TIME! It's quite amazing actually. So yay! I got a ticket for that evening and I got to get a few extra hours of sleep - always a plus. Also, my ticket was in the second row center. Not bad!
The only slight condition was this statement that was printed on the ticket:
"Customers sitting in the front stalls may get wet"
Um...yes please! Why would I care about that? It's Singin' in the Rain, it's a great price, it's right in the front, and it's just water! Also, what an experience! And as you've learned from previous blog posts, I'm all for saying yes to new experiences while in London!
They never tell you how wet though...and I was quite soaked by the end of the show. The actors literally kick water out into the audience and have a grand ol' time splashing and stomping around in the puddles. It's a bit shocking at first, because you're wet, but you don't really mind it after a while. In fact, I felt quite involved in the production that way. Like I was sharing a bit of the piece with the actors. I felt included in their production. By the finale when the entire cast was onstage with raincoats and colored umbrellas splashing around in the rain, I was grinning from ear to ear, clapping and singing along, dripping wet.
All I kept thinking throughout the entire production was how perfectly structured of a musical it was. We often forget how clever and well-constructed older musicals can be. And they're so enjoyable and innocently funny! The jokes are classic, the music catchy, and the dancing is always stunning. This was no exception. Everything about the production rang MGM and the audience was eating it up. Sure it had spectacle (or as much as the 1920s can have - I actually think that time period is spectacle enough in its own right), but at the heart was a fantastic, heart-warming, honest story. And that's what makes a musical work in my opinion - great material. Not to mention, every actor and dancer on that stage was an inspiration. They certainly ignited my musical theatre flame to the enth degree. I cannot wait until I am able to make aspiring actors feel the same way someday. That theatrical excitement is one of the best feelings in the world and I am so fortunate to have experienced it so many times in my life, and so many times within the last five weeks!
The stage is such a magical place.
Scarlett Strallen and Adam Cooper
Katherine Kingsley
Adam Cooper, Scarlett Strallen, and Daniel Crossley
I also bought a program (because I enjoyed the show so much) and decided to wait at the stage door to get a few signatures. So I got to meet the four main actors (all pictured in the above three pictures) and they were the sweetest people ever - totally willing to have a conversation and sign my program. Twas a great night!
Cheers to musical theatre!
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