#DoMoreLondon West End Shows….
This is the story of how my #DoMoreLondon resolution led me to West End Shows….
Cambridge Circus London West End. Creative Commons Image by https://www.flickr.com/photos/stignygaard/
London is one of the most important and influential cities in the world, especially when it comes to culture, history, fashion, food and theatre. Millions are drawn to visit every year because of these. Despite living in such a vibrant city, there is a risk of becoming blasé of the richness and range of things to do. Daily life in this big city can divert you away from tapping into, and taking advantage of, everything that it offers. Something I decided had definitely happened to me after over 30 years being here. So, my 2018 resolution was to #DoMoreLondon! That included the goal of going to at least one show a month this year. Something I have, so far achieved.
I started by looking at all the shows on, or coming in 2018, and drew up a list of shows I really had to see. It was sobering as realised many of the must-see and much talked about shows I still had not seen. I really had missed out taking advantage of what London’s West End has! So soon I was, under my #DoMoreLondon resolution, heading to shows like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hamilton, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and The Book of Mormon. The latter of these of all of them probably proving to not only be as good, but better, than the hype. I should have gone earlier.
Book of Mormon. Rude. Irreverent. Funny
The musical was written by the irreverent and provocative creators of the TV show South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. After an award-winning run on Broadway where it won nine Tony Awards, The Book Of Mormon opened in the West End in 2013 and won four Laurence Olivier Awards for the production.
It tells the story of a group of Mormons sent to Africa to convert the locals to the religion. The songs are offensive, rude, tongue-in-cheek and very funny. I started laughing and smiling at the first song and did not stop. It pokes fun and makes a sceptical swipe at the foundation and belief of the Mormon religion. However, even they appear to have seen the humorous side as I saw they had bought and were running adverts in the program encouraging people to find out more about the religion, despite the theme of the show.
Most of the cast are young, as it tells the story of youngsters heading on their mission. It was thrilling and exciting to see youthful talent who have only graduated in the last two or less years from drama school in major (and challenging) leading roles in the West End. I recognised a few of the cast from the ArtsEd school a short walk from my home in Chiswick. We often go and see the productions by the final year and graduates held by this leading British drama school and university.
If you have not seen the Book of Mormon and considering seeing a West End show, I recommend it.
West End Tickets. Even at short notice
Going to West End theatre can be a costly outing, and so I have constantly looked at where to find tickets and (importantly) availability at short notice. One suggestion, if you are looking to see theatre in London is encoretickets.co.uk . They have been operating since 2000 and claim to have helped over 29 million see shows in the city through their partnerships with over 160 theatres and attractions.
Shaftesbury Avenue London. Creative Commons picture by https://www.flickr.com/photos/astarostin/
This article was a partnership with EncoreTickets.
