Traditional breakfast with Dad and his family, quite a lovely tradition actually.
My sisters were a bit in hyperdrive this morning, as I had promised to take them to Hamley's and we had agreed it would be before lunch this day.
I wanted to go down to Parliament Square and take some photos, as Hamley's didn't open until 10 - so we agreed to meet outside at 10.30, and went to catch a bus at Bayswater Road straight after breakfast.
I just love Parliament Square, I think the atmosphere there is amazing and I love walking around there and taking in all these amazing buildings. As I did have to be at Hamley's at a specific time I didn't feel like I could walk there forever, but sometime it would be nice to have more time to spend there, maybe find some cool photo angles of the various buildings ...
Anyway, I took a bus to Regent Street and even though I was a bit early I caught a glimpse of the whole family across the street, so I hurried to catch up with them!
And I just have to say: It was WONDERFUL to go to Hamley's with kids!! What can I say?! I've been there before, but it's just sooo different when you're there with children. We hardly made it in through the doors before a really cool pirate came up to us and welcomed us, asked where we were from, and how old the girls were! (And yes, everyone was pretty amazed when I said we were from Sweden, and it was their first visit to Hamley's!)
We said we were going to meet with the girls' parents about 1½ hours later, which actually wasn't a lot of time ... We ended up walking through all the floors (accept the bottom floor, as it's basically only video games and things like that, and the girls aren't in to that at all) - and then of course we had to buy something. I had said I wanted to get them each a gift from Hamley's, as it was quite special - and they had also been saving their allowance to be able to shop there.
Unfortunately, basically everything is super-expensive there, but finally we managed to find some nice things. They got a cuddly Hamley's bear from me each, and my older sister bought a beautiful little dog, while my younger sister, naturally, had to have a bunny (she definitely has a thing for bunnies!)! :) We stood in line, and I think it's amazing how big the girls have gotten. The older one, who is ten, walked up to the counter all on her own (I had to stay with my younger sister), paid for her doggie without any issues and got a beautiful Hamley's bag! Then I walked up with my younger sister, and she paid for her bunny all by herself, and got her own Hamley's bag - and then I paid for their teddy bears! :) :)
We split up after Hamley's, after having made plans to meet back at the hotel. As it was the last night in London we decided to go out for dinner, before I was off on Les Misérables, so we decided to meet back at the hotel.
I went to do some shopping at Oxford Street, but I was really extremely tired, and I had been on my feet more or less constantly since about 8.30 ... I ended up buying a really nice London bag, and found a (for me!) brand new HMV at Oxford Street - yay! I was a bit too tired to check it out properly, but I ended up buying the first two seasons of Falling Skies before dropping dead (well, almost anyway!).
Even though it was early I headed back to the hotel and relaxed for a while, before I took a shower and got ready. My Dad and his family also came back a bit earlier than expected, and the girls came up to my Tower Room to collect me! :) We spent a little time i their room (which was really large!) before heading out. While I took the girls to Hamley's, the girls' parents had been checking out restaurants, so we took a (very slow!) bus to Oxford Circus and found this great restaurant. It was a bit crowded and loud, but worked out really nice and the food was yummy!
When we had eaten the others decided to walk with me to Queens but unfortunately it was SOOO many people everywhere we could hardly speak a word to each other.
As usual, a proper review of Les Miz will come in my musical blog later on - but it really was a great show!! We had an understudy for Valjean, which always makes me a bit nervous, but I knew of Chris Holland, who has been involved in the show for a while now, and he did a really great job! Not one of my very favourites, and he missed a few things - but mostly, great performance!
Also, extremely impressed with the three children this time! Amazing!!!
After the show I went to Piccadilly Circus to take a bus home, only to see that they had closed the nearest bus stop, and referred to a temporary bus stop. Yeah right! There were to temporary bus stop, so I ended up walking all the way up to Hamley's, to the next bus stop. And once there, no bus 23 came. I waited and I waited and I waited and I waited. Eventually I gave up and took a 94 bus to Bayswater Road. Wasn't exactly sure where to get off, and managed to almost get myself lost between Bayswater Road and Sussex Gardens!! Granted, it's not a great area to get lost in, so it's a bit embarrassing, but to my defence: the streets in there are extremely confusing!!! It was a bit nervous, as it was getting really late, but I hardly saw anyone, and I finally ended up at the hotel - although Les Miz ended around 10.30, and I don't think I was at my hotel until 11.45 or so ... *yikes*
Showing posts with label musicals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musicals. Show all posts
Sunday, 31 August 2014
Monday, 1 October 2012
Day 3 - September 26
I didn't sleep very well the second night in London, and I woke up not feeling that great. I decided to take it easy in the morning and try to get myself in better shape in order to face the day, so decided to skip breakfast (which was served between 7.30 and 8.45 a.m.) and get a bit of a late start.
I went out about 9.30 in the morning, and it took a while to find the buses going into town ... as usual in London the buses travel different streets in different directions - which is a bit confusing at times. I did however find the bus stop without problems and went from Praed Street down to Charing Cross Station to pick up my London pass. The directions I had gotten were both very detailed but at the same a bit vague (yup, definitely confusing) but it turned out the address was a ticket booth where you, for instance, could buy cheap musical theatre tickets, but if you went downstairs, through some quite terrifying stairs, you ended up at the London Pass Desks! I collected my pass without any problems at all, and went to photograph a bit around Trafalgar Square.
Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great, so I didn't take a lot of photos, and I only used my small camera (am I a bit more scared for the larger camera, with regards to damages from humidity).
I walked up to Leicester Square and walked around there, found a (rather small) HMV there (dvds, books, games, cds - great store!!) but I didn't find much. The only thing I really fancied was a dvd box with all three seasons of Millennium, but I didn't buy anything in the end.
I took a bus from there to Marble Arch and had some lunch, walked along Oxford Street a bit, and went into the Disney Store! Apparently it's a new store, different from the one Annika and I went to in 2009, but they had tons of lovely stuff, already starting to prepare for Christmas with fantastic gifts already wrapped up!
It's difficult in these kinds of stores, I think, because there are lots and lots of things you want, but everything is so expensive, the question is: do you want it that much??! I ended up buying nothing at all! :-)
From the Disney Store I took a bus to Regent Street and went to Hamley's - the most amazing toy store!! It's absolutely fantastic, and I walked up most floors and checked it out, although I didn't buy anything!
Walked down to Piccadilly Circus and continued up Shaftesbury Avenue, even though it was a bit early. I took some photographs outside the Queens Theatre, and realized the Box Office was in fact open.
Collected my tickets, very smooth, and by the time I had done that, they had opened the theatre and I could go in. Bought a programme + souvenir brochure before I found my seat in Stalls. And what a seat?!?!?!?!!?
A 10!!!!
First row, basically in the middle (a little to the side!)!! Fantastic!!
I will make a separate entry on the Les Misérables show, so I won't go into that here now ... stay tuned! :-)
Les Miz wasn't over until about 5.30 p.m. but the weather was clearing up, so I took a bus to Liverpool Street, bought some snacks and took another bus back - got seats on the top floor at the front, and had planned to do some photographing from there (great angles!!)!
I got some photos of St. Paul's Cathedral - but after that the traffic came to a complete and utter STOP!! We basically didn't move at all, and by the time the traffic let up and we were closing in on Trafalgar Square, it was too dark to photograph! :-(
The trip from Liverpool Street Station to Sussex Gardens (normally about an hour) took nearly two hours, and by the time I got to the hotel, I was pretty worn out!
I went out about 9.30 in the morning, and it took a while to find the buses going into town ... as usual in London the buses travel different streets in different directions - which is a bit confusing at times. I did however find the bus stop without problems and went from Praed Street down to Charing Cross Station to pick up my London pass. The directions I had gotten were both very detailed but at the same a bit vague (yup, definitely confusing) but it turned out the address was a ticket booth where you, for instance, could buy cheap musical theatre tickets, but if you went downstairs, through some quite terrifying stairs, you ended up at the London Pass Desks! I collected my pass without any problems at all, and went to photograph a bit around Trafalgar Square.
Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great, so I didn't take a lot of photos, and I only used my small camera (am I a bit more scared for the larger camera, with regards to damages from humidity).
I walked up to Leicester Square and walked around there, found a (rather small) HMV there (dvds, books, games, cds - great store!!) but I didn't find much. The only thing I really fancied was a dvd box with all three seasons of Millennium, but I didn't buy anything in the end.
I took a bus from there to Marble Arch and had some lunch, walked along Oxford Street a bit, and went into the Disney Store! Apparently it's a new store, different from the one Annika and I went to in 2009, but they had tons of lovely stuff, already starting to prepare for Christmas with fantastic gifts already wrapped up!
It's difficult in these kinds of stores, I think, because there are lots and lots of things you want, but everything is so expensive, the question is: do you want it that much??! I ended up buying nothing at all! :-)
From the Disney Store I took a bus to Regent Street and went to Hamley's - the most amazing toy store!! It's absolutely fantastic, and I walked up most floors and checked it out, although I didn't buy anything!
Walked down to Piccadilly Circus and continued up Shaftesbury Avenue, even though it was a bit early. I took some photographs outside the Queens Theatre, and realized the Box Office was in fact open.
Collected my tickets, very smooth, and by the time I had done that, they had opened the theatre and I could go in. Bought a programme + souvenir brochure before I found my seat in Stalls. And what a seat?!?!?!?!!?
A 10!!!!
First row, basically in the middle (a little to the side!)!! Fantastic!!
I will make a separate entry on the Les Misérables show, so I won't go into that here now ... stay tuned! :-)
Les Miz wasn't over until about 5.30 p.m. but the weather was clearing up, so I took a bus to Liverpool Street, bought some snacks and took another bus back - got seats on the top floor at the front, and had planned to do some photographing from there (great angles!!)!
I got some photos of St. Paul's Cathedral - but after that the traffic came to a complete and utter STOP!! We basically didn't move at all, and by the time the traffic let up and we were closing in on Trafalgar Square, it was too dark to photograph! :-(
The trip from Liverpool Street Station to Sussex Gardens (normally about an hour) took nearly two hours, and by the time I got to the hotel, I was pretty worn out!
Sunday, 23 September 2012
The Lion King
I've been trying to decide on whether to watch The Lion King or not while in London.
I really really want to see it, I have a feeling it's an amazing musical, but when I first thought about it the tickets were totally expensive!
Then, I got an offer at reduced prices, which I was very happy about of course!!
However, the only way I would get to see it was an evening show, and the theatre is quite a distance from my hotel ... I've been debating this with myself ever since I got the offer in the mail.
Now I have made the decision not to see it.
I know I might regret it, but the fact is ... well, things haven't been working out very smoothly for me during the last week (or a couple of weeks), I've been stressing out a lot, and now I took this superquick visit to my old hometown to watch my Dad receive a prestigious award, which also was a bit stressful. The point is, I'm not quite harmonious and feel totally at ease about this trip, I am quite nervous and anxious and stressed out about a lot of things, and I feel like adding one more thing on top of that is quite unnecessary!
Had I gotten tickets to The Lion King, I think it would have been Thursday night, and I'm pretty sure I would have spent most of my trip thinking and worrying about that - and I have enough things to worry about right now.
I am of course hoping that this trip will work out okay, meaning I will hopefully be able to save money and go back to London fairly soon - and I'm hoping to be able to see The Lion King (and other musicals) then instead.
At least the decision is made now, so I don't have to think about it any more - and hopefully I won't regret it too much either! :)
I really really want to see it, I have a feeling it's an amazing musical, but when I first thought about it the tickets were totally expensive!
Then, I got an offer at reduced prices, which I was very happy about of course!!
However, the only way I would get to see it was an evening show, and the theatre is quite a distance from my hotel ... I've been debating this with myself ever since I got the offer in the mail.
Now I have made the decision not to see it.
I know I might regret it, but the fact is ... well, things haven't been working out very smoothly for me during the last week (or a couple of weeks), I've been stressing out a lot, and now I took this superquick visit to my old hometown to watch my Dad receive a prestigious award, which also was a bit stressful. The point is, I'm not quite harmonious and feel totally at ease about this trip, I am quite nervous and anxious and stressed out about a lot of things, and I feel like adding one more thing on top of that is quite unnecessary!
Had I gotten tickets to The Lion King, I think it would have been Thursday night, and I'm pretty sure I would have spent most of my trip thinking and worrying about that - and I have enough things to worry about right now.
I am of course hoping that this trip will work out okay, meaning I will hopefully be able to save money and go back to London fairly soon - and I'm hoping to be able to see The Lion King (and other musicals) then instead.
At least the decision is made now, so I don't have to think about it any more - and hopefully I won't regret it too much either! :)
Friday, 21 September 2012
2004 Updates
Finally, reviews on my three London trips in 2004 are now available, with a few photos as well.
I think the "only" thing left to complete this site (apart from the on-going blog updates of course) are a few musical reviews - two of Les Miz in 2004, and Les Miz and Evita from 2006. Not at all sure if I'll be able to write them before my trip, but as I would like to make this site as complete as possible, I do hope I'll get around to writing them down when I get home! :-)
I think the "only" thing left to complete this site (apart from the on-going blog updates of course) are a few musical reviews - two of Les Miz in 2004, and Les Miz and Evita from 2006. Not at all sure if I'll be able to write them before my trip, but as I would like to make this site as complete as possible, I do hope I'll get around to writing them down when I get home! :-)
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Decisions, Decisions
Now facing a bit of a difficult decision!
Got an email with an offer to buy tickets for The Lion King at quite a reduced price! The major reason why I didn't buy tickets for that show in the first place was the fact that they were a lot more expensive then the other ones ... now with the reduction in price, there's basically no difference at all - and I really would like to see The Lion King, I have a feeling it's a great production.
However, I can't get tickets to a matinee show, meaning it has to be an evening show ... meaning it's going to end quite late at night. Also, Lyceum Theatre, where it's playing, is not exactly in the vicinity of my hotel!! If I'm reading the map correctly I should be able to take the same bus, but the maps aren't very detailed, so I won't know that for sure.
I had hoped to avoid evening musicals shows, as they do tend to end late, and I am by myself. A bit typical now in retrospect - I think I would have preferred to go to Les Miz or Phantom during the evening, as Her Majesty's and Queens Theatres are a lot closer to my hotel than Lyceum, but now I have already booked matinee tickets for Phantom and Les Miz ...
I still haven't decided what to do, I think the reduction in price will stay for a while, and since I don't have to worry about the tickets being sent home to me (I'm going to pick them up at the theatre on the day of the show) I don't have to book yet ... but it's not an easy decision.
I mean, I still have to be able to do things, even though I go to London by myself, right? ... And still, I don't want to be stupid and take unnecessary risks ...
Difficult decision!
Got an email with an offer to buy tickets for The Lion King at quite a reduced price! The major reason why I didn't buy tickets for that show in the first place was the fact that they were a lot more expensive then the other ones ... now with the reduction in price, there's basically no difference at all - and I really would like to see The Lion King, I have a feeling it's a great production.
However, I can't get tickets to a matinee show, meaning it has to be an evening show ... meaning it's going to end quite late at night. Also, Lyceum Theatre, where it's playing, is not exactly in the vicinity of my hotel!! If I'm reading the map correctly I should be able to take the same bus, but the maps aren't very detailed, so I won't know that for sure.
I had hoped to avoid evening musicals shows, as they do tend to end late, and I am by myself. A bit typical now in retrospect - I think I would have preferred to go to Les Miz or Phantom during the evening, as Her Majesty's and Queens Theatres are a lot closer to my hotel than Lyceum, but now I have already booked matinee tickets for Phantom and Les Miz ...
I still haven't decided what to do, I think the reduction in price will stay for a while, and since I don't have to worry about the tickets being sent home to me (I'm going to pick them up at the theatre on the day of the show) I don't have to book yet ... but it's not an easy decision.
I mean, I still have to be able to do things, even though I go to London by myself, right? ... And still, I don't want to be stupid and take unnecessary risks ...
Difficult decision!
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Musicals
I have rather mixed feelings about musicals right now.
I have booked two, and I'm looking forward to them enormously - but I kind of really wanted to see two others as well, which won't happen, so I'm a bit upset about that.
Let's deal with the 'bad' news first, shall we?
Okay, so I really want to see The Lion King in London!! I absolutely adore all three movies and I think they make a fantastic musical ... so I did some checking, and sure enough, I could get tickets to The Lion King. One tiny problem; they are almost twice as expensive as the other musicals I plan to see ... I mean, I know it is expensive, and for the most part I think it's worth it, but these tickets were about 1000 SEK (about £94, $150, 117 Euros)!! And I think that's a bit much ... Granted, had it been Philip Quast, I probably would have payed it - *lol* - but not for anyone else! :-)
So no The Lion King ...
I also really wanted to see Sweeny Tood! I have seen the movie, which I think takes things too far, but I was hoping that the stage version wouldn't be quite as intense as the movie. Also, starring Michael Ball!! Hello?!? A chance to see Michael Ball live ... wow!!! Yeah, I had my heart set on booking tickets and started checking out times and dates and the theatre - and found out it's playing until Saturday September 22nd!!! What a bummer!!! :(
So, no Sweeny Todd either!
Now for the good news! :-)
I have booked Phantom of the Opera, which is one of my favourite musicals ever!! It's truly amazing and creates the most extraordinary mood in the theatre. Unfortunately, since the whole London trip came on rather suddenly, I did not get a good seat at Her Majesty's Theatre. I tried and tried and tried, but I'm a bit anxious about watching the evening shows and finding my way back to the hotel on my own that late at night, so I really wanted to see if I could catch the matinee show. Needless to say, if I could have gotten a great seat on an evening show I would have taken it, but as it stands, I'll be sitting in the back of Stalls on Thursday the 27th (matinee show).
I also really would have loved to see Swedish musical artist Peter Jöback as the Phantom - I have heard him sing "Music of the Night" and he's outstanding! - but as soon as I heard he would only play through August, I knew I wouldn't be able to see him ... :/
More good news, as I have also - of course! - booked Les Misérables for the matinee show on Wednesday the 26th! Managed to get a much better seat there which I'm very happy about ... after all, Les Miz is my number one favourite and it always will be, nothing can ever come close to it!!!
I know David Shannon did a stint as Jean Valjean this spring, and yes, I would have loved to see him! He was Valjean when I saw it in 2009 and I finally - after having seen the show four times in London (I think), once in Sweden, and listened to numerous recordings - found my Jean Valjean. No such luck though, as he's not currently in the show.
When I tried checking out the cast I really didn't recognize anyone, so I'm thinking I'm in for a bit of a surprise, which might in fact be a good thing! However, I did learn that since September 10th, Linzi Hately is playing Mme Thénardier!!! Totally amazing!! She's played Eponine early on in Les Miz in London, she's on my favourite recording of The Secret Garden, and she played Florence in the Scandinavian Tour of Chess, which I was lucky enough to catch in Olso (and there I also got to see David Shannon as Anatoly!) - and she's absolutely outstanding!! I was so taken with her in Oslo, and while Florence is quite a serious part, I have no doubt at all that she will be fantastic as the comedic Mme Thénardier!! So all fingers crossed that she actually will be doing the matinee show on the 26th!
Yes, now I've rambled on and on and on about the musicals! :) Will definitely come back with detailed reviews after I've seen them!!
I have booked two, and I'm looking forward to them enormously - but I kind of really wanted to see two others as well, which won't happen, so I'm a bit upset about that.
Let's deal with the 'bad' news first, shall we?
Okay, so I really want to see The Lion King in London!! I absolutely adore all three movies and I think they make a fantastic musical ... so I did some checking, and sure enough, I could get tickets to The Lion King. One tiny problem; they are almost twice as expensive as the other musicals I plan to see ... I mean, I know it is expensive, and for the most part I think it's worth it, but these tickets were about 1000 SEK (about £94, $150, 117 Euros)!! And I think that's a bit much ... Granted, had it been Philip Quast, I probably would have payed it - *lol* - but not for anyone else! :-)
So no The Lion King ...
I also really wanted to see Sweeny Tood! I have seen the movie, which I think takes things too far, but I was hoping that the stage version wouldn't be quite as intense as the movie. Also, starring Michael Ball!! Hello?!? A chance to see Michael Ball live ... wow!!! Yeah, I had my heart set on booking tickets and started checking out times and dates and the theatre - and found out it's playing until Saturday September 22nd!!! What a bummer!!! :(
So, no Sweeny Todd either!
Now for the good news! :-)
I have booked Phantom of the Opera, which is one of my favourite musicals ever!! It's truly amazing and creates the most extraordinary mood in the theatre. Unfortunately, since the whole London trip came on rather suddenly, I did not get a good seat at Her Majesty's Theatre. I tried and tried and tried, but I'm a bit anxious about watching the evening shows and finding my way back to the hotel on my own that late at night, so I really wanted to see if I could catch the matinee show. Needless to say, if I could have gotten a great seat on an evening show I would have taken it, but as it stands, I'll be sitting in the back of Stalls on Thursday the 27th (matinee show).
I also really would have loved to see Swedish musical artist Peter Jöback as the Phantom - I have heard him sing "Music of the Night" and he's outstanding! - but as soon as I heard he would only play through August, I knew I wouldn't be able to see him ... :/
More good news, as I have also - of course! - booked Les Misérables for the matinee show on Wednesday the 26th! Managed to get a much better seat there which I'm very happy about ... after all, Les Miz is my number one favourite and it always will be, nothing can ever come close to it!!!
I know David Shannon did a stint as Jean Valjean this spring, and yes, I would have loved to see him! He was Valjean when I saw it in 2009 and I finally - after having seen the show four times in London (I think), once in Sweden, and listened to numerous recordings - found my Jean Valjean. No such luck though, as he's not currently in the show.
When I tried checking out the cast I really didn't recognize anyone, so I'm thinking I'm in for a bit of a surprise, which might in fact be a good thing! However, I did learn that since September 10th, Linzi Hately is playing Mme Thénardier!!! Totally amazing!! She's played Eponine early on in Les Miz in London, she's on my favourite recording of The Secret Garden, and she played Florence in the Scandinavian Tour of Chess, which I was lucky enough to catch in Olso (and there I also got to see David Shannon as Anatoly!) - and she's absolutely outstanding!! I was so taken with her in Oslo, and while Florence is quite a serious part, I have no doubt at all that she will be fantastic as the comedic Mme Thénardier!! So all fingers crossed that she actually will be doing the matinee show on the 26th!
Yes, now I've rambled on and on and on about the musicals! :) Will definitely come back with detailed reviews after I've seen them!!
From the Tenth Anniversary Concert (TAC), 1995
Philip Quast - Javert
Philip Quast - Javert
Colm Wilkinson - Jean Valjean
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