Happiest musical memories

I wish I could go back to that sense of awe too. Nowadays, if I'm bored I tend to spend my time pricing scenic elements and figuring out running costs- not quite so magical.

My first experiences of West End theatre were back in 1999/2000. Watching CATS and Starlight Express was just a magical experience. I had asked for tickets for my 21st birthday and walking into those auditoriums and seeing those fantastic sets and hearing those ALW scores was something special.

Watching MAMMA MIA! at the Prince Edward was another special moment. I couldn’t get a ticket for the original cast, but managed to get one for the second cast. From hearing the overture to getting up and dancing at the end, I fell in love with that show and it’s been my number 1 show ever since.

Being sat in the front row of the stalls at the London Palladium on a Saturday night watching Saturday Night Fever. It was my 1st time at the Palladium. A stunning theatre and a great production made for a fantastic night.

Some great experiences over the years with plenty of memories to cherish and to look back on, Hopefully there will be more to come once the theatres are back up and running,

Was about 10 years earlier but Starlight/Cats also my 1st/2nd. Agree walking in and being immersed in those epic John Napier sets when I was a teenager was just incredible!

At the time I think we all thought they were leading the way for complete auditorium transformations - funny how we quickly returned to the classic proscenium presentation!

For me it was Cats and Starlight Express (albeit in Germany) too. Those incredible moments in both shows when the lights went out - Cats beginning with the jaunty overture, the blinking "Cats eyes" lights and then the real "Cats" starting to sneak out all over the auditorium and Starlight Express with the overture building and building up to the moment when the "trains" rolled in through the stage fog... both of these are still incredibly happy memories in how they started the show after weeks of anticipation that has never been matched again.

In the last few years "Bat" has given me some of that excitement from those days back - once the naff opening monologue was over and the heavy rock beats of "All revved up" began and the show really kicked off.

But I agree with other voices here that so often it feels like routine these days, a sense of seeing a show I'm not even excited about just because I feel like I should have seen it. That said, it's tricky. Often I find my earlier opinion confirmed that I wouldn't like it (looking at you, Evan Hansen) but sometimes a show I had initially not expected much of, eventually bowled me over. When I first listened to Six, my gut reaction was "hell no, I'm too old for this noise" but now I think it's the best and cleverest show in ages. And having just seen Eugenius again thanks to the stream, I was reminded on how little I had expected of it and how much I loved it.

I've always loved musicals and theatre and I first started going in my teens(many years ago!) My theatre experience has changed where I have lived as I have moved all over the country.
From starting in Liverpool where the Empire was a favourite to moving to Preston, then North East. While at Lincoln I remember seeing Charlton Heston and his wife in Love Letters. When I moved to Essex I went to London almost every week, Sunset being a highlight with Petula Clark my favourite Norma.I lived in west Yorkshire for a while so the Playhouse in Leeds was a regular haunt. Also living in Carlisle I went to the theatre on the Lake and also Newcastle. Now living in the midlands Birmingham has a good range of theatres. I still get to London regularly and try and see the main new shows.
Musical highlights are Sunset, Blood Brothers, Miss Saigon amongst many others.

I went on a school trip to see Cats when it first opened. We were on the seats that revolved (am I remembering this right?) in the dark so when the lights came on I didn't know where I was. The rest was magical.

My earliest West End memory is seeing JCS in about 1974 with my parents. I do wish ALW and Sir Tim could work together again.

^Yes there was a revolve at the New London...I took some students from a tough council-estate school in Derby to see the original Cats and they were literally awe-struck by the whole experience.Should add that I came from a similar background myself and without my own English teacher introducing me to theatre am sure that I would not have been taken by my family as they just couldn’t afford theatre or it wasn’t something the working class did!

^Wonderful memories as always from the legendary Tony Loco...please keep them coming,Sir
Talking of Wayne Sleep...he did a greatest hits tour called ‘Bits N Pieces’ and we arranged a theatre trip for our school dance students.Unfortunately the letter home to parents started with....‘We are arranging a trip to see Wayne Sleep’s Bits N Pieces...’,and didn’t realise the faux pas until a parent complained😮......on the same trip we were up in the ‘Gods’ and on the way home on the coach I shouted down the coach to ask if everybody had had a good time and dozens of hands waved back to me...unfortunately in their hands were the opera glasses taken from the theatre!! Needless to say,we had to turn the coach around and go back! Oh,the shame of it....

I took a it of my fellow workers to see singing in the rain at the NT. We worked for Southwark Council at Walworth and I was surprised that many had never been to the MY considering how close it was. We were in the front row and got soaked!At the interval I was on the terrace looking out over the City lights when a middle aged colleague said" it's just like fairyland" A great show.

They filmed ‘scenes’ from it when they did an Elaine Paige South Bank Show when she released her ‘Encore’ album. I hoped they’d done the whole thing but apparently not.

So, I’ve been reading through these responses and feel I should add mine.

Although none of my family can play a musical instrument or read sheet music, I grew up in a house where there was always playing, be it Dad paying County and Western records or the radio. ABBA was HUGE in Australia. No other country took to ABBA the way Australia did. So much so that they flew the (then) 56 hours to Australia and made a film about it. I still remember them coming to Sydney and to this day wish I had gone. But I was only 7 at the time and on the night they performed at an open-air venue it (literally) poured. So much so the Anni-Frid slipped on stage. It was front page news; it’s in the film, so my parent’s wouldn’t have taken me. Though in the film there were kids younger than I was at the time, singing along in the pouring rain. Grrr! #envy.

Fernando remained a No. 1 across the country for 14 weeks!

So I guess the transition into appreciation of musical theatre for me wasn’t a huge leap.

The first musical I saw was a matinee of the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Sondheim’s Company at one of the smaller theatres at the Sydney Opera House.

I remember many years later also seeing for the first time, a production of A Little Night Music with Geraldine Turner as Desiree and John Waters as Frederick Egerman. Toni Collette was also in the cast as Petra. What I remember the most was the cleverness of the lyrics, they had old fashioned cars on stage and thinking that I wasn’t aware that the song ‘Send in the Clowns’ was from as musical and now that I know, I will never look at that song in same way again.

I was also incredibly moved- in fact I’ve never forgotten it and I still have the framed poster on my wall- by a production of Blood Brothers, where Christina Amphlett (lead singer of the band The Divinyls) played Mrs. Johnstone and a very young Russell Crowe played Mickey.

There were also various productions of The Rocky Horror Show where Russell Crowe played Eddie/Dr. Scott.

I used to go to the theatre back home with my school friend who is still my closest friend. He is of Italian decent and child six of seven, who also grew up with music and was heavily influenced by his older siblings, one of which is a professional pianist- who coincidentally played in the orchestra for the Sydney run of Aspects of Love.

We went and saw a production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, also staring Geraldine Turner as Mrs. Lovett. I had never seen anything like it. I knew nothing of the story, nor the music but the whole time was on the edge of my seat! And when the show finished and you were exiting the theatre, they were handing out for free warmed up party sized meat pies.

When we backpacked we came to London and saw Sunset Boulevard with Patti LuPone. Again, I knew nothing about this show in terms of the story or the music. I was aware of Patti LuPone and that this had only recently opened, it had got rave reviews and this was the show to see. My friend had seen film but again, I had never seen anything like it! The body floating in the pool, the sheer opulence of the set (which was to become one of it’s biggest downfalls) the way it floated so you could see a split stage.

I have since seen subsequent productions with Betty Buckley and Elaine Paige, all of them slightly different. Seeing Glenn Close was a highlight.

I used to frequent a shop in Sydney selling theatrical CDs. I remember on that day walking in and there was this glorious voice blasting through the speakers (it was Josh Groban’s first CD) and after listening to parts of it in store at the time purchased the cast recordings for The Lion King, The Last 5 Years and despite never listening to it, on the guy behind the counters recommendation, purchased Wicked.

So I was listening to this CD called Wicked about 5 years before I arrived in London and attended one of the first previews. This was special because, not only did I get to see what I had been listening to play out in front of me, let’s face it, Elphabah flying at the end of Act 1 is pretty impressive! And I got to see Indina and we had an Australian Glinda. And as it was in previews, both Stephen Swartz and Paul Dooley (Google him) were there.

I appreciate that I have prattled on for probably too long and there are some highlights that I (unbelievably) have left out but if could, share with you a few more. Musical theatre is my passion and one of (the many) reasons that I am now living here.

Seeing the Menier Chocolate Factory’s production of The Last Five Years with Damien Humbley and Lara Pulver was so moving. Subsequent productions, even one directed by Jason Robert Brown who wrote the damn thing, have never lived up to that!

Seeing (again at The Menier) Sunday in the Park with George, a show which, to the best of my knowledge at the time, had never played anywhere in Australia. I know it has played since, but as I say, at the time. This was a show that I never thought I would get to see in my lifetime! It’s my favourite show and thought I only ever have to rely upon watching the DVD. Not only did I see the production at the Menier, I also saw it when it transferred to the West End and attended a cast Q & A.

The other two that stand out (I promise these are the final two) both Jason Robert Brown shows was the production of Parade at The Donmar, again with Lara Pulver. Again, I was watching the story of the CD I had been listening to being played out in front of me. The final hanging scene where Bertie Carvel twitches; to this day whenever I tell anyone about it, all these years later I still get goosebumps!

Finally, The Bridges of Madison County, again at the Menier. Again, the music of the CD that everyone was raving on about was being played out in front of me. Now, I was a little late to the party in terms of loving the music and as emotionally involved as I get, I’m not a crier at shows. Whilst I’m not as emotionally tough as I think I am, it’s just not in me to physically burst into tears at live theatre. Some can, I just don’t. But I tell you if I were, this would have been the show to turn on the waterworks. So emotional! The choice this woman had to make! O.M.G!

I’ll stop now.