Submitted by Ariel Hannum on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering…
During my time in London, I have had the opportunity to enjoy many theater shows. Just like New York City, London’s West End has a variety of plays and musicals with incredible casts, staging, and scripts. Through searching online for tickets that were recently returned, finding rush tickets for performances the day of, and going to the Leicester Square TKTS for discounted tickets, I have seen quite a few shows during my study abroad.
I first saw True West, a play by American playwright Sam Shepard, starring Kit Harrington from Game of Thrones. I then saw a revival of Company, starring Patti LuPone, and The Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Even though I paid for discounted or rush tickets for all of these performances, my view of the stage was fantastic!
With a few of my classmates and my professors, I went to see The Mousetrap, a play based on the Agatha Christie novel, which has continually had performances in the West End for 66 years! It was a great whodunit that kept you guessing.
Through luck and monitoring ticket availability, I next saw Hamilton. The show really did live up to the fanaticism that surrounds it. I had the opportunity to see Hamilton in New York City, but enjoyed it even more in the West End. I felt that American audiences cheered more throughout the performance and even clapped during songs, while British audiences were much more reserved, saving their applause to the end of each song. Both audiences truly thought King George III was hysterical and had a good laugh at his outrageous songs. The show was full of energy! I am still humming the songs.
As a huge Harry Potter fan, I was really excited to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts 1 & 2 and the continuation of the story. The magic was simply incredible. It seemed real. The staging was so well done.
The last show I had a chance to see during my study abroad in London was Les Misérables. The production will be moving to a new theater soon because its current venue needs renovations. Apparently, the theater has had little refurbishment after its reopening in 1959 and it still has bomb damage from World War II. Even after more than 30 years in the West End, tickets are hard to get so I purchased standing view tickets. For less than $20, I had a great view of the stage which is legendary; it is a turntable, a revolving platform.
I highly recommend for anyone going to London to see a show. You can definitely find reasonably priced tickets, which would cost double the price in New York City. Seeing a live performance is always memorable and special.
