I woke up bright and early Monday morning all excited to venture down to Leicester Square to get me some theatre tickets! When I walked out of the train station right there in front of me was one of the half price theatre tickets booths, so I wandered up and asked if they had anything left for Les Miz that night. He looked at me, shook his head and told me it was school holidays. Cue epic sinking feeling in my stomach. So when school holidays happens it seems that everyone takes their kids to the theatre and there are no half price tickets. The guy was really nice though, and told me to go to the theatre's box office where they would have any tickets that were left. I wandered over there, and found the theatre pretty easily. I was SO EXCITED when I found it! LOOKIE!
SQUEEEEE! The box office opened at 10am, and it was only 9:30 so I went into the Costa across the street for breakfast. Costa is a chain of cafes that is everywhere in London. I got a bit excited because there was a flat white on the menu, so I ordered that and a muffin. I got even more excited when my order came, because LOOK
It was actually pretty decent as well. It was probably the best coffee I had had in two months, I nearly cried. so I was sitting next to the window sipping my almost amazing flat white and just gazing at the theatre across the street. I was pretty darn happy right there. Finally the box office opened so I went and bought a ticket. I spent 20 pounds on a ticket right in the back row of the upper circle. It was either that or a more expensive ticket not that much closer with obscured view. OMG I HAD A TICKET TO LES MISERABLES *epic flail* I walked out of the box office with a massive grin on my face, and then had to somehow fill in the eternity between then and 7:30 that evening.
I decided to go find the British museum. I tell you, it is so easy to find your way around London, because they have these maps at every corner with all the touristy things highlighted in bright yellow.
AND the maps are turned so that it's facing the direction that you are :D very helpful indeed. I would have been so lost without them :P Eventually I found myself in amongst a mob of tourists and realised I must be near the museum. Admission is free, so I wandered in, but nothing could grab my attention. I was way too excited about the LES MIZ TICKET in my pocket *dies*
I decided to go hunt down more theatre tickets for Tuesday, and went in search of the Lion King theatre. It was ages away, but I eventually found it. I ended up with a standing room ticket for 13.50. Can't argue with that price :P The theatre was just around the corner from the Thames, so I went to look at that. I crossed the bridge and walked along the VERY TOURISTY side. There were screaming children everywhere, it was horrible. There was Madame Tussauds there and some other stuff, but I was tired and annoyed at the children, so I just walked past everything and back across the river. I found some fancy building that looked important, and some parliament buildings. The amazing street maps said I was around the corner from 10 Downing Street, but I didn't end up going to look at it. Instead I took photos of the buildings, and somehow found my way to Hyde Park. By now I was absolutely exhausted, and just wanted to go back to my hostel to nap. I started wandering back towards Leicester Square because I still wanted matinee tickets, but it took ages and I kept coming across important looking buildings and stuff.
I had thought that Billy Elliot had a Tuesday matinee, but it turns out it doesn't :( My options were Jersey Boys, or The Phantom of the Opera, and since I had seen Phantom a few times already so I thought I'd give Jersey Boys a go. When I eventually found the theatre I discovered the box office was closed on Mondays, so I'd have to come back the next morning. I went back to my hostel and fell into bed.
When I woke up it was time to have some quick dinner and make my way back to the theatre for LES MISERABLES *flail* Ohmygoodness it was amazing! I was such a mess by the end. Being already sick and boogery, weeping at all the deaths and the amazingness made me pretty disgusting. I went through two packets of tissues, and let me tell you each and every one of those tissues were well and truly sopping :P I considered stage dooring, but decided that I was too much of a mess and didn't want to make the cast sick, so I just went straight back to the hostel and went to bed.
The next day I went back to the Jersey Boys theatre to buy myself a matinee ticket, then had four hours to fill in before the show. I ended up going to the Tower of London, since there were signs everywhere advertising an exhibition of five centuries fo royal armour. I thought it might be interesting. WELL, it costs 20 pounds to get into the tower and there was a line a million miles long. I didn't exactly have 20 pounds, so I just walked around it and took photos, and photos of Tower Bridge. Then I hopped on the train and went to King's Cross, because it seemed like a good idea. I found the British Library and remembered Nerissa telling me about some room they had with illuminated scrolls and stuff, so I wandered in there. Then I discovered they had an exhibition thingy all about the English language and it's history and stuff, so I spent a while there. It was really interesting, with videos of guys speaking in Old English and Middle English and stuff, then a whole room about slang and modern accents and stuff.
By the time I'd finished there, it was time to go watch my matinee. I ended up getting obscured seating right in the front row. This was my view
I could mostly see what was going on, unless they walked too far upstage :P It was good, not as good as Les Miz, but it's a bit hard to beat Les Miz :P When I was sitting in my seat waiting for the show to start, I suddenly realised that I just wanted to go home. I was still not feeling 100% even though my cold was a lot better, I was tired and I was tired of doing the obligatory tourist thing. I couldn't bear the idea of packing up my stuff again, checking out of another hostel, finding another train, checking into another hostel, and then being a tourist in another city.
After the show I wandered over to the Lion King and then wandered around trying to find something to eat. Then finally it was time for the show. I think it probably had something to do with my mood and the fact that I was standing up the very back, but I wasn't very impressed. I had high expectations, because so many people had told me how amazing this show was supposed to be. Well, first of all it was like they'd picked up some chav kid off the street, stuck him in a lion's costume and taught him to recite some lines. He literally just said the words like it was some dumb school play, and his accent was so off-putting. Someone teach this kid some diction please. The stupid kid was so distracting that it made the whole first act seem tacky and like a play for children. The second act was better, mainly because there were no children in it and I could do that whole suspend disbelief thing you're supposed to do in the theatre. Seriously, I have seen some amazing children act in professional musicals, one example is Gavroche in Les Miz the night before. His death scene was the one that made me cry the most, it was so heartbreaking. There are so many talented children around, there really isn't any excuse for The Lion King to hire some stupid kid they picked up at a dance school.
Anyway, on that note I went back to my hostel and fell into bed again. I needed to be up at 5am to collect my things and check out so I could get to King's Cross in time to check in for the Eurostar to Paris. Yuck.
SQUEEEEE! The box office opened at 10am, and it was only 9:30 so I went into the Costa across the street for breakfast. Costa is a chain of cafes that is everywhere in London. I got a bit excited because there was a flat white on the menu, so I ordered that and a muffin. I got even more excited when my order came, because LOOK
It was actually pretty decent as well. It was probably the best coffee I had had in two months, I nearly cried. so I was sitting next to the window sipping my almost amazing flat white and just gazing at the theatre across the street. I was pretty darn happy right there. Finally the box office opened so I went and bought a ticket. I spent 20 pounds on a ticket right in the back row of the upper circle. It was either that or a more expensive ticket not that much closer with obscured view. OMG I HAD A TICKET TO LES MISERABLES *epic flail* I walked out of the box office with a massive grin on my face, and then had to somehow fill in the eternity between then and 7:30 that evening.
I decided to go find the British museum. I tell you, it is so easy to find your way around London, because they have these maps at every corner with all the touristy things highlighted in bright yellow.
AND the maps are turned so that it's facing the direction that you are :D very helpful indeed. I would have been so lost without them :P Eventually I found myself in amongst a mob of tourists and realised I must be near the museum. Admission is free, so I wandered in, but nothing could grab my attention. I was way too excited about the LES MIZ TICKET in my pocket *dies*
I decided to go hunt down more theatre tickets for Tuesday, and went in search of the Lion King theatre. It was ages away, but I eventually found it. I ended up with a standing room ticket for 13.50. Can't argue with that price :P The theatre was just around the corner from the Thames, so I went to look at that. I crossed the bridge and walked along the VERY TOURISTY side. There were screaming children everywhere, it was horrible. There was Madame Tussauds there and some other stuff, but I was tired and annoyed at the children, so I just walked past everything and back across the river. I found some fancy building that looked important, and some parliament buildings. The amazing street maps said I was around the corner from 10 Downing Street, but I didn't end up going to look at it. Instead I took photos of the buildings, and somehow found my way to Hyde Park. By now I was absolutely exhausted, and just wanted to go back to my hostel to nap. I started wandering back towards Leicester Square because I still wanted matinee tickets, but it took ages and I kept coming across important looking buildings and stuff.
I had thought that Billy Elliot had a Tuesday matinee, but it turns out it doesn't :( My options were Jersey Boys, or The Phantom of the Opera, and since I had seen Phantom a few times already so I thought I'd give Jersey Boys a go. When I eventually found the theatre I discovered the box office was closed on Mondays, so I'd have to come back the next morning. I went back to my hostel and fell into bed.
When I woke up it was time to have some quick dinner and make my way back to the theatre for LES MISERABLES *flail* Ohmygoodness it was amazing! I was such a mess by the end. Being already sick and boogery, weeping at all the deaths and the amazingness made me pretty disgusting. I went through two packets of tissues, and let me tell you each and every one of those tissues were well and truly sopping :P I considered stage dooring, but decided that I was too much of a mess and didn't want to make the cast sick, so I just went straight back to the hostel and went to bed.
The next day I went back to the Jersey Boys theatre to buy myself a matinee ticket, then had four hours to fill in before the show. I ended up going to the Tower of London, since there were signs everywhere advertising an exhibition of five centuries fo royal armour. I thought it might be interesting. WELL, it costs 20 pounds to get into the tower and there was a line a million miles long. I didn't exactly have 20 pounds, so I just walked around it and took photos, and photos of Tower Bridge. Then I hopped on the train and went to King's Cross, because it seemed like a good idea. I found the British Library and remembered Nerissa telling me about some room they had with illuminated scrolls and stuff, so I wandered in there. Then I discovered they had an exhibition thingy all about the English language and it's history and stuff, so I spent a while there. It was really interesting, with videos of guys speaking in Old English and Middle English and stuff, then a whole room about slang and modern accents and stuff.
By the time I'd finished there, it was time to go watch my matinee. I ended up getting obscured seating right in the front row. This was my view
I could mostly see what was going on, unless they walked too far upstage :P It was good, not as good as Les Miz, but it's a bit hard to beat Les Miz :P When I was sitting in my seat waiting for the show to start, I suddenly realised that I just wanted to go home. I was still not feeling 100% even though my cold was a lot better, I was tired and I was tired of doing the obligatory tourist thing. I couldn't bear the idea of packing up my stuff again, checking out of another hostel, finding another train, checking into another hostel, and then being a tourist in another city.
After the show I wandered over to the Lion King and then wandered around trying to find something to eat. Then finally it was time for the show. I think it probably had something to do with my mood and the fact that I was standing up the very back, but I wasn't very impressed. I had high expectations, because so many people had told me how amazing this show was supposed to be. Well, first of all it was like they'd picked up some chav kid off the street, stuck him in a lion's costume and taught him to recite some lines. He literally just said the words like it was some dumb school play, and his accent was so off-putting. Someone teach this kid some diction please. The stupid kid was so distracting that it made the whole first act seem tacky and like a play for children. The second act was better, mainly because there were no children in it and I could do that whole suspend disbelief thing you're supposed to do in the theatre. Seriously, I have seen some amazing children act in professional musicals, one example is Gavroche in Les Miz the night before. His death scene was the one that made me cry the most, it was so heartbreaking. There are so many talented children around, there really isn't any excuse for The Lion King to hire some stupid kid they picked up at a dance school.
Anyway, on that note I went back to my hostel and fell into bed again. I needed to be up at 5am to collect my things and check out so I could get to King's Cross in time to check in for the Eurostar to Paris. Yuck.
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