West End Live

The week is coming to a close and we work starts back up tomorrow. Of course, I am excited to go back to school, don't get me wrong. I am just a little under the weather, so I like to sleep. Reading the newspaper daily has turned about to be beneficial. I came across an article describing the London 2012 festival, which lasts over several weeks and has tons happening. The event that caught my eye was something called "West End Live." For those who don't know, the West End is the equivalent to Broadway. It's where all the shows happen. Basically, this two day event consisted of casts of the West End shows performing songs from their show. And it was free, so who wouldn't be interested int that? We were not able to go to the performances on Saturday, but there were still some great ones left for Sunday. We got there just as it started. There were massive crowds so we couldn't see the stage but thankfully they had giant television screens showing you the performance. Here's the line-up we saw:

• The Wizard of Oz
• Shrek the Musical
• Havana Rumba
• The Lion King
• Thriller Live
• Rock of Ages
• Billy Elliot
• Matilda

And they were great! I suppose I'll write a few notes on some of the favorites.

Dorothy only sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" so it wasn't spectacular. And I prefer the Wicked version of the story. Shrek was very cute, though Shrek himself did not make an appearance. Havana Rumba was kinda boring. They did five songs and it just kept going. So, I have no plans to see that. The Lion King. Thankfully, we are already seeing this show as apart of our class, so I'm excited about that. They guy playing big Simba today was wonderful, so that is something to look forward to. Thriller Live. Amy and mother pay attention. I don't know if it's the story of Michael Jackson's life or just a compilation of his songs, but the little bit we saw was great. The boy who played little Michael and sang "ABC" was too cute. That would be a great show to see. Rock of Ages! We are already highly considering going to see this one, and will most likely end up doing so. The performance today was great and they sang Journey and Bon Jovi, so we know all the songs. (Not to mention I've been listening to the soundtrack since April.) The boy who played Billy Elliot was adorable. This show interests me. I have listened to the soundtrack and wanted to see it in Atlanta but was never able to. I am intrigued by this show. Bu the actor, who is 13, was phenomenal. And he could dance! Maybe he went to the London equivalent of Abbey Lee Dance Studio. So, what are people's opinions of seeing this show? Send me a message!  Matilda. Personally, I don't like the story of Matilda and don't have an interest in seeing it, but the little actress was quite talented.

So that's my synopsis. This is a great event that the city puts on! Seriously. There were also people walking around getting you to sign up for contests to win tickets and such. I'll admit I entered one to win VIP tickets to see Les Miserable. (Don't worry mother, it was an official contest and not some random person.) I recently watched the trailer for the movie and the West End production and remembered how much I love that show! I keep remembering that I love all the shows. There were also people advertising upcoming shows, and they looked interesting, besides Hair. I have no interest in that. I support the theater so here's some free advertising.

• Little Women: We all know the story and have most likely read the book. But for tonight only, they have a performance of it, with big name people in it. Super tempting, but there is a football match on tonight. But maybe they are trying it out once and then maybe it will go big. Be on the lookout.
•  The In-Between: According to the flier, it's a new musical about a girl who goes into a door only to discover she is trapped between worlds. It's not playing currently, but you can listen to the album for free here. I'm sure I'll check it out soon.
• Love Never Dies: So, I already knew about this show, and I saw the filmed stage version. So this has nothing to do with London, kinda. Basically this is the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, and is also written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The film I saw was amazing. Apparently, it has been popular in England and the West End and is now moving to Broadway. So, if you will be in New York anytime soon, check it out. I recommend it.

We did not stay for the whole event, as it lasted six hours, but we saw the big name stuff. For lunch we went to Nando's, which I had wanted to go to since we arrived here. It's a Portuguese chicken restaurant, and it was so good. You basically pick a chicken dish, for example, a whole chicken, the breast, a wrap, etc. Then you pick how spicy you want it to be and then you get any additional spicy sauces you want. It was seriously delicious. I had the chicken burger with a mild lemon herb sauce on it and chips. I would definitely go back and they need these in America.

Our night ended with a trip to The Green Man pub to watch England play Italy. I tell you what, football is stressful. And football players are fine. I would gladly marry one. In a heartbeat. Jordan Henderson. He plays for England. Turned 22 on Sunday. Hi. How you doin? Back to the point of the blog. A few of us went to the pub for a drink and watched the game. Lindsay and I left at halftime (is that what it's called?) and finished the game at our flat. We have to get ready for work. A good number of students are Italy fans in my homeroom, so this will be interesting tomorrow.

So get this. In football, you gotta play for 90 minutes. That's a long time! And in the case of this game, you have 30 minutes overtime! I would literally pass out during the first thirty. And then you have to go to a penalty shootout! I don't even like sports, and I'm stressing out. Apparently, football (soccer) is the sport I like.

And after all that, England loses. I simply can't stand it.

Goodnight all.

Week Three: Day Seven: BLC 14