The Unnecessary Song.....

I have a confession to make......
To those of you who know me well this will come as no surprise but I LOVE Musicals. I love everything about them, the start when "they" (the beautiful people) set the scene in a tornado of music and lighting. I love the buzz of excitement during the interval, the big finish and the bow from the cast as they soak up the appreciation from the audience (while I cry).

My friends find it highly amusing that I cry at musical theatre, but I get so swept away with it all and if truth be told I wish it was me up there....

Recently I went to visit a friend in London who shares my love of (as another friend puts it) "The unnecessary song". I stayed in London for a few days and before I knew it we commenced a musical marathon...

First came "Wicked" The untold story of the Witches of Oz" A must see for all the family. An amazing cast who are both funny and talented, a story of true friendship...Well worth the £22 for a West End ticket!

Next came Les Miserables....A true Andrew Lloyd Webber classic.

A spontaneous choice as we were supposed to get facials that day but instead ended up in Leicester Square ticket booth flirting with the poor guy sat behind the counter. I have to tell you if you are planning a trip to the West End..shop around, we got tickets for £22 when our first price was £70 and our seats were great! When I say Les Mis is a classic. I do not lie! With its fantastic arrangement and its legendary songs like "I dreamed a dream" made famous by Susan Boyle. I was in musical haven. It is the tail of a man trying to keep a promise to a dying lady in the back drop of the French Revolution. A musical masterpiece!

Finally came "Love Never Dies" the latest offering from the Great Lloyd Webber. The sequel to the great "Phantom of the Opera" set 10 years on from the original in New York and if a dare to be controversial..a somewhat poor relation to the first. Despite the two title songs and the great voices of the cast. The story for me, doesn't hold much credence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/mar/10/love-never-dies-reviews-reviewed

To be fair I'm pretty hard to please as Phantom holds a very special place in my heart being the first musical I ever watched. So when I try to write objectively about Love Never Dies, I fail miserably and here is why....

When I watched "The Phantom of the Opera" I was 10 years old. It was at the Manchester Opera House, my Mum and Nana had decided to take my older sister and I as a treat. I remember vividly being to small to see the stage and sitting on a booster seat. As the lights went down and the music boomed around the theatre, I was mesmerised and hooked for life!

Then came the final scene. I tried so hard not to cry, I felt the burn as the lump in my throat tried to flight its way out. Then suddenly I wailed like the child I was....The whole theatre seemed to turn to stare at me. I was so embarrassed and hid my red face on my mum's lap, but the women just smiled at me with understanding.....I was allowed to cry they were not. From that day on a became a "Musical Junkie" and yes I can still sing you all the words!.......