I've now seen 'Avenue Q'...

5 times!

But I won't stop there. I have two months and 11 days left - definitely room for at least one more show.

The downside of the West End

In terms of entertainment, the West End is one of the best places in London. Full of excellent shows to suit just about everyone, even those adverse to anything mildly musical, it's a must-visit if you're in London.

But, alas, as with every aspect of life, the West End must change. A show is lucky if it survives even just a few months there, and apart from the usual Les Miserables/The Lion King/Phantom of the Opera et al., the line-up changes constantly.

I've grown used to these changes, especially as, despite my fondness of musicals, not every show is on my 'must-see' list. Yes, it would be nice to watch Hairspray, Mamma Mia or Legally Blonde, but I wouldn't centre a London trip around this pursuit. Besides, these musicals are all well-known (mainly because of their film versions), so - unless popularity dwindles - they don't seem to be going anywhere soon.

However, as you may be aware of, there's a particular musical that I have a real thing about: Avenue Q. Completely unconventional and full of unrestrained adult fun, it's not naturally adapted to the West End, but in the four and a half years that it's been there the show has seen unexpected and unprecedented success for a musical of its calibre. Few shows can boast such impressive popularity - let alone modern musicals that are hardly tailored to a typical family. Granted, it's perfect for my parents and I, but the perfect 2.3 children family may not appreciate songs such as 'The Internet is for Porn' and 'Everyone's a Little Bit Racist'.

But, sadly, it had to come to an end. Avenue Q recently posted its closing notice, scheduling its end for the 30th of October, with no plans to move to a new theatre. This is reminiscent of its last planned closing - the show originally decided to end last March, but its popularity resulted in an extension at a new location. However, this time it may actually be the end. The final end.

I plan to see the show at least twice more before it closes, especially as Sam and I tried to go last summer but it was cancelled. I'm going to buy the memorabilia, download the entire soundtrack and savour every last moment of my final visits.

Something that worsens the situation is the fact that my second favourite musical (a recent addition), Hair, will also close soon - on the 4th of September, after only a few months on the West End. I'd definitely like to see this again at least once more; maybe I could pack Hair and Avenue Q into one trip! Gari Davies (whose blog I'm a fan of) has an excellent review of Hair here if anyone's interested.

I suppose when I considered what I like so much about both musicals, I realised that it wasn't just the catchy songs or the constant laughs - it's the fact that both make you think, and are still incredibly relevant and important today (despite the fact that one's set in the sixties!)

Perhaps I should be used to the harshness of London by now, but losing your favourite musicals is still difficult.

Update 1 - London

I was in London with my father from the 11th to the 13th. In the end, due to a lack of motivation and energy, poor time management and me being sick (I think it was the bi bim bap that I'd eaten earlier), we didn't actually get a lot done.

However, I saw the Skin exhibition at the Wellcome Museum, which was really enjoyable and quite fascinating; I discovered another great restaurant, Giraffe; we went on a speed boat along the River Thames, and of course that was a lot of fun; I finally saw Harrods, and absolutely hated it (never, ever again - I don't like pretension, as we all know).

Oh, and you can't visit London without seeing a show, so we watched Hair, and it was so good (maybe that's a wanton use of italics, but the 'so' needed to be emphasised). Definitely the best musical I've seen since Avenue Q, and I'm tempted to see it again (much like with Avenue Q). So, all in all, the three days in London weren't as packed as they could have been, and the trip was more eventful than I'd expected it would be, but seeing a great musical made it all worth it.

On a final note, I visited 6 coffee shops in three days (three of which were on the last day), and three M&Ss in that time, too. Quite impressive, I'd say.

Music and miscellaneous...ities

I love this song at the moment. Probably always. Particularly the steel drums. It's incredibly hedonistic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-wIvsZBFhQ

Originally I heard the song on the radio through the wall separating my bedroom and the office. I vividly remembered hearing the phrase 'Shock shock horror horror' and thankfully through that I found it.

Generally, I don't like 'old' music much. That previous song, from the 90s, is about as far back as it extends. Except for this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjsh2j7W6Bo

Today, just as I was savouring my ability to stay in bed at 9.30 am, my mum came into my room with a phonecall from my drama teacher. I'd signed up to help with a drama summer school for Gifted and Talented children and she needed my help today and tomorrow. I agreed and promptly got ready and rushed to my school, hair still rather wet. Thankfully, a friend from my drama class, Amber, was also there so I wasn't completely swamped by children aged between 10 and 13.

It was strange feeling different and having authority, but good. Everyone thought we were some kind of drama professionals... That is until I fulfilled my childhood dream of rolling down the sloping purple corridor at school.

I think we did help the performers with their pieces. I could tell they already had a lot of potential and will be good in further drama opportunities. One girl in particular, Bethany, seemed mature beyond her years and very independent. She knew hor to lead her group, however there were a few arguments when she was accused of being bossy.

It's their performance tomorrow and Amber and I may have to take some parts in it but that's fine. We're working on a Sci-fi voiceover thing so I better go and devise that now.

Avenue Q is on the radio :D

Avenue Q is my favourite musical ever (and I do love a lot of musicals) and it's on the radio right now! It's also the funniest musical I've ever seen, and having watched it 4 times I still plan to see it at least another two times in London. Have a look :) http://www.avenueqthemusical.co.uk/

Hence, I'm listening to the radio (which is a rare occurrence for me). Julie Atherton and Daniel Boys, both stars of the musical, are being interviewed and are each singing a song from the show at the moment. It's the first time I've heard Julie Atherton speaking out of character and it's quite strange as I didn't imagine her sounding like she does at all. I would call her accent quite a Yorkshire one, but the tone of her voice is very similar to that of Kate Monster's (one of the characters that she plays in the musical).

In other news, I have a follower! That's Hershi, so now we have a follower each. It means quite a lot that she reads my blog, and I have the honour of being the first follower of her blog too! It's working out well.