As we waved goodbye to 2011, I also bid farewell to my life in the UK. It has been a great one and it also allowed me the chance to see and revisit so many musicals -- 45 musical performances in total with 3 concerts and 1 ballet performance -- a new record for me indeed!
In 2011 alone, I saw 31 musical performances (27 shows) which is also quite a lot for me and if you haven't been reading my blog on what I thought about these performances, here is a quick rundown on how I felt about each performance.
January 1, The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty's, London
"A perfect new year treat for myself with John Owen-Jones as The Phantom. The show was still as wonderful as when I first saw it and the chandelier crash was still impressive as ever!"
March 5, Billy Elliot: The Musical, Victoria Palace, London
"What a show! Josh Baker and Connor Kelly was a brilliant Billy and Michael. Brought tears to my eyes though was still a bit confused with the Newcastle accent and the political content behind the story"
March 23, Joseph..., Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Brought a bunch of my friends to see it. Not the best night out, I'm afraid. The ensemble was slightly weak and Keith Jack wasn't the best Joseph."
April 7, Catch Me If You Can, Neil Simon, Broadway
"It's always great to be back on Broadway and this was the first show I saw on the trip. The cast was brilliant though I found the music and the story presentation a bit dragging. Norbert Leo Butz totally deserved his Tony and I was sad that Aaron Tveit wasn't even nominated."
April 8, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark 1.0, Foxwoods, Broadway
"The most controversial music of the season. Highly entertaining though the show obviously suffered a lot from weak and unclear plot. The flying was very exciting and the production design was very impressive."
April 9, Company, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, Broadway
"Star-studded event of the year. Neil Patrick Harris was an amazing Bobby and the show was wonderful."
April 9, La Cage aux Folles, Longacre, Broadway
"Was excited to have seen it before it closed with 2 amazing leading men, Christopher Sieber and Harvey Fierstein. Funny and moving show, though dare I say that I enjoyed the Thai version I saw last year a tiny bit more."
April 10, Mary Poppins, New Amsterdam, Broadway
"Again, what an amazing cast with the original Broadway Mary Poppins (Ashley Brown) and Bert (Gavin Lee) back together again. Magical show ruined by poor seating on the very last row in the balcony and the crying of so many children around me."
April 10, American Idiot, St. James, Broadway
"My first lottery win on Broadway, should have put 2 seats instead of 1. Van Hughes and Billie Joe Armstrong was amazing. Seeing the show from the very first row was such an exciting experience. The show was so powerful and energetic and I got to shake hand with Billie Joe during curtain call!"
April 27, The Lion King, Lyceum, London
"A revisit to one of my favourite shows. Took my girlfriend along and we enjoyed every bit of it except for a very poor Simba (Waylon Jacob). Surprised that the show was downscaled in many parts."
May 2, Ghost: The Musical, Opera House, Manchester
"World premiere of the show. Stage effects were one of the most impressive I've seen. The female leads were very strong and Sharon D. Clarke totally stole the show."
June 7, The Sound of Music, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"One of the many lineups for this year's summer musical in Leeds. Amazing show and Verity Rushworth was a wonderful Maria. The children were darling but the Captain (Jason Donovan) was plain awful."
June 22, The Wizard of Oz, London Palladium, London
"Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest show. Got a day seat for 25 pounds. Not too impressed but not a bad show. Felt quite bored at times. Was expecting a bit more from Michael Crawford but Danielle Hope was great and Toto was the true star of the show."
June 30, Footloose, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Not expecting much from the show but had one of the best times in the theatre. Cheesy plot but the songs and dances were amazing."
July 10, Shrek: The Musical, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London
"Wanting to love the show but was very disappointed. Shrek couldn't sing. Donkey couldn't sing and wasn't very funny. Princess Fiona couldn't sing but could tap dance. Ensemble were very annoying. The only thing that saved the show was Lord Farquaad who was hilarious in everything he did."
July 12, Evita, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Wonderful performance of the show, slightly better than the one I saw in Salford the year before. Abigail Jaye was a great Evita and it was great to see Earl Carpenter live."
July 20, Blood Brothers, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Absolutely amazing and moving. Niki Evans was a great Mrs. Johnstone and Sean Jones was an amazing Mickey. The ending was so powerful and moved me to tears. A truely beautiful piece of theatre."
July 27, Jekyll & Hyde, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Absolutely dreadful. Marti Pellow couldn't act or sing and the ensemble was plain horrible. The show was an absolute mess."
September 29, Sister Act: The Musical, Opera House, Manchester
"Fantastically funny show. Cynthia Erivo simply shone as Deloris while Denise Black seemed to be struggling with the singing part of the role. The nuns were simply hilarious."
October 2, Phantom 25, Royal Albert Hall, London
"An amazing event to be a part of. Shelled out 85 pounds and it was worth every pence! The production design were beautiful though the projection refused to work in act one. Sierra Boggess was a great Christine and Wendy Ferguson stepped in as Carlotta and did a perfect job. The opportunity to see Sarah Brightman alongside Colm Wilkinson, Anthony Warlow and John Owen-Jones was precious."
October 18, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Opera House, Manchester
"Got a small group of friends with me on this one and it was a fun night out. Not as good as the West End production but this touring production definitely maintained its charms.. Snap, snap!"
October 19, The Lion King, Lyceum, London
"Since we enjoyed the first time so much, my girlfriend and I came back to it but too bad we got the same Simba and some of the cast this time weren't as good so was a bit let down."
October 25, South Pacific, Palace, Manchester
"A breathtaking production with a stellar cast. Disappointed that Paulo Szot didn't play Manchester but the cast here didn't disappoint at all. Enjoyed it a lot though it proved to me that Rodgers and Hammerstein's weren't really my thing."
November 2, We Will Rock You, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"First time seeing the show in its full form, enjoyed the music a lot but the acting and the book was simply disappointing."
November 24, Annie, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
"One of the cutest things I've seen. The production design was very impressive and it utilized the theatre well. The children cast was very talented and charming."
November 28, The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty's, London
"A revisit, this time with another 3 friends and we all enjoyed the show so much. Probably one of the best casting of the show though Katie Hall was a bit weaker than the other Christines I've seen. John Owen-Jones and Wendy Ferguson's performances were well worth the ticket price!"
November 29, Matilda: The Musical, Cambridge, London
"The theatre was cute and beautifully designed. The children were amazing and the production design of the show was very impressive. The music was fun though I was hoping for a bit more from the book."
November 30, Wicked, Apollo Victoria, London
"Got the day seat for 27.50 pounds in the very first row and had an absolute blast. The show was very magical and I liked it a lot more than when I saw it in San Francisco."
December 13, Ghost: The Musical, Piccadilly, London
"Took my parents and brother along to this one on my graduation week. A very identical show to what I saw in Manchester back in May but the smaller space made the show even more impressive. Too bad Sharon wasn't at this performance but her understudy did her justice."
December 21, Les Miserables, Queen's, London
"An amazing production that reminded me why I loved this show so much. Flawless in every way. The cast was even better than the one I saw the year before with my brother except for Eponine."
December 29, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Palace, London
"Glad that I got to see it before it closed. Partly entertained but a bit more on the disappointing side as I was hoping for a lot more. Oliver Thornton was the star."
I missed the UK already... :(
In 2011 alone, I saw 31 musical performances (27 shows) which is also quite a lot for me and if you haven't been reading my blog on what I thought about these performances, here is a quick rundown on how I felt about each performance.
"A perfect new year treat for myself with John Owen-Jones as The Phantom. The show was still as wonderful as when I first saw it and the chandelier crash was still impressive as ever!"
March 5, Billy Elliot: The Musical, Victoria Palace, London
"What a show! Josh Baker and Connor Kelly was a brilliant Billy and Michael. Brought tears to my eyes though was still a bit confused with the Newcastle accent and the political content behind the story"
March 23, Joseph..., Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Brought a bunch of my friends to see it. Not the best night out, I'm afraid. The ensemble was slightly weak and Keith Jack wasn't the best Joseph."
April 7, Catch Me If You Can, Neil Simon, Broadway
"It's always great to be back on Broadway and this was the first show I saw on the trip. The cast was brilliant though I found the music and the story presentation a bit dragging. Norbert Leo Butz totally deserved his Tony and I was sad that Aaron Tveit wasn't even nominated."
April 8, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark 1.0, Foxwoods, Broadway
"The most controversial music of the season. Highly entertaining though the show obviously suffered a lot from weak and unclear plot. The flying was very exciting and the production design was very impressive."
April 9, Company, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, Broadway
"Star-studded event of the year. Neil Patrick Harris was an amazing Bobby and the show was wonderful."
April 9, La Cage aux Folles, Longacre, Broadway
"Was excited to have seen it before it closed with 2 amazing leading men, Christopher Sieber and Harvey Fierstein. Funny and moving show, though dare I say that I enjoyed the Thai version I saw last year a tiny bit more."
April 10, Mary Poppins, New Amsterdam, Broadway
"Again, what an amazing cast with the original Broadway Mary Poppins (Ashley Brown) and Bert (Gavin Lee) back together again. Magical show ruined by poor seating on the very last row in the balcony and the crying of so many children around me."
April 10, American Idiot, St. James, Broadway
"My first lottery win on Broadway, should have put 2 seats instead of 1. Van Hughes and Billie Joe Armstrong was amazing. Seeing the show from the very first row was such an exciting experience. The show was so powerful and energetic and I got to shake hand with Billie Joe during curtain call!"
April 27, The Lion King, Lyceum, London
"A revisit to one of my favourite shows. Took my girlfriend along and we enjoyed every bit of it except for a very poor Simba (Waylon Jacob). Surprised that the show was downscaled in many parts."
May 2, Ghost: The Musical, Opera House, Manchester
"World premiere of the show. Stage effects were one of the most impressive I've seen. The female leads were very strong and Sharon D. Clarke totally stole the show."
June 7, The Sound of Music, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"One of the many lineups for this year's summer musical in Leeds. Amazing show and Verity Rushworth was a wonderful Maria. The children were darling but the Captain (Jason Donovan) was plain awful."
June 22, The Wizard of Oz, London Palladium, London
"Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest show. Got a day seat for 25 pounds. Not too impressed but not a bad show. Felt quite bored at times. Was expecting a bit more from Michael Crawford but Danielle Hope was great and Toto was the true star of the show."
June 30, Footloose, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Not expecting much from the show but had one of the best times in the theatre. Cheesy plot but the songs and dances were amazing."
July 10, Shrek: The Musical, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London
"Wanting to love the show but was very disappointed. Shrek couldn't sing. Donkey couldn't sing and wasn't very funny. Princess Fiona couldn't sing but could tap dance. Ensemble were very annoying. The only thing that saved the show was Lord Farquaad who was hilarious in everything he did."
July 12, Evita, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Wonderful performance of the show, slightly better than the one I saw in Salford the year before. Abigail Jaye was a great Evita and it was great to see Earl Carpenter live."
July 20, Blood Brothers, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Absolutely amazing and moving. Niki Evans was a great Mrs. Johnstone and Sean Jones was an amazing Mickey. The ending was so powerful and moved me to tears. A truely beautiful piece of theatre."
July 27, Jekyll & Hyde, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"Absolutely dreadful. Marti Pellow couldn't act or sing and the ensemble was plain horrible. The show was an absolute mess."
September 29, Sister Act: The Musical, Opera House, Manchester
"Fantastically funny show. Cynthia Erivo simply shone as Deloris while Denise Black seemed to be struggling with the singing part of the role. The nuns were simply hilarious."
October 2, Phantom 25, Royal Albert Hall, London
"An amazing event to be a part of. Shelled out 85 pounds and it was worth every pence! The production design were beautiful though the projection refused to work in act one. Sierra Boggess was a great Christine and Wendy Ferguson stepped in as Carlotta and did a perfect job. The opportunity to see Sarah Brightman alongside Colm Wilkinson, Anthony Warlow and John Owen-Jones was precious."
October 18, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Opera House, Manchester
"Got a small group of friends with me on this one and it was a fun night out. Not as good as the West End production but this touring production definitely maintained its charms.. Snap, snap!"
October 19, The Lion King, Lyceum, London
"Since we enjoyed the first time so much, my girlfriend and I came back to it but too bad we got the same Simba and some of the cast this time weren't as good so was a bit let down."
October 25, South Pacific, Palace, Manchester
"A breathtaking production with a stellar cast. Disappointed that Paulo Szot didn't play Manchester but the cast here didn't disappoint at all. Enjoyed it a lot though it proved to me that Rodgers and Hammerstein's weren't really my thing."
November 2, We Will Rock You, Grand Theatre, Leeds
"First time seeing the show in its full form, enjoyed the music a lot but the acting and the book was simply disappointing."
November 24, Annie, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
"One of the cutest things I've seen. The production design was very impressive and it utilized the theatre well. The children cast was very talented and charming."
November 28, The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty's, London
"A revisit, this time with another 3 friends and we all enjoyed the show so much. Probably one of the best casting of the show though Katie Hall was a bit weaker than the other Christines I've seen. John Owen-Jones and Wendy Ferguson's performances were well worth the ticket price!"
November 29, Matilda: The Musical, Cambridge, London
"The theatre was cute and beautifully designed. The children were amazing and the production design of the show was very impressive. The music was fun though I was hoping for a bit more from the book."
November 30, Wicked, Apollo Victoria, London
"Got the day seat for 27.50 pounds in the very first row and had an absolute blast. The show was very magical and I liked it a lot more than when I saw it in San Francisco."
December 13, Ghost: The Musical, Piccadilly, London
"Took my parents and brother along to this one on my graduation week. A very identical show to what I saw in Manchester back in May but the smaller space made the show even more impressive. Too bad Sharon wasn't at this performance but her understudy did her justice."
December 21, Les Miserables, Queen's, London
"An amazing production that reminded me why I loved this show so much. Flawless in every way. The cast was even better than the one I saw the year before with my brother except for Eponine."
December 29, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Palace, London
"Glad that I got to see it before it closed. Partly entertained but a bit more on the disappointing side as I was hoping for a lot more. Oliver Thornton was the star."
I missed the UK already... :(
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