As Spring is springing and we get closer to a return to a slightly more normal way of life, there’s finally a light at the end of this very long tunnel we seem to have been stuck in for a little eternity. There’s finally some hope on the horizon and we should be able to go back to doing some of the things that we used to take for granted before all this.
Something I’m exceptionally excited about, and I know I’m not alone here, is the idea of being able to go to the theatre again. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the last year for those working in theatres being stuck in limbo, not knowing when they’ll be able to get back to work or even if their industry will still exist when they can get back. It’s been brutal, but I have faith that the industry will bounce back. Though we can watch recordings online, there’s still no actual substitute for an actual, in person visit to a theatre. There’s a reason London has its Theatreland, New York has Broadway, most towns have performance venues – people love the theatre! There’s something about going into a grand theatre, a building full of character, having a little drink in the bar in the interval, leafing through the programme, maybe even buying some souvenirs. It’s an experience. Theatre has existed in its various forms for an awful long time and has weathered worse crises than this. It will absolutely bounce back! We’re all looking for some experiences once we’re able, so it’ll happen.
I’ve been lucky enough to grow up with a passion for the arts, which I think came from early visits to the theatre as a child. I’ve got such fond memories of those visits, both to my locals theatre and to some West End shows. It was such an adventure! Even a decade or two ago, it was a more formal affair. People would dress to impress and turn up like they were going to the Oscars. I remember in our local theatre, the national anthem being played before a performance and the whole audience would stand and sing. It may sound odd now, but it was quite a spectacle. And, after a period of not going to the theatre for a couple of years, it seemed odd that there were people in casual wear and the national anthem wasn’t sung, as that was the way it had always been for me as a child.
There’s something more exciting about the theatre than going to the cinema, thought that has its charms too. It’s a much less passive viewing experience. For me, there’s also the wonder of how things work behind the scenes. You can’t fake anything in a theatre with CGI! I often find myself wondering how they did certain things in shows I’ve seen. For example, the recent revival of ‘Company’ which I was lucky enough to get tickets to during Patti Lupone’s run, I found myself transfixed by the sets and how they were all self contained boxes replicating whole rooms, subway cars or even nightclubs and they came from either side of the stage or from above or from the back, often with people in them. But where did they come from? How big was backstage? What where the mechanisms and the storage? I was fascinated by the logistics as much as I was by the show itself! Even now, my clearest memory of ‘Miss Saigon’ is the seemingly full sized helicopter descending from above. There’s something much more impressive about these things when they happen immediately in front of you!
There’s also that interaction, even on a subtle, barely noticeable level, that takes place between those on stage and an audience. Trust me, as a person used to being on stage, it’s real. It’s because I know how it feels from the stage that I’m more acutely aware of it while I’m sat in the audience. There’s a feeling with theatre that you just don’t get looking at a screen. The shared emotions, the connection with the cast, the sparkle of the costumes and the beautiful polished wood smell of an old theatre. It’s just sublime.
A good actor should make you feel almost like you’re the only audience member in the room, that connection simply can’t be replicated on screen. Plus, working on stage is so different to how it is working for the camera. There’s a totally different energy. There’s an instant feedback element that’s not there. There’s an extra pressure doing it all on stage, as there are no do-overs, no editing, if you mess up, it’s there and you have to think how to cover and carry on. There’s a lot more adaptability in live performance. I actually find working to a camera a lot more difficult than a live performance, because that fun, interactive energy isn’t there. Live performance has an adrenaline rush that you just don’t get in the same way anywhere else!
So, what am I excited to go and see when we can? What are my favourites? Well, I think the first on my list is yet another visit to ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ – If you haven’t seen this one, you definitely need to! It’s a relatively new show, only being out in the last three or four years, but I’ve already been to see it four times in London. It’s based on a true story of a sixteen year old schoolboy who wants to be a drag queen and has some family and school issues along the way. It’s a fantastic feel-good show with an amazing soundtrack (which I listen to quite often) and I’ve seen it while Michelle Visage was in it and also when Faye from Steps took over and Bianca Del Rio starred as Hugo/Loco. It’s got all the makings of a future classic and I could absolutely never get bored of it. There’s also a movie on the way this year, so we’ll see if that lives up to the stage show. Though, as I said earlier, there’s no substitute for a live theatre show!
I’ve always wanted to see ‘Phantom of the Opera’ in London, which I think is still on. There was a production on at our local theatre a few years ago, which rivalled anything I’ve seen in the West-End. I remember this absolute classic being staged perfectly, with opulent costumes, beautiful staging and all the musical numbers being perfect!
Another favourite is ‘The Bodyguard’ which is a stage adaptation of the movie of the same name. It’s so good, I can’t even be bothered with the film anymore and we’ve seen it twice, each during one of Beverley Knight’s stints in it. I’d go again, especially if she came back to reprise the role, as she brings her beautiful and distinctive vocals and fabulous energy to the role making it absolutely stunning! Bev can do no wrong for me.
My earliest memory of my first West-End show that I saw was Starlight Express. I can’t remember a huge amount of it, as I wa very young, but I do remember the thrill and excitement of seeing my first West-End show and that the cast are all on roller skates! The story is about trains, strangely, with an outdated steam engine called Rusty competing in a race against more modern engines to impress a first-class carriage called Pearl. Yes, it’s an odd sounding plot for a show, but I remember the amazing wheeled choreography as they zoomed around the theatre, sometimes on parts of stage that came out around the audience in their fabulous, train-themed and sometimes almost Mugler-esque costumes. It was absolutely spectacular!
Las Vegas is also one of the world’s great hubs for seeing shows, with almost every large hotel on The Strip hosting multiple shows in multiple performance spaces. Cirque Du Soleil are known for having a number of shows running continually in Vegas and I’ve had the great pleasure of ticking four of them off my list. Zumanity is their adult themed show at the New York, New York Hotel and boasts costumes designed by Thierry Mugler in a stunning theatre with a show themed on sex and sexuality, with some parts having a fabulous Burlesque feel, a rousing and sultry jazz influenced soundtrack and death defying acrobatics combined with some skin, some comedy, some stunts and even an aquatic routine in a giant cocktail glass! Unfortunately, Cirque Du Soleil recently announced after Lockdown the show won’t be returning and that they’re pleased with its seventeen year run. And who wouldn’t be? That’s a spectacular run for any show, though I wish I’d got to see it one more time.
There’s plenty of other Cirque shows in Vegas to take in, including Ka, which is a masterpiece from a musical, visual and production point of view with its touchscreen covered stage moving around at all angles on a giant arm and magnificent costumes telling an Asian fairytale with everything from archers out in the crowd to a pageant, a magical flying machine, dark villains, crazy slave-driven machinery, daring rescues and much more, this is a feast for the senses – you won’t believe what you’re seeing! I’ve been twice to this one and it doesn’t get any less impressive.
There’s plenty of other non-cirque shows to take in in Vegas too, so if you’re into a multitude of different shows to see, you’ll be spoiled for choice here!
As someone who enjoys both watching shows and starring in them, I can’t wait til the theatre starts to bounce back – which it absolutely will! The arts may have suffered terribly with the lockdowns and everything going on, but the whole industry is just poised in the wings to make a massive comeback. And it’s not just those on the stage who’ve been waiting. Theatre staff, production teams, costumiers, wig makers, lighting and technical folks, everyone connected with shows has been dying to get back to work, so expect a lot of joy when they do. I can imagine the atmosphere when things start to go back to normal will be absolutely electric!
So, what are your favourite shows? Have you got any enduring memories of things you’ve seen in the theatre? Any early memories? Perhaps, like me, you also love to tread the boards – Any memories there? And of course, what are you looking forward to seeing in a theatre when we can finally do that? Let us know in the comments and until next time, stay safe, stay sane and stay… Vidalicious!
