I’m not sure how you feel after watching a brilliant play, musical or musical performance. I am always left utterly mesmerised and singing or humming the entire repertoire for days on end.
Last weekend, we decided to watch (as you might have gathered from the title), the Phantom of the Opera!! It is my third time watching it but I don’t think it really counts until you experience a musical close enough to properly appreciate it. Previous two times I was far enough that I had to do a stupid amount of squinting and borrowing of binoculars to view the performance properly, and this time though, I was in the FOURTH ROW. The FOURTH ROW! We paid full price for the tickets and it was freaking worth every penny.
I know this entire post is dedicated to talking about how amazing the Phantom of the Opera is, but really, it definitely really is the best musical out there and I love it so much. I’d give it a 11 out of 10 if I could. I’m so pleased Kevin feels the same way about it. There is a reason why it is has been running for 31 glorious years – it is the longest running musical there is. I love absolutely everything about it, the brilliant singing and operatic highlights, the humour, the raw emotion of all the characters, the wonderful stage set up, the special effects, the rich details of the costumes and entire setting. It is an incredible show, and it absolutely cannot be faulted. The entire cast was brilliant, and Ben Lewis played such a brilliant Phantom. THANK YOU SO MUCH to all who makes it such a brilliant show, and to carry this wonderful musical legacy onwards! :’)
Have you watched the Phantom of the Opera before, and if so, who is your favourite cast member? Who is your favourite Phantom or Christine? And if you HAD to pick one (an impossible task for me), which is your favourite song?
Dreamgirls. Thames Rockets. Staybridge Suites. Duck and Waffle. I can’t believe the weekend is over. And yes, I literally say that very same sentence every single week. I’m really glad me and Kevin took the plunge and decided to move down from Scotland to nearish London. We’re literally able to visit whenever we like, get in with the London lifestyle, and still get the novelty of being able to feel like tourists every single time. We’re far enough to be away from the chaos of it all, yet close enough to easily return to where all the fun happens.
Anyway, last weekend we tried to use a few of my prizes together again on another visit to London. If you haven’t gathered yet, I enter competitions as a hobby. Effort, photo, prize draws, you name it. It’s almost been a year anniversary since I’ve started and I’ve absolutely loved every bit of it. People tell me I’m so lucky all the time, and sometimes I want to rebuke and explain that it’s not all about luck and you do have to enter a lot to win anything, but you know what?! I’d like to think I’m pretty lucky. You could potentially enter thousands of competitions and STILL not win anything! Yeah, let’s just end it there. I am lucky! As the saying goes, you gotta be in it, to win it. I’m definitely in it.
So Saturday we train-ed down to London, and every now and then I enter on this fabulous app called Today Tix to see if we can watch a play / musical show that very day. We’ve tried before, and have won excellent seats to see The Entertainer (where actually the real highlight was meeting Rose Leslie from GoT in the theatre toilet, PS: still gutted I didn’t get a selfie but I wanted to be a classy and chill fan at that time) but since then, nothing. (Actually that’s not true, we were lucky in New York too, but that’s another story!) I got lucky, and we managed to bag ourselves £20 front row tickets to Dreamgirls!
Savoy TheatreNow I’m absolutely obsessed with musicals and have had this on my wish list for a while, so I was really pleased. Marisha Wallace has some incredibly vocals and gave an absolute stunning performance of Effie White. Hers and Liisi Lafontaine’s rendition of Listen really had me with a tear in my eye. The costumes were oh-so-fabulous, the vocal powerhouses were incredible, and the dancing was brilliant. I did think some of the singing was a little shouty for my ears though. (My Final Rating: 4/5) There was also an exciting interval where the second half of the musical was delayed because three pensioners somehow sneaked in and required security to escort them out!! (Well, it was what we heard through the grape vine anyway.)
Front Row, baby! Standing ovations all over!We had lunch at Shoryu as Kevin and I were craving ramen close by (Note: I have a life-long affair with tonkotsu and could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.) It reminded us that we can sometimes be pretty boring and we like to stick to what we like. Kanada-Ya, you still hold number one in our hearts.
Putting in this photo we look good here 😛
Tokotsu Ramen Shoryu
We then embarked on an awesome Thames adventure with the Thames Rockets. This really was a unique experience and was such fun! It was basically a speedboat tour of the great city of London from the Thames river with all the fun facts and hilarious quips, and none of the boring stuff! The tour guides are hilarious and sure know how to make sure you have a good time. Once past the big London Bridge, that was where the fun really started and we whizzed and rocketed in awesomely fast s-bends with fabulous music pumping in the background. It was pretty much a a water rollercoaster in the middle of London! Kudos to whoever picked the music too that included 007 theme songs, boat/pirate/river related songs and some of the more modern summer hits. We also had some rum cocktails in classic red cups on the way back too!
I found it really romantic pointing out the gorgeous sights from the Thames River and being on a super cool speed boat at the golden hour and peak of dawn, it sure was lovely cuddling up with the other half as we enjoyed the view. We got to see the gorgeous glow of the city of London transit into night and experience the capital in all it’s evening glory.
Now it has been so long that I honestly don’t remember who exactly I won this with. I think it might be Thames Rockets?! I just remember it took AGES for me to be contacted about this and then an email finally popped up saying that they’ve finally sorted out the voucher for the experience. Anyway, thank you Thames Rockets for the wonderful experience! Here are some of the photos from the evening.
With the Tower Bridge in the background
Whee! Under the Waterloo Bridge Cheers to this Thames Rockets Tower Bridge at DuskWe finally cashed in our one night stay prize with Staybridge Suites at Stratford. These are apartment-styled rooms right in the heart of the Westfield Stratford City shopping and leisure complex. It literally had everything you need, an entire kitchen, and also a phone called Handy you can borrow during your stay! The service was excellent and staff were so friendly and helpful. Also you get an amazing breakfast where it even has a pancake making machine, a bread station and all that enchilada.
Our Deluxe Suite Salle de bain Breakfast Hub
Special mention to the pancake making machine!
And literally all the juices and breakfast milks you could want
Hello Staybridge Suites!
Westfield Stratford at our feet
Free phone to use!
Weather was crappy, but the view was lovely!
Thumbs up to the awesome place!
We had a good nights rest, were contented with breakfast, and we were absolutely refreshed and ready for …. SHOPPING the next day! Thanks for our wonderful stay, Staybridge Suites – we shall be back.
Fast forward and following some £££ spent – we had our dinner at London’s highest 24/7 restaurant, Duck and Waffle. This place gets completely booked months in advance, but you can always call up at short notice to ask if there are any cancellations – which is how we managed to get a place for dinner! This is my third time there but Kevin’s first. To start, we had the ‘Nduja Seared Octopus and Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut. Both were very unique and to be honest, the ox cheek doughnut was too confusing and our taste buds couldn’t wrap it’s little head around it.
To startWe both had the duck and waffle for our mains – exactly as it’s stated – über crispy duck leg, yummy mustard honey, fluffy waffles and a sunny side up duck egg!
The infamous duck and waffle
Mandatory wefieDecent food and drinks, but definitely overpriced – a given when you get this kind of wonderful view.
Sunset The GherkinTill next time London, you’ve been good to us.
The Happy Project(s) 
