Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at The Palace Theatre London

About the show: 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a British two-part stage play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by Thorne, J. K. Rowling and John Tiffany. Previews of the play began at the Palace Theatre, London on 7 June 2016, and it premiered on 30 July 2016.

The play opened on Broadway on 22 April 2018 at the Lyric Theatre, with previews starting on 16 March 2018. Its cast is similar to that of the first year on West End, with returning actors Anthony Boyle, Sam Clemmett, Noma Dumezweni, Poppy Miller, Jamie Parker, Alex Price, and Paul Thornley.

The story begins nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and follows Harry Potter, now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his younger son Albus Severus Potter, who is about to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

At the 2017 Laurence Olivier Awards, the London production received a record-breaking eleven nominations and won an again record-breaking nine awards, including Best New Play, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Director. At the 2018 Tony Awards, the Broadway production won six awards, including Best Play. The play also set the record for highest all-time weekly ticket sales of any play after grossing over $2.5 million at the Lyric Theater for the week ending on December 30, 2018. 

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Cursed_Child

My opinion: 

I've wanted to see this play ever since it came out! In the beginning it was hard to get tickets and you really had to plan ahead. After going to London in February and passing the Palace Theatre several times, I just looked at tickets for April (my next holidays). When I saw there were tickets available, I started planning a whole Harry Potter inspired trip and booked tickets. 

FINALLY!!!!! I was so excited! 

Wednesday, April 17 was the day. Before going into the theatre, I took a few pictures outside and then headed for the line to get in, you have to wait a bit, but the line is constantly moving. When you get in the first thing you see is the "gift shop". They have lots of merchandise and souvenirs, which is great. I took some time to look at them, but didn't buy anything yet. They have house related things, Cursed Child related, Hogwarts things and much more (no spoilers). I bought a program, looked at in the bar area and then took my seat. I almost started crying then already. The curtain was lifted already and there was the stage, ready for scene 1. 

When it actually started with the scene we all know (19 years later), I had some tears in my eyes. It was such a special moment and I think I just couldn't believe actually being in the theatre and seeing the play. I have read the play twice, so I was very familiar with the story. The great thing though, is that I always discover new details and now I also had live pictures with actual actors. It made it so much more real, lively and exciting. I really liked what they did with all the scene changes (there were so many). The actors moved things around, but they always swinged their cloaks first and some were just moving. When they lifed something they kind of did it slow motion and things appeared to be flying in the air. They used stairs and moved them around and omg the time turing! The time turner was flying, the clocks turned backwards and then they had this special effect of everything getting blurry and wavey (like being underwater) and with the sound, it was awesome!!! There were also scenes, which were added by music and choreography, that added a more magical touch to it and now let me talk about all these special effects and the magic on stage. It's incredible!!! I don't know how they did all these things, but it was really impressive. There were sparks, floating objects, flames, sometimes people vanished or transformed, it's amazing!!!!

The acting was spot in as well. I think the roles were reall well cast, especially Ron, Harry and Albus Potter, but also Snape, McGonagall, Draco Malfoy, Hermione, Ginny, Delphi Diggory and Moaning Myrtle. You might realise that I haven't mentioned one important character yet: Scorpius Malfoy. It may be that his role is supposed to be that way (then he did a great job), but for me it was a bit too much and overacted. I kind of had a different picture of his character, so that was a bit confusing to me. There were so many funny scenes and LOL moments, as well as emotional and touching scenes. The feelings came across really well. Some actors played several roles, which is very impressive too.
The first part ended with a big wow and just made me more excited for part two. It never felt boring or long, because the storyline just moved along wonderfully. 

Before the second part started I bought some souvenir and merchandise, I had time to think in the break, what to actually get. A must for me was the music, it's beautiful, a great mixture and the individual tracks fitted the scenes perfectly. I can't wait to listen to them again. 

I feel like there is so much more to say about the play, but I'm still overwhelmed. I can't pick a favourite part or scenes, there were so many memorable ones. I had tears in my eyes several times, but the scene, where Harry and all the other characters have to watch his parents die, is heart-breaking. 

The announcements before each part and after the intervalls were very creative and magical. Each time a character was talking, including the way they speak and their personality, especially Umbridge was great, they also included words like muggles, just fab! 

A must see for all  Harry Potter fans, I really want this to become a movie as well and maybe hear about Albus' and Scorpius' future. 

Musical Review - Fiddler on the Roof

About the show: 

Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Dairyman) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon the family's lives. He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters, who wish to marry for love – each one's choice of a husband moves further away from the customs of their Jewish faith and heritage – and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.

The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. Fiddler held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. It remains the seventeenth longest-running show in Broadway history. The production was extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed. It won nine Tony Awards, including best musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned five Broadway revivals and a highly successful 1971 film adaptation and has enjoyed enduring international popularity. It has also been a popular choice for school and community productions.

My opinion: 

When we were in London in February, we didn't have time to go see this show. It was playing at The Menier Chocolate Factory and because it was so popular they extended the running and moved it to the Playhouse Theatre. I grabbed the chance and booked my ticket. 

I absolutely loved this show!!! I don't even know, where to start with this review. It's the story of a Jewish family and their whole village. Tevye And Golde have five daughters and it's time for them to get married. Of course, they get matched with someone, that's tradition. However, the daughters are about to break the tradition. Tzeitel is in love with Motel, her childhood friend. They have never told her parents, so her dad promises her to someone else, someone much older. The shock is big when they finally reveal the truth, but Tevye agrees and comes up with a funny dream to explain everything to his wife. Well, the second daughter Hodel falls in love with their teacher Perchik, a poor student from Kiev. They managed to convince the dad about their love. Hodel then goes after Perchik. And they live away from the family. Chava is the third daughter and she, unfortunately, falls in love with Fyedka, a Christian. She then runs away and eventually the whole village is expelled by the Russians. And they have to leave. 

The acting was on point from the whole cast, they really transmitted the feelings and got into their roles. It was real and authentic. I really liked the three daughters played by Molly Osborne, Harriet Bunton and Nicola Brown), their voices were beautiful and their acting was brilliant. Andy Nyman, who played the dad was absolutely phenomenal, great voice, fab actor! I didn't really like Tania Newton, who played his wife, it was the understudy and her voice seemed shaky and not secure. Then we have the men, mainly Stewart Clarke and Matthew Hawksley (Perchkin and Fyedka), they were great! I might have fallen in love with them a little bit myself ;). I actually saw both Andy Nyman and Stewart Clarke in Assassins four years ago, so that was fab.
The company scenes were fantastic, very well staged and the choreography was very effective. I also liked what they did with the stage and the scenery, it's the perfect theatre for this show. 

A very special thing was also the cast being on stage and interacting before the show even started. 
I wouldn't recommend sitting in the first row, maybe start with the forth, and the seats were really tight and not a lot of space for the legs. 

Of course, this is still a must-see show in the West End, I would definitely go and see it again. 

Kinky Boots - the West End Musical

About the show:

Kinky Boots is a Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Tony, Emmy and Grammy-

winner Cyndi Lauper and a book by Tony-winner Harvey Fierstein. Based on the 2005 film Kinky Boots by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, which was inspired by true events, the musical tells the story of Charlie Price, who inherits a shoe factory from his father. To save the business, Charlie forms an unlikely partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen, Lola. With Lola's help, Charlie develops a plan to produce a line of high-heeled boots. In the process, he and Lola discover that they are not so different after all.

Following the show's conception in 2006, the creative team was assembled by 2010. The original production of Kinky Bootspremiered at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago in October 2012, with both direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell, and starring Stark Sands and Billy Porter as Charlie and Lola, respectively. It made its Broadway debut at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 4, 2013 following previews that began on March 3, 2013. The musical began its US tour in 2014.

Having been less well received by theatre critics and at the box office, initially, than another 2013 Broadway production, Matilda the Musical, Kinky Boots entered the 2013 awards season as an underdog. However, less than a month after opening, Kinky Boots surpassed this rival with audiences in weekly box office gross and later enjoyed a post-Tony boost in advance sales. The production earned a season-high 13 nominations and 6 Tony wins, including Best Musical and Best Score for Lauper in her first outing as a Broadway songwriter, making her the first woman to win alone in that category. The musical's cast album premiered at number one on the Billboard Cast Albums Chart and number fifty-one on the Billboard 200 chart.

Find out more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinky_Boots_(musical)

My opinion: 

London without a musical doesn't work for me. Last time I was here I went to see both shows by myself, this time I had Paris and Rachel join me. We went for kinky boots and not Book of Mormon in the end, which for me was definitely the right decision.

I watched the trailer only and Already really liked the music. On stage it was even more amazing! Awesome songs, great singing, fab dancing and some pretty damn amazing actors on stage. The show is sparkly, fun and so very gripping.

It's about Charlie, who has to take over has dad's shoe factory. If he doesn't have a glorious idea, he has to shut the factory and fire everyone. These people depend on their job though. Then he meets Lola and gets the idea of designing a fancy boot for men (drag queens) to wear. lola helps him and they build up a friendship. There are a lot of lessons to be learned in the story and the drama is definitely there. It is all beautifully made into a storyline with charm, music, dance and just so much enegry, passionand power.

It's pretty impressive how the men danceo these high heels and the way they move. Matt Henry playing Lola did a fantastic job, the role is perfect for him. He is a great singer, dancer and actor and he did a great job switching the emotions. Also the guy playing Charlie (Killian Donnelly) was great. I really liked Amy Lennox, who played Lauren, she was funny, entertaining and just great to follow around. That lady is really talented. There were also two boys included, they didn't have that much to do, but they were just adorable and it's amazing how talented they are.

Kinky Boots is so much fun. The music, the choreography and just the whole atmosphere take you right into the story and I barley couldn't sit still, it made my wanna join them on stage.

Fabulous, sparkly!!!