BWW Blog: Snagging the Cheap Seat - My West End Adventures

For the past two years I was living in France as part of my university degree, and during that time I was lucky enough to visit London a few times. I was able to see quite a few plays and musicals and met some stars that I never would have expected to meet during my trips. I thought I'd compile some of the highlights from each show I saw as not only a way for me to remember some pre-COVID times but to also give advice for theatregoers once the West End begins to reopen. So without further ado, let's jump right into it!

Everybody's Talking About Jamie - This is one of those shows that I had no idea about before arriving in London. I decided to try to get a day seat ticket after reading some good reviews on a few different sites. So the morning after I arrived in London I got to the theater at around 8 AM and waited 2 hours for a cheap ticket for that evening's performance. If I remember correctly it was around £20 for a front-row stalls seat, which ended up not being the best seat in the house as the stage was incredibly high! The show was still wonderful and I ended up going across the street to stagedoor Company where I saw Patti LuPone and met one of my favorite actors, George Blagden (I got to talk to him about us both playing Grantaire which was a wonderful moment).

Heathers - I ended up seeing this show entirely by chance! The day had been spent at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Watford so I only ended up getting into London around 30 minutes before most West End shows started. I decided to see if Heathers had any seats left and the staff member ended up giving me a super cheap ticket in the dress circle! Sometimes it pays to not plan ahead (actually only rarely, please do plan in advance for your sake and the sake of the staff members). The show was quite fun and I was glad that I was able to fit another show into my busy schedule!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - This two-part play was actually the reason I ended up going to London in October of 2018. I had been checking different ticket prices out of curiosity and noticed that there were £20 seats available. On Halloween. In London. Of course I was going to go! So for only £40 total I got to spend the day watching some incredible performances (I actually hated the script but seeing it on stage is truly magical, pun completely intended). Only a few months later I would end up interviewing one of the cast members for my university newspaper, bringing my Harry Potter London adventure full circle.

Matilda - £5 for a West End show. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But if you show up early to the box office for select Royal Shakespeare Company performances and have ID to prove that you're between the ages of 16 and 25, then you're eligible to get one of the cheapest seats in London! I'm not the biggest fan of the show but of course I was going to jump on the chance to see a professional show for such a low price. Matilda ended up being better than I expected and I had a great seat right on the aisle so I could beat the line for drinks at the interval.

Les Misérables - Out of all the shows I ended up seeing on the West End, this was definitely the one I looked forward to the most. Ever since I was in middle school I've been obsessed with Les Mis - I saw it on Broadway, read the "Brick" multiple times, and even performed in it for my high school senior musical. Seeing it on the original stage with the gorgeous turntable before it closed was an experience I'll never forget. The cast members were also super nice at stagedoor! I talked with Raymond Walsh about Grantaire's characterization for a good 10 minutes. An absolute wonderful night that ended with a 99p McFlurry.

Henry V - When I thought I was getting a great deal with a £5 ticket to see Matilda, I had no idea what I would be getting into a few months later at the Globe. For only £5, you can become a "groundling" and stand in the Globe's Yard, right up against the famed stage. I ended up standing with a college group visiting from the States and had a fantastic time talking with them during the interval! As a lover of Shakespeare, being able to experience one of his history plays while literally pressed up against the stage was an absolutely incredible experience worth so much more than £5.

Betrayal - I'm just going to admit this right at the beginning: I hated this show. The minimalist was strange and the script was difficult to follow. Why did I see it? Well, when else was I going to be able to see Tom Hiddleston perform for the cheap price of £10 (along with Charlie Cox and Zawe Ashton). There were some great moments, but overall it was a rough show to get through, but I honestly would've watched the three actors read off grocery lists - They were fantastic performers. Meeting Tom at stagedoor was such a lovely experience, he is very much the opposite of Loki!

Six - This was one of the few shows that I'd purchased tickets in advance for, and at full price (though £28 for front-row stall seats were not the worst). The day ended up being Tudor-themed as I took a trip out to Hampton Court Palace in Richmond to get fully immersed in the story of Henry VIII and his six wives. I ended up having the girls sign my palace ticket at stagedoor to get a more unique souvenir. The show itself was such a blast - It felt like a concert! I ended up having a unique experience in which Alexia McIntosh (Anna of Cleves) had me get up and dance during "Get Down" and Courtney Stapleton (Catherine Parr) took my phone on stage during the "Megasix" encore performance (phones are encouraged during this part, don't worry).

Soho Cinders - The only reason I saw this show was because one of my friends from Disneyland Paris insisted that I see it. It's a good thing they did because I ended up loving it! Millie O'Connell (who I'd seen in Six a few months prior) and Luke Bayer shined as Velcro and Robbie, and it was fun being in such a small theater. The setup was interesting with audience members being seated on opposite sides of the stage, and sometimes there would be loud rumbling noises from the Charing Cross train station above, making it a unique experience. The show wasn't my favorite but seeing it for only around £25 with a programme and champagne included was definitely worth it.

The Lion King - If you're going to get any advice for getting day seats on the West End from this article, the most important thing I can say is be prepared for the weather. I ended up sitting outside the theater for 4 hours in the cold October morning to secure day seats (The Lion King is notorious for large tourist groups showing up for cheap seats). Without planning ahead I would probably still be shivering to this day! I brought gloves, a hat, hand warmers, my portable charger, and my earbuds to help the time pass a little more comfortably. I ended up getting front row seats (and the usher's Instagram, but that's another story) for £20 and got to watch my friend experience the magic of the West End for the first time. What a wonderful time! The next day the same friend and I queued for a photography exhibit for 3 hours and ended up meeting Brian May. So yeah, long waits can be worth it.

Come From Away - This was another show that I'd already seen in the States but wanted to see on the West End. I was curious how British people would react to a show based on events in North America, especially with some of the specific references. Come From Away has always been close to my heart so it was a beautiful experience as usual, causing tears of laughter and joy. After the show I got "screeched in," becoming an honorary Newfoundlander by taking a shot of Screech and kissing a fake cod. To quote Diane, "Screech is delicious!"

Waitress - This was what I like to call a "drunk" show, meaning I wouldn't have gotten through it without some good hard cider. My friend and I decided to see it partly as a joke and partly because we lost the Book of Mormon lottery. We got cheap seats up in the back and watched chaos unfold for the next few hours. I like Sara Bareilles but the show is a mess with questionable characters and strange dialogue. My friend and I were also quite surprised to find out that a famous YouTuber, Joe Sugg, was in the show, which explained the number of young girls squealing every time he made an entrance. We tried to stagedoor after the show but the street was packed with hundreds (if not thousands) of Joe's fans so we just left and went back to our hostel.

Mary Poppins - To be quite honest, I don't have much to say about this show. I got a seat the day of the performance for around £15 which ended up being only a partial view seat. The musical itself was fun and Zizi Strallen was an absolute delight to watch. Only after the show did I realize that Petula Clark had played the Bird Woman, which was quite fun to learn! All in all, a cute show worth the cheap price, especially for the show-stopping "Step in Time."

Prince of Egypt - Oof. This show was rough. I had been waiting to see it since it was first announced and bought tickets the minute they went on sale, so it was heartbreaking to be so disappointed by the performance (and even more heartbreaking paying full price!). The actors were fantastic, but everything else was a mess. The costumes looked cheap, the songs weren't great, and the set design failed to live up to the expectations built up by the incredible animated movie. Prince of Egypt is one of my favorite movies of all time and I had hoped that they would do something wonderful with it on stage, but I ended up leaving the theater wishing I hadn't seen it at all. I saw it in previews so maybe they made some slight improvements, but I don't think I'll be going back to see it again.

Endgame - Endgame was an interesting situation for me. I went in knowing absolutely nothing about the play (I learned that there were actually 2 plays, so hey, 2 plays for the price of 1). The reason I was seeing it was for the actors - Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame and Alan Cumming of Spy Kids. Just kidding, I know Alan Cumming is in a lot more than Spy Kids. But I loved his performance in that. The play(s) ended up being a fascinating take on the "end" and how different people react to it. And I only paid £8.50 for a decent seat! After the show I got to meet Daniel and he was such a kind soul, taking photos and signing things for everyone.

& Juliet - The final show I saw on the West End was & Juliet and wow, what a show to end it on. Following the trend of shows I saw in London, I knew pretty much nothing about the show going into it. I just grabbed the day seats and spent the day being a tourist before returning for the show a few hours later. Who would have thought that a jukebox musical based on Shakespeare would be so good? The jokes were funny, the actors were great, and there was LGBTQ+ representation! What more can you ask for in a show? Ironically, the show takes place in Paris, the very place I would be returning to the next day, making it the perfect show to end my journey.

And that's the story of my West End adventures! Hopefully one day in the future I'll be able to return to London to explore some more, but for now I'll simply watch bootlegs and reminisce on the happy memories.

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