Just from living in London for one month, I have already seen more theatre in a few short weeks than I have in my entire life! It’s fantastic, though. I’m completely in awe by how talented and skilled some of these actors are. So amazing to see them perform live. Below is a rundown of the shows I saw and my thoughts:

The 39 Steps – Criterion Theatre, 13th Jan

My first West End show, and it was a comedy consisting of  four very versatile actors who portrayed hundreds of characters (this is not an exaggeration!). There were a lot of great effects, simple set changes, and hilarious costumes. Overall I would love to see this again!

Deathtrap – Noel Coward Theatre, 14th Jan

A play within a play – very confusing to explain but a real stage thriller. It was set in Connecticut which made it a bit strange to watch in London, but it was a great show all the same. It starred Simon Russell Beale, who is a huge British stage actor, and Jonathan Groff from Glee.

La Boheme – Soho Theatre, 19th Jan

A contemporary retelling of the story, still as an opera. The singing was superb but made it hard to follow along sometimes. It was split in 3 acts – the second act required the audience to move to the downstairs bar where the scene would be taking place. It was completely immersive! At one point a dodgy woman came up to us and asked if we wanted to buy cheap cigarettes. We shot her a strange look, declined her offer, and waited for the show to start – only that was part of the show! Not even a minute later, the dodgy woman began singing along with 50% of the bar. Crazy!

Midsummer – Tricycle Theatre, 26th Jan

A romantic comedy starring two actors only. It’s very heavy in narrative and flows a lot like someone’s stream of consciousness. There’s no intermission either and is nearly two hours long, but it is incredible! The actors have such high energy and use every bit of the set for props. It’s also a “play with songs” which basically means the actors will occasionally break out a guitar and start singing about what’s going on.