Reviews by Karen

I got a small ATG card discount for this classic musical about an orphan dreaming for her family.

It stared Craig Revel Horwood as Mis Hannigan, who runs the orphanage. He was fab-u-lous – as was everyone else (including the dog).

There were quite a few school parties in, and they were reasonably well behaved apart from a bit of sniggering and chatting when they realised Miss Hanigan was a Strictly judge in drag.

10/10

I got a £29.50 Rush Ticket from TodayTix to see this musical and the air-conditioned Sadlers Wells Theatre.

It appeared to be one of the best seats and had a great view of “those dancing feet”, for a massive discount.

It is about a new chorus girl Peggy Sawyer, who can pick up new dance steps amazingly fast, following her dreams.

I saw the previous version of 42nd Street at Drury Lane a few years ago. This version which is touring was a bit less lavish but was still very funny and entertaining with impressive performances from all.

They didn’t have all the merchandise yet, which was a bit disappointing, but there is a website where you can buy it once they are ready.

9/10

This was my second visit to the Globe, but thanks to a Gift Card I got a reduced price seat rather than standing.

The seat was reasonable but did have a pillar blocking the view a little bit zling with the pillars on stage that also block parts of the action a bit.

The person playing Demetrius was indisposed so as with Comedy of Errors someone wearing black red the part (although holding papers rather than a full ring binder this time).

This is a comedy in which the course of true love never did run smooth – largely due to fairies drugging people and thinking what fools these mortals be.

The audience was quite distracting with people taking photos during the performance, and people walking about a lot. Some of those in the standing area were taken ill during the show (it was quite warm) and were helped out by staff.

The play was amusing and it was a nice contrast having a seat this time. I was lucky to be in the shade throughout and as I was on the back row I had a wall as a backrest.

7/10

I managed to get a £25 Rush Ticket from TodayTix for this political satire.

There were some quite up to date topical references involving the current statuses of Rolf Harris and Philip Schofield, but the voice-over impressions appeared to be prerecorded for an evening performance as there were a number if references during the afternoon matinee to it being evening.

The theatre also wasn’t very full, with the upper circle closed and people at the back of the stalls being moved further forward. This meant at a point when they asked the different levels to hear, there was silence from the upper circle which wasn’t referenced.

Apart from that it was very funny.

There was a show stop about 15 minutes in which lasted 15-20 mins. It was unclear what caused it, but at some points it looked like there was a possible problem with spotlighting.

It focuses on King Charles cotonation and how to thwart a plot to stop it. There are lot of puppets that appear but some don’t have very much to do and seemed to just appear to show they made their puppets.

Overall or was an entertaining couple of hours.

8/10

This is not one of my favourite musicals but I had the opportunity for a heavily reduced Rush Ticket from to say is so I took the opportunity to watch it as I hadn’t seen a live theatre version of the show before.

The seat was good but due to the fact three were bright lights pointing at the audience for much of the show it was a bit too bright at times, and the staging was a bit weird, with the cast on stage when it wasn’t their part and not much scenery but there were some entertaining bits (particular if you weren’t sitting near the front of the stalls) and it was nice to be able to see the orchestra.

6/10

I got a great seat as a £29.50 Rush Ticket from to say is to see Mamma Mia for the second time live on the Theatre.

The show was brilliant, funny and entertaining way to send a few hours watching the story about a girl searching for her dad and her mother rediscovering her lost youth all through the songs of ABBA.

10/10

I have seen films and recorded versions Shakespeare plays but I knew before I arrived that  is was my first time seeing live Shakespeare, my first time seeing a play at the Globe, my first open air theatre and the first time I have had a standing ticket at a theatre.

As I like farce and comedies I decided to make Comedy of Errors the first live Shakespeare play I saw. It is a crazy story about 2 sets of twins who get split up, have the same names, and when they end up in the same place there are a lot of mistaken identities.

I am not a big fan of Shakespearian language, but I enjoyed the whole experience and was able to follow what was happening.

At the start the actor playing the Duke of Ephesus came on to explain that the actor who normally plays Dromio of Ephesus was indiposed and as the Globe doesn’t have set understudies another performer, who normally plays The Officer would perform that role reading from the script and the same would apply with the role of The Officer. Both performers did incredibly well with their normal black clothes and acting around the stage with their ring binders.

It wasn’t as uncomfortable being a groundling as I thought it might be – but I did get a spot by the stage in the shade, and the weather was ok. The play was funny with a running time of 2 hours with no interval.

8/10

Thanks to a £25 Rush Ticket from TodayTix I got to see this show before it closed.

This musical is based on the infamous “made in America” criminal couple who did more than “raise a little hell” and looks at their wishes that the “world will remember them”

Due to their infamy most know they don’t live happily ever after – and the show starts at the end of their “adventures” and then looks back. It feels a bit weird to have criminals as the “heroes” but it was an entertaining couple of hours.

I saved a lot on the original face value of ticket and it was a good view for the price I paid but anything that happened on the far right hand side was missed.

8/10