London~ Day 2

On our second day in London, we decided that we wanted to see a Musical on the West End (the London equivalent to Broadway). We weren't really sure what we wanted to see...but we had a really long list of things we would be willing to see. It included- Lion King, Chicago, Jersey Boys, Billy Elliot, Thriller, Singing in the Rain....you get the idea. But I was secretly rooting for Billy Elliot So we asked our hostel were the cheapest place was to get tickets. They directed us to an authorized ticket dealer in Leicester Square (which is where they have the Harry Potter premiers. So we headed down to see what tickets we could get. On our way there we passed a group of guards on horseback.

 

Once we got into the square there was a massive line que. So we patiently waited to get our tickets. Originally we had wanted to see a night showing, but many of the shows were sold out for the night shows or didn't have any discounts. So we finally settled on the show we wanted to see- Billy Elliot. We got tickets for the matinee that were normally 65 pounds for 45 pounds! I have wanted to see Billy Elliot since I saw a preview of it on the awards show for the theater. Elton John wrote the music, which prompted my initial interest because he is my favorite artist. I then discovered that there was a movie, which I rented and loved. I really wanted to see the musical, but it was only showing in New York, Chicago, Toronto, and London. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would have the opportunity to see the show on the west end in London! Before we went to the theater we grabbed lunch at a local pub! England really does have great food, no matter what people say.

Prime Beef Sandwich and Chips!

Irene's fish and chips came traditionally wrapped in newspaper.

The storyline of Billy Elliot really resonated with me. I really feel like it has a lot of parallels to my own life. Billy Elliot is set in the tumultuous years of 1984/1985 in the North of England. It is set in a small mining community. During the 1980's, a recession took hold of England; this recession exposed the mining industry and Margret Thatcher announced the closure of the pits. This was devastating for the mining communities as this was the only way they were able to support their families. The announcement prompted the National Union of Mineworkers to strike. As the strikers became more defiant, the government reacted with more intimidation. Daily confrontations between the pickets and the police became common. The strike lasted for over a year. It is during this strike that Billy Elliot is set. Billy is a young boy, the son of a miner. One day he stumbles into a ballet class and his life is forever changed. Billy is gifted in ballet, but he comes from a working class family and it seems that his dreams are beyond his reach. Billy Elliot is the story of how a community rallied together and despite the odds Billy was able to became more than he ever expected. 

The current Dad in Billy Elliot is Amazing, he brings so much emotion to the musical!

The author of the musical stated that "if Billy Elliot conveys any message at all I hope it is that it is possible to fight back and resist and it is possible to move on without forgetting where you come from." The beauty of Billy Elliot is that you don't have to want to be a ballet dancer to enjoy it. It touches something deeper, the desire to attain your highest dreams. Which, is what I am doing here in Manchester. I come from a working class family, a family that sacrificed so much so that I could attend university and so that I could achieve all of my dreams and aspirations, just like Billy's dad. Going into the show, I know that it was going to be amazing, but I had no clue the actual affect it would have on me.

Our seats were amazing!

 We made our way to the Victoria Palace Theater; I was so excited to see the show! I didn't really know what to expect because I have never been to a musical and I have only seen a few plays. We had amazing seats in what is called the "stalls." These are the seats on the ground! The theater really is magical. The musical had me laughing and crying (I'm not really an esp. emotional person, so that will tell you how much the performance touched me). It is honestly really hard to explain just how the show touched me, but it was amazing! Literally, Billy Elliot the Musical was one of the most (if not the most) amazing things I have ever seen or experienced! I could never really express just how good the show is, but I can let you experience just a taste of it- the original cast recorded the songs from the musical. So while you don't get to see the amazing dancing or acting, you can get an idea of what the musical is all about. Also, rent the movie...at least then you will get the whole story! I promise you won't regret it.

  

This is the first song from the musical and probably one of my favorites!

 This is another great song, but don't listen if language upsets you!

   This one is so touching! I think the dad in the show I went to was a lot better at conveying emotion. But still a really good song!

This is a compilation of a lot of the songs from the Musical and it includes dancing with one of the casts from the West End version of Billy Elliot! I had a different cast, but this will still give you a great idea of what the show was actually like!

These were taken after the show! I would honestly love to go back and see it again- it was really that good! 

After the show we headed back to my friend Ashley's flat were we made dinner together and then had real American cookies. Here they the call their cookies digestive biscuits and they don't really taste like cookies. My friend found this cookie place near her flat called Ben's cookies. I had a orange and chocolate one and a cranberry and white chocolate; they were both delicious! 

Cookies!!!!

To be continued...

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy