[annette]

musical/theatre etc - what shows have you seen?? the frightening thing is i have just found a list most of the shows/gigs that i have seen and the number of shows is scary! christ knows how much money i have spent and i have a horrible feeling i have forgotten several, and have not listed a lot of the pantos i went to when i was younger:

whistle down the wind
grease (god knows how many times, at least 4)
cats
west side story
goodbye girl
annie (twice, both on tour)
mother goose
othello
thoroughly modern millie
oliver
oh what a night (twice, both on tour)
buddy
phantom of the opera (x3, once in london, once on tour and once on broadway)
chicago (twice on tour and on broadway)
rent
godspell (x3)
saturday night fever (twice, once westend, once tour)
the king and i
beauty and the beast
miss siagon (x3, once in london, once on tour and once on broadway
les miserables
tale of 2 cities
rocky horror show (3 times )
blues brothers
tonights the night
fame (twice)
we will rock you
jeckyll and hyde (paul nicholas is past his best now)
mums the word (twice)
south pacific
tell me on a sunday (deniese van outen was fantastic)
boogie nights 70's (x2)
Bat Boy
Reduced Shakespeare)
Murdered to death
Fosse
Boogie Nights 2, the 80's (x2)
West End Nights. Broadway Lights)
Crazy For you
Joseph (x3 with Jason donovan, darren day and H from steps)
Sunset Boulevard
Rat Pack
Go Play Up your own end, the brummie musical (jasper carrott was fab)
Our Countrys good
Me and My Girl
Copacobana
Blood Brothers (x3)
Kiss Me Kate
Full Monty Musical
Aladdin
High Society
Sleeping Beauty on Ice
Tommy (twice)
Love Shack
42nd Street
Starlight EXpress
7 brides for 7 brothers
my fair lady
other wise engaged (richard e grant and tony head were fantastic)
you can never tell
defending the caveman
guys and dolls (twice- once on tour tour and once in london nigel harman in it, what more do i need to say )
Billy Elliott the musical
chitty chitty bang bang
tonights the night (x2)
sweeny todd (jason donovan plays a convincing baddie!)
wicked
grumpy old women live (x2)
dirty dusting
me and my girl
love song
amys veiw (with felicity kendall)
the glass menagerie (with jessica lange)
cirque du soilel la nouba (in orlando)
hairspray(broadway)
the drowsy chaperone (broadway)
avenue q (west end)
pricilla queen of the night musical (sydney)

ouch, no wonder i have never been brave enough to work how much i have spent on theatre tickets/brochures etc over the years, and i am only 25!!

plus i have booked tickets to see the rent revival in the west end with denise van outen

what shows have people seen? what shows would you like to see? what would you recommend? or warn people away from?

[MrsDoyle]

Afraid I've never been to a musical in my life and I'm over 50!! I just have a bit of a phobia about people suddenly bursting into song!!!

[Matthew Winn]

what shows have people seen? what shows would you like to see? what would you recommend? or warn people away from?

I've seen too many shows to list them here but 43 of them are among the shows you listed. I've also seen Phantom of the Opera, but not the Andrew Lloyd Webber one. I saw Ken Hill's version, which is (I'm told) much funnier.

My favourites and otherwise:

Favourite musical productions, in no particular order:

Carousel / national tour (2000) / dir: Matthew White
A Little Night Music / Leicester Haymarket / dir: Paul Kerryson
Pal Joey / Chichester Minerva / dir: Loveday Ingram
Kiss Me, Kate / Victoria Palace / dir: Michael Blakemore
Babes in Arms / Cardiff New Theatre / dir: Martin Connor
Thoroughly Modern Millie / Shaftesbury / dir: Michael Mayer
Promises, Promises / Sheffield Crucible / dir: Angus Jackson
Romeo en Julia - van Haat tot Liefde / Antwerpen Stadsschouwberg / dir: Redha
The Hired Man / Salisbury Playhouse / dir: Joanna Read
Evita / Adelphi / dir: Michael Grandage

Honorable mention:

Hard Times / Theatre Royal Haymarket / dir: Christopher Tookey
Spend Spend Spend / Piccadilly / dir: Jeremy Sams
Escape from Pterodactyl Island / Pleasance London / dir: Phillip George
Out Of This World / Chichester Festival / dir: Martin Duncan
Just So / Chichester Festival / dir: Anthony Drewe

Plays:

The Memory of Water / Vaudeville / dir: Terry Johnson
Perfect Days / Vaudeville / dir: John Tiffany
The Master and Margarita / Chichester Festival / dir: Steven Pimlott

Utter dreck from start to finish:

The Curse of Tittikhamon / New End
The Villains' Opera / National
Closer to Heaven / Arts
Footloose / national tour (2004)

So bad they're classic:

Behind the Iron Mask / Duchess
Tess of the D'Urbervilles / Savoy

Musicals I'd sell my liver to see:

Drat! The Cat!
Cinderella (the Rodgers and Hammerstein one, not the panto)
110 in the Shade

[Evie]

Blimey yu have seen alot...this is as much as I can remember...remember I am only 16.

Ok plays,

Shell Seekers with Stephanie Cole
Twelfth Night with Matthew Kelly and Honeysuckle Weeks
Lion, The Witch and The Wardobe at the Barbican

Musical,

Lion King at the Lyceum
Mary Poppins with Scarlett Strallen
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Jo Gibb
Starlight Express x 2
Drowsy Chaperone x 2
Rocky Horror Show with Ian Lavendar
Chicago

Amatuer productions

Salad Days
Little Shop Of Horrors
Crucible
My Mother Said I Never Should

Ballets

Sleeping Beauty
Giselle

I think that is all....I can't think of any others off hand.
Evie
x x x

[keysersoze]

I regard my theatre-going career as properly beginning early last year. In the time since, I have seen 66 productions - all of which in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

[Evie]

I forgot to add that I have see

The Best Of Broadway (a touring group who did numbers from various shows..some good and some...slightly questionable performances!)

and

Magic Of The Musical starring Wayne Sleep and Marti Webb

Evie
x x x

Oh my list is so short! Soon to be added will be LOTR in October and Cats in April

[allthatjazz]

musical/theatre etc - what shows have you seen?? the frightening thing is i have just found a list most of the shows/gigs that i have seen and the number of shows is scary! christ knows how much money i have spent and i have a horrible feeling i have forgotten several, and have not listed a lot of the pantos i went to when i was younger:

whistle down the wind
grease (god knows how many times, at least 4)
cats
west side story
goodbye girl
annie (twice, both on tour)
mother goose
othello
thoroughly modern millie
oliver
oh what a night (twice, both on tour)
buddy
phantom of the opera (x3, once in london, once on tour and once on broadway)
chicago (twice on tour and on broadway)
rent
godspell (x3)
saturday night fever (twice, once westend, once tour)
the king and i
beauty and the beast
miss siagon (x3, once in london, once on tour and once on broadway
les miserables
tale of 2 cities
rocky horror show (3 times )
blues brothers
tonights the night
fame (twice)
we will rock you
jeckyll and hyde (paul nicholas is past his best now)
mums the word (twice)
south pacific
tell me on a sunday (deniese van outen was fantastic)
boogie nights 70's (x2)
Bat Boy
Reduced Shakespeare)
Murdered to death
Fosse
Boogie Nights 2, the 80's (x2)
West End Nights. Broadway Lights)
Crazy For you
Joseph (x3 with Jason donovan, darren day and H from steps)
Sunset Boulevard
Rat Pack
Go Play Up your own end, the brummie musical (jasper carrott was fab)
Our Countrys good
Me and My Girl
Copacobana
Blood Brothers (x3)
Kiss Me Kate
Full Monty Musical
Aladdin
High Society
Sleeping Beauty on Ice
Tommy (twice)
Love Shack
42nd Street
Starlight EXpress
7 brides for 7 brothers
my fair lady
other wise engaged (richard e grant and tony head were fantastic)
you can never tell
defending the caveman
guys and dolls (twice- once on tour tour and once in london nigel harman in it, what more do i need to say )
Billy Elliott the musical
chitty chitty bang bang
tonights the night (x2)
sweeny todd (jason donovan plays a convincing baddie!)
wicked
grumpy old women live (x2)
dirty dusting
me and my girl
love song
amys veiw (with felicity kendall)
the glass menagerie (with jessica lange)
cirque du soilel la nouba (in orlando)
hairspray(broadway)
the drowsy chaperone (broadway)
avenue q (west end)
pricilla queen of the night musical (sydney)

ouch, no wonder i have never been brave enough to work how much i have spent on theatre tickets/brochures etc over the years, and i am only 25!!

plus i have booked tickets to see the rent revival in the west end with denise van outen

what shows have people seen? what shows would you like to see? what would you recommend? or warn people away from?

Goodness, I have A LOT of catching up to do, I thought I had seen a few but I am a mere amateur in comparison! I have set myself a challenge to visit every theatre in the West End before I die, having read a list of them, I am beginning to wonder if it is a realistic challenge!

So far I have seen......

Mary Poppins x1
Dirty Dancing x1
The Lion King x1
Grease x1
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang x1
Scrooge at the Palladium x1
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers x1
Cats x1
Annie x1
Phantom Of The Opera x1
Cinderella x1
Beauty and the Beast on Ice x1

And my favourite by miles is CHICAGO which I have now seen 16 times (all West End) and have booked to see again at the end of October!! I have seen many different performers in this show but believe that the current cast is the best that there has been although I haven't been lucky enough to see the Broadway production, does anyone else agree? I would love to hear other people's views. Also has anyone seen the show since Kelly Osbourne joined as Mama Morton and if so is she good?

I am also booked to see Wicked, Buddy and The Sound of Music.

[M George]

I keep a record of everything I see in a little notebook which kept with my programmes. I do it year by year....so it's obvious which years I was flush and which years I was skint! I started keeping a record in 1996 but before that I must have been to the theatres loads of times, but don't think I can remember every one.

Pre 1996 shows seen include....

Panto every year
The Phantom of the Opera (at least 4 times)
Les Miserables
Romeo & Juliet
Oliver
Scrooge
Matilda (This was excellent)
Singin' in the Rain (with Tommy Steele)
Cats
Joseph
Hobsons Choice (ballet)
Starlight Express
Swan Lake

Since 1996......

Panto/Christmas Shows
Aladdin x3
Dick Whittington x2
Cinderella x5
Peter Pan x2
The Firebird
Snow White x3

Ballet/Dance
Far From the Madding Crowd
The Nutcracker x3
Cinderella
Hobson’s Choice x2
The Sleeping Beauty
Beauty and the Beast
Highland Fling
Swan Lake
Edward Scissorhands
Play without Words

Musical
Chess
Copacababna x2
Miss Saigon x7
Grease x3
Blood Brothers x4
Les Miserables x3
Blues Brothers
West Side Story x3
A Chorus Line
Tommy x2
South Pacific
Joseph x3
Chicago x3
The Rocky Horror Show
HMS Pinafore
The Phantom of the Opera x5
Oliver! X3
Jesus Christ Superstar x4
Hopes & Dreams x2
Martin Guerre
Oh What a Night
Whistle Down the Wind
Rent x2
Fame x2
Jekyll & Hyde
Forbidden Broadway
The Witches of Eastwick
The Beautiful Game
Sunset Boulevard
My Fair Lady x2
Beauty and the Beast x2
Bombay Dreams
Return to the Forbidden Planet
Putting it Together
Kiss Me Kate
Taboo
Jerry Springer the Opera
Thoroughly Modern Millie x4
Hello Dolly!
Twopence to Cross the Mersey
Crazy for You x3
Sweeny Todd
Footloose
Cats
Starlight Express
The Woman in White
Bat Boy
Scrooge
The King and I
The Mikado
Sex Chips and Rock ‘n’ Roll
Guys and Dolls x2
Oklahoma!
High School Musical
The Producers
Singin’ in the Rain
Evita
Annie
Into the Woods
The Rippers 5 (worst musical ever!!!)

Opera
Faust
Tannhauser
The Barber of Seville
Madam Butterfly
La Boheme x3
Falstaff
Albert Herring
La Clemenza de Tito
Nabucco
The Magic Flute x2
Tosca x2
Il Trovatore
The Sacrifice

Play
Macbeth
Mutabilitie
Leatherface
The Child
Mort
Amadeus
Dead Funny
The Crucible
Oedipus
Bouncers
The Chrysalids
The Hollow
As You Like It
A Dream Play
Gasping
Perfect Crime
The Glass Menagerie
The Lodger
A Christmas Carol
Skylight
Moll Flanders
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
New Boy
Two
Time and the Conways
Burn This
A Chorus of Disapproval
Closer
Treasons Peace
Street of Strangers
The Marriage of Figaro
The Good Companions
Romeo & Juliet
Hobson’s Choice
The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Reduced Shakespeare
Completely Hollywood
Great Expectations
Four Knights in Knaresborough
Major Barbara
The Importance of Being Earnest x2
Kes
The Play What I Wrote
Hamlet
Misery
The Odd Couple
London Assurance
The Real Thing
Anthony & Cleopatra
On the Shore of the Wide World
When Harry Met Sally
Come Blow Your Horn
Abu Ben/Adam
Harvey
Pinocchio
The Rivals
She Stoops to Conquer
The Laramie Project
Cyrano De Bergerac
Abigails Party
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Charley’s Aunt
Kiss of the Spiderwoman
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

[David]

A not very comprehensive, not ordered at all list, from looking through my programmes;

Starlight Express
Chicago
The Producers
Rocky Horror Show
Thatcher the musical
Guys and Dolls
The Boy Friend
Oliver
Spamalot
Apples
Ghosts
A Public Enemy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
My Mother Said I Never Should: Mother... Mother
Arabian Nights
Jack in the Box
Grimms Tales (x2)
Scapin
Antigone, or the power of women and the state
arthur85@hotmail.com
Mother's Day (x2)
One Foot in and One Foot Out
A Midsummer Night's Dream (x3)
Animal Farm
Twelfth Night
The Real Inspector Hound
the Downgoing of Orpheus Hawkins
Doctor Faustus
Daisy Pulls it Off
The Canterbury Tales
The BFG (x2)
The Twits
Alice in Wonderland
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (x2)
Adolf
Macbeth
Henry VI, Part I
Henry VI, Part II
Henry VI, Part III (x2)
Merchant of Venice
The Tempest
Richard III
King Lear
The Penelopiad
Uncle Vanya
Hysteria
Rough Crossings
The Bolt Hole
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Cinderella
Jack and the Beanstalk
Oedipus
Donkeys years
Blue Man Group
Charlotte's Web
Dangerous Journey
An Oak Tree
The Beggar's Opera
Our Country's Good

So Much Things to Say (Lenny Henry)
Little Britain Live
Lee Evans
Ardal O'Hanlon
Dara O'Briain
Omid Djalili
Rob Brydon

[Lynette]

I won't list; I see about 50-60 shows a year, mostly straight plays and some operas. I'm not adventurous, have to be goaded into seeing some things like plays about abuse or dead babies, not my thing. I can usually spot a good thing and rarely get it wrong but am guided by WOS regulars on the Board. I like Shakespeare but not Romeo and Juliet, enough is enough. I also keep notebooks , posh ones from Smythesons I'm almost embarrassed to admit.

Evie you are ready for the tough stuff - if someone else is paying get a mailing from the National and choose a couple of things and if not, and you have to pay, then try the fringe venues. Read Time Out for recommendations. WOS is a bit weak on the fringe . Good amateur shows are also worthwhile - did you like The Crucible?