West End Wednesday

This past week's highlight was a two-show day on London's West End. I was able to obtain tickets for a very decent price on the discount ticket seller app and website called Today's Tix. The shows were under twenty each, so that's a fabulous bargain for a student theatre goer. It is a common practice for theatres to use discount ticket agents, like Today's Tix, if they don't have full houses. After all, selling the seat for a reduced rate is better than taking a total loss.

First up was a matinee of a stage adaptation of George Orwell's novel 1984. The special ticket price offer was £19.84. Clever! 1984 has enjoyed great success in London and all over the UK, having first hit the stage in 2013, but, this week the show closed. I've seen the posters in the tube stations since I arrived in London so I had to make sure I saw it before the chance passed me by. I was glad I did. 

Published in 1949, 1984 is a staple of modern literature and has brought us the famous term "Big Brother". Orwell describe's a futuristic world where the population is under constant surveillance and the thought police can take someone away for torture just for thinking differently than the state prescribed edict. Orwell's concept of how it could be stemmed from the influences of the Cold War. However, it is remarkable how many of these societal predictions have been realized even in the free and capitalist societies of the West.

The design of 1984 was very well done with the first portion of this 100-minute performance taking place in a closed in, institutional setting. Nothing was attractive. Everything looked drab and well used. Lighting and sound helped highlight moments and characters that should have our focus. Cameras, which projected onto a screen, helped reinforce the idea of surveillance while giving the audience an inside look at the contents of a journal and a secret room. When the main character Winston, finally got the unwelcome attention of Big Brother, the set shifted into an atmosphere of bright, stark white light. Here is where nothing could hide and Winston, well, Winston had to face the harsh reality of Big Brother's power.

The performances were well delivered by an ensemble of eight. The dialogue never felt dated. The text was taken from Orwell's novel and adapted for the stage by Robert Icke and Duncan MacMillan. It was an excellent way to spend an afternoon and I am happy I saw it.

After a break, I was off to see another show in the evening. Sunny Afternoon brought audiences the story of British pop band sensation from the 60's, The Kinks. The Kinks are famous for hits like "All Day And All of The Night", "You Really Got Me", "Lola" and the title song "Sunny Afternoon". They were part of the British Invasion along with the Beatles but ran into a bit of trouble over not paying musician union dues and were banned from playing in America for a while.

The show took us on the journey through The Kinks' beginning and on to their success, dip in popularity and a comeback, all while making stops to visit their personal lives and troubles along the way. The show is very much in the vein of Jersey Boys the biographical musical about the band The Four Seasons. Sunny Afternoon started it's life at the Hampstead Theatre before transferring to the West End. It won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2015 and I was privileged enough to hold this award when I did some work at Hampstead Theatre earlier this year. The West End production is now closing up shop and they are hitting the road on tour.

I didn't really know The Kinks before seeing the show, or at least I thought I didn't. But many of their songs were absolutely familiar to me and I was a little embarrassed that I didn't make the association between the songs and the band earlier. The show had a cast of 13 and the music was played by the performers on stage. The four actor-musicians playing the members of the band maintained their parts all the way through but the rest of the cast rotated through a variety of characters that moved through the lives of The Kinks. It was an energetic show fueled in part by a very excited audience. I could tell I was surrounded by die hard fans of The Kinks. It was obvious when the first few chords of favorite songs were played and at the end, everyone was on their feet dancing and haveing a ball. I think my experience was greatly enhanced because I saw it with people who loved it.

Overall it was a fabulous Wednesday at the theatre. I'm scheduled for another couple of shows next week. I'll let you know how it goes.
In the meantime, what's playing at a live theatre near you?

Take care!
-m

1984

Sunny Afternoon