Saw Once the Musical Starring Arthur Darvill

I am a huge fan of the Irish movie Once (2006) directed by John Carney and starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova so understandably, I was very excited to finally see the West End production at the Phoenix Theatre! An even better surprise is that Arthur Darvill (Rory from Doctor Who) is performing as the leading man, “Guy.” He is around for eight weeks only, so this is an incredible treat! He also played “Guy” in the broadway production of Once the Musical, so he is a seasoned member of the musical cast.

Promotional Photo with Arthur Darvill (Rory from Doctor Who) starring as “Guy” in Once the Musical

One of the many reasons why Once the Musical is so critically acclaimed is that all actors that perform on stage plays a minimum of one musical instrument during the course of the play. Most play 2-3 instruments, in addition to their singing voices. Stylistically, this is a very minimalist production where there are no physical scene transitions. Instead, the cast use the stage to their best advantage to convince the audience that by moving the same chairs and tables around, the characters are transported to various places throughout the story. I thought this mode of storytelling highlights the focus on the music and the romance between the two main characters and does little to detract from these powerful subjects. Bravo!

During intermission, the cast converts the stage to a concession stand for the audience!

Today is also my parent’s first day in London and I think this was a great way to start their cultural experience in the city that I grew to love for the past 5 months! My dad is also a fan of the original movie so we are both looking forward to this award-winning show!

Mama and Daddy’s first night in London!

Overall, I thought this was a great interpretation of the original story portrayed in the movie. There are definitely a few large differences between the play and the movie, but this story is foremost about music and the romance between the two main characters. Both are just beautiful!

After the Show

As usual, it is common to wait for your favorite actors after a good show to congratulate and meet them. In this case, there were many Doctor Who who remember Arthur Darvill for playing Rory on the show, so there was definitely a gaggle of girls waiting for him in particular.

Arthur Darvill

This is not an extremely expensive production to see, so definitely watch it when you can!

On the Way Home, Met Mr. Darcy and Alfie

After a lovely evening out in Soho, we decided to stop by a few productions to see if any actors would come out for signings. Saturdays are usually good days for star sightings and we definitely had a lucky night!

Adiam and I with our “haul” of signings from Jude Law and Matthew Macfadyen

Matthew Macfadyen (AKA Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice) was in a production of Jeeves and Wooster at the Duke of York’s Theatre, which was super close to where we had dinner. After we ate, we decided to meet at the stage door to see if anyone would come out. We only had to wait for him about 15 minutes after the production ended. It was incredibly chill and not stressful, since it was only the three of us (Annalisa included) who waited for him today. He was very friendly, and not prideful at all.

Matthew Macfadyen after Jeeves and Wooster

Jude Law after Henry V

Afterwards, we stumbled next door (literally 10 feet away) to the Noel Coward Theatre. The Coward Theatre is hosting Henry V with Jude Law performing the lead role. Since it was still early, we just went to the stage door and see if we can quickly meet Jude Law before heading home. In comparison to meeting Matthew, meeting Jude Law was pretty darn stressful. I had no idea that after all of this time there were still that many people wanting to meet him!

For the three of us, we were mainly there just for the sake of being there, so I spent the time chatting with people in line who were on the most part, very friendly. Jude Law took his sweet time emerging and he was literally outside for 5 minutes before leaving. Meh, but got autographs!

Honestly, these encounters were mostly flukes, but I guess this is what London has to offer! It’s actually kinda scary how easily we common folk can meet celebrities and for free! I did not purchase tickets to any of these productions or bought any memorabilia from the plays.

With just a little patience, I guess you can hope for some serendipitous meetings with actors!

Saw Mojo at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Mojo is a play at the Harold Pinter Theatre with a star-studded cast that includes: Brendan Coyle (North & South, Downton Abbey), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter Series), Colin Morgan (Merlin), Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas), Daniel Mays, and Tom Rhys Harries! One of my dearest friends from home highly recommended this play to me when she was in London last semester and I am very glad I took her suggestion.

I paid a little over £30 for my balcony ticket, but most productions are ending in early February, so tickets are going fast! I have a feeling I will never see Coriolanus with Tom Hiddleston before it ends… sucks.

To me, the show was a little confusing, partly because of the accent and partly because of the humor. I think if you were British, the humor would make more sense. Despite that cultural barrier, the play was still funny, moving, and dramatic. Ben Whishaw surprised me with his utterly dominating performance! He really stole the show!

At some point during the play, Ben Whishaw is shirtless (and ripped!) and Colin Morgan is pantless (with tighty whities underneath)… drool.

Some Spoilers!

I don’t recommend taking photos of productions. Almost had my camera taken away after this one photo.

From left to right: Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter Series), Daniel Mays, Tom Rhys Harries, Colin Morgan (Merlin), and Brendan Coyle (North & South, Downton Abbey)

After the Show

So after the show, it is common for people to wait at the stage doors to send their compliments to the actors and possibly get a photo or two before they head home. Rupert Grint and other major stars literally ran to their getaway cars after the show, so it was sad not to see them today. The stage managers told us to return on Saturday if we really want to meet them… meh.

Met Tom Rhys Harries and had him sign my program

Yet at the pub across the way, Tom Cribb,  the actors who are not afraid to mingle were there! I was at Tom Cribb a few weeks ago and had no idea that stars frequented that pub!

Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey, North & South) at Tom Cribb Pub across the street! He was very sweet and also signed my program.

Watching Spamalot on West End

IFSA-Butler included a trip to see a West End production for our orientation! When I am finally settled at UCL, I hope to use my student ID to take advantage of other useful discounts for cheap West End tickets! I heard The Book of Mormon, Les Mis, and Lion King are in town!

Before curtain call! My seat was nearly at the front!

I’ve never seem Spamalot before, but it basically follows the plot of Monty Python and the Holy Grail! I love the movie and I think the play and music did the movie justice, but holy cow! The Lady of the Lake can SING!

The cast members were so talented and definitely had times where they edited their lines in their attempt to make their co-stars break character on stage (many were successful)!

Someone from our program was selected from the audience to join the Spamalot cast on stage to finish their quest for the Holy Grail!

I was thoroughly surprised at how the play interacted with the audience! As you can tell with the photo, without giving away the plot, they do eventually invite an audience member for a photo with the cast using their polaroid camera (as well as a take-home can of Spam)!

Overall, I would highly recommend anyone with a good sense of humor to see this play! I haven’t felt so relaxed since I arrived!

Dinner at L’Ulivo Before Watching Spamalot

The end of our official tour led us right to the theater showing tonight’s showing of Spamalot in West End!  

Since we had enough time, a few of us decided to stop by L’Ulivo, a surprisingly good Italian restaurant almost a block away from the theater.

Spaghetti marinara with olives and anchovies

Given the location of the restaurant, for under 10 pounds, we received American-sized portions of yummy pasta, which are rare in London! The walking tour left us all starving so everyone finished their plates clean before heading over to enjoy the West End production of Spamalot!