Signed by Scarlett

I’ve always been a fan of theatre ever since a young girl and when I have the opportunity to see new shows, I will always do so.

I have had the pleasure of seeing three shows on the West End in London this last week so here are my reviews of each of those shows.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Now I must get my obsession out early about this series because ever since series one came out in 2016, it has been my favourite show with way too many rewatches and now a new found obsession with the stage production.

Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.

It is refreshing to see a show on the West End that is creepy and scary whilst there isn’t much else like this currently in London.

Henry Creel (Louis McCartney) and Dr Brenner (Patrick Vaill) as actors make you absolutely speechless from their creepy and sinister acting that made me feel like I needed to hold my mothers hand because of how real it felt.

Despite Louis McCartney only being 20 and this being his West End Debut, you can see there is a lot to come from him in the future of theatre.

Other notable characters for me were Joyce Maldonado (Isabella Pappas) and Patty Newby (Ella Karuna Williams).

If you have seen the series it is fascinating to see how the characters who do appear in the tv series have very obviously been studied by the actors and portrayed brilliantly from their stature to their voices.

The staging is some of the best that I have seen on the West End and truly adds so much to the show that makes you feel like you have been picked up and dropped directly into Hawkins, the two-storied house will play in my mind for a while.

I have had multiple conversations with people who work in theatre and the displeasure in tv and movie adaptions overtaking theatre, most recent adaptions that come to mind are Pretty Woman, Mean Girls and Back to the Future (although I must admit I loved Pretty Woman).

With these adaptions come problems that many inside jokes and moments in the show are inspired by the original and my friend said he almost felt “left out” when seeing ‘Back to the Future’ when people were laughing at jokes he didn’t understand.

However, I think this is where the Duffer Brothers have won this argument by producing a show that is a prequel to the tv series, and therefore adds to the love of show for fans but can still be seen without prior knowledge for people who don’t know the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this show and it has become one of my new favourites which I would recommend to old fans and new.

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Entering the week, I had no plans to see this show but with a free afternoon and a dream, me and my friend visited the box office just two hours before hoping for a miracle.

And managing to secure incredible seats in the stalls for just £70 (the prices usually range from £100-200), we knew it was meant to be.

Now when looking up about the show, you won’t find a lot of information about this series because Cabaret is the best kept secret. It follows American aspiring-writer ,Cliff Bradshaw, who moves to Berlin during the 1930s and quickly meets English cabaret singer, Sally Bowles, at the Kit Kat Club. However this time also sees the rise of nazism.

Although you may feel you know what to expect, there are truly no words to sum up the experience of entering the elusive Kit Kat Club.

Entering the theatre to a sticker placed across your phone to avoid any photographs or videos taken, you enter the building and their multiple bars with musicians and dancers performing ‘The Prologue’ before the main show across the areas.

You are encouraged to enter early for the prologue (and the shot of Peach Schnapps) on entry and let’s just say, you want to be there early.

The show is like nothing I’ve ever scene, from the moment you step foot in the queue to the moment you leap to your feet to cheer and clap at the end, you will be utterly astounded.

The main cast has regular cast changes but I felt very lucky to see Rebecca Lucy Taylor (Self Esteem) as Sally Bowles and Jake Shears as Emcee.

Not only were their voices phenomenal but their acting pulled on your heartstrings, made you laugh and then made you scared from one moment to the next.

The next notable change to be seen is Cara Delevinge is set to play Sally Bowles from 11 March to 1 June.

If you ever haver the chance to splurge and go and see this show, all I can say is “Welcome to the Cabaret.”

Harry Potter & The Cursed Child: Part 2

Me and my friend saw Harry Potter & The Cursed Child part one at the beginning of 2023, and we were pleasantly surprised by just how much we enjoyed the show.

I have been a fan of the books and movies since a child, but my friend not so much, so it was very surprising to see he thoroughly enjoyed it also.

However part two, not so much.

19 years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, they’re back on a most extraordinary new adventure – this time, joined by a brave new generation that has only just arrived at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prepare for spectacular spells, a mind-blowing race through time, and an epic battle to stop mysterious forces, all while the future hangs in the balance.

Sadly we felt that part two didn’t hold a candle to the first part where it almost felt like all of the magic and wow moments happened in that part.

Except one particular moment that surprised us, it sadly was the case that we could tell how all the “magic” happened, but part one had moments where even my friend, who does set design, had absolutely no idea how they did it!

The story in the first one is incredible and well-thought out but when coming to see this, it was messy and built up to a big scene that unfortunately fell flat.

Sadly despite the other two shows above being absolutely incredible and ones not to miss, I think Harry Potter and The Cursed Child would be a miss for me. If you could see just part one without the worry of knowing what happens next, then I would recommend.

But I am extremely fortunate to have been able to see three shows this last week and have ultimately had the best time.