West End Live 2024

Kiss Me Kate disappeared from the performance line up during the week. Had been looking forward to it! Matilda was definitely on YouTube earlier. It's showing up in my watch history but as unlisted. Not a clue on that one.

I've done it once, that was about 5 years ago now, I wouldn't do it again because the lines even them were ridiculous and then you are standing all day and packed in and then can barely get out if you want. Again that was a few years ago and by all accounts it's even worse now. I happened to be in London on the weekend of it last year so did pop by to see if I could see anything from the outskirts of TS but it was PACKED you could hardly walk anywhere and the fences were high you couldn't see anything.

It needs a bigger venue but I guess the issue is they need somewhere close to all the theatres so the casts can easily come and go in between shows ect. So it's no easy to think of where else they can go?

Echoing what others have said that it was great to see Wicked perform No Good Deed.

Hamilton and Six were fab as always.

Just saw the set from Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Dujonna Gift's voice is just so beautiful.

Hopefully you got/will get home OK. I don't envy anyone trying to get a train with all that going on!

Watching Rachel Tucker - I've got the chills, her voice is gorgeous and her emotional range is just fantastic. I think she's really pepped up the crowd too.

Was there any word on a transfer for 42 Balloons?

Unfortunately, I don't believe so. Unless they said in the gap between performances which they don't put on the Youtube videos.

Re CHF's performance, it's a strange self-indulgent concept of a show. The letter was cringey waffle but desperately trying to sound profound. With Carrie's problematic online presence it was particularly false and grating.

I think the focus wasn't on Calamity as her agents really need tickets shifted for her personal tour as it hasn't been selling well. However, it felt a bit odd putting her on WEL with all that talent as her voice is just mediocre. As soon as she was off stage I forgot her vocals and only remembered the terrible, fake speech and that I wouldn't want to see her show of rinse and repeat of rambling letter followed by a 'meh' at best performance of a song.

There were a few WEL performances I've already rewatched and new performers to me that have been wonderful finds. Overall it was a good year, I thought.

It's great that you can watch the videos so soon after the shows perform
So different from the old days when you only had someone's dodgy phone recording to watch.
Generally I really enjoyed watching the shows along with one or two oddities and some that I have no interest in seeing.
The highlights for me were 2 Strangers, Les Mis (and I cried during One Day More, as always), Rachel Tucker, and Lucy Jones singing from The Bakers Wife which I'm really looking forward to. I've always been in 2 minds about seeing Mrs Doubtfire but after watching that performance I think I'll be saving my money.
Surprised Hello Dolly wasn't there as that would have been an ideal opportunity to promote it and Kiss Me Kate pulling out.
Starlight would have been nice to see but doubt they need to worry about sales for the moment.

Do producers pay to get things on WEL?

It's my most watched performance so far as well. Dujonna's voice is so beautiful.

I really appreciate WEL getting the performances up online so quickly, it's been great to see it almost in real time, skip the bad ones and rewatch the good performances.

No Calamity Jane at all, it's probably too early to show anything from that and the lack of ticket sales based on her name alone is a problem for another day.

She gave a rambling speech about being a light for "those feeling a little bit lost". It felt like she was trying to reanimate the "big sister" era she used to peddle to try and build engagement. Her fans should try disagreeing with her or critiquing her performance and see what a glowing light she wants to be for them then ❤

She then gave a mediocre performance of Candle on the Water from Pete's Dragon.

I think the camera crew stood in solidarity with the sound team she blamed for her awful performance a few years ago. They made sure to pan to the crowd who were looking unenthusiastic or looking away from the stage or grimacing. I think they may have been puzzled why she was at WEL as she hasn't been able to secure a West End role for a few years now and hasn't for the forseeable future either - hence Calamity Jane.

I really enjoyed the majority of the other performances though. It was such a good year overall.

Of course but there's been a period of time before that when there was no West End role. She hasn't returned to a West End role either. She didn't secure a panto role in London and her last panto role was in Crawley. I'm not knocking Crawley but it's slipping further from a West End stage.