186 posts
|
Post by demelza on Mar 11, 2016 3:21:05 GMT
This will almost definitely give away how young I am but honestly my first time at theatre was mildly traumatic. I must have been about 2 or 3 (so either '98 or '99) and my parents and I were on holiday in Lowestoft. The holiday park we were staying at had a little theatre thing that was taken over by Noel Edmonds so needless to say that my first theatre experience involved the terrifying Mr Blobby - I think we left pdq because I was crying.
Other than the local pantos, what I would say was my first proper experience of the theatre would be the 2004 UK Tour of Beauty and the Beast. My first Broadway and West End shows were Phantom, both in 2010. (Went on holiday to New York, ended up seeing Phantom and fell in love, ended up seeing it again in London two months later.)
|
|
18,844 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 11, 2016 7:36:55 GMT
I notice WOS have nicked the idea of this thread for their own website.
Cheeky buggers.
|
|
4,799 posts
|
Post by The Matthew on Mar 11, 2016 7:57:03 GMT
Hi, WhatsOnStage! [waves]
|
|
18,844 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 11, 2016 8:08:04 GMT
Hi, WhatsOnStage! [waves] Perhaps we should start a "Confessions of a Box Office Manager" mini series like the one on WOS. Except ours could be interesting. And well written.
|
|
1,179 posts
|
Post by joem on Mar 31, 2016 18:05:09 GMT
oh dear, you are all so young. My first professional/London theatre was Laurence Harvey and Elizabeth Larner in Camelot at Drury lane in the early 60's.....I can still see all that gold, and all the chorus apparently skating in a winter scene. A life changing moment for an 8 year old. My first Shakespeare was the wars of the Roses in 1964 at Stratford - when I was 9, and again a life changing moment. The first opera was La Boheme when I was 12, And the first straight play in London was Maggie Smith et al, in Private lives. What joy that was, and it felt such an event, not just another night. I was given a cd of this production for Xmas. Whilst Laurence Harvey didn't take possession of the part of Arthur the way Richard Harris made it his own, it still sounds very good indeed.
|
|
111 posts
|
Post by andromedadench on Apr 1, 2016 16:05:20 GMT
My parents used to be avid theatre-goers who couldn't always find someone to babysit me and theatre used to be affordable enough to buy an extra ticket for a child who won't understand much, so I was lucky to get to see lots of both children and grown-up theatre. So there's a distinct possibility that neither of these shows that have stayed with me the longest were the first ones I ever saw, but I remember seeing a production of A Flea in Her Ear because I found it extremely funny without understanding anything that was going on (not that I understand what the heck is going on in that play to this day, but that's beside the point) and a children's production of The Snow Queen which has left me so traumatised for some reason that I still feel nervous when I enter the theatre I saw it in. My first London show was The 39 Steps at the Criterion because I liked the poster.
|
|
2,206 posts
|
Post by theglenbucklaird on Apr 2, 2016 16:17:59 GMT
This will almost definitely give away how young I am but honestly my first time at theatre was mildly traumatic. I must have been about 2 or 3 (so either '98 or '99) and my parents and I were on holiday in Lowestoft. The holiday park we were staying at had a little theatre thing that was taken over by Noel Edmonds so needless to say that my first theatre experience involved the terrifying Mr Blobby - I think we left pdq because I was crying. Other than the local pantos, what I would say was my first proper experience of the theatre would be the 2004 UK Tour of Beauty and the Beast. My first Broadway and West End shows were Phantom, both in 2010. (Went on holiday to New York, ended up seeing Phantom and fell in love, ended up seeing it again in London two months later.) Had you down for at least twenty years older. Oh well, you live and learn
|
|
18,844 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 2, 2016 20:36:48 GMT
This will almost definitely give away how young I am but honestly my first time at theatre was mildly traumatic. I must have been about 2 or 3 (so either '98 or '99) and my parents and I were on holiday in Lowestoft. The holiday park we were staying at had a little theatre thing that was taken over by Noel Edmonds so needless to say that my first theatre experience involved the terrifying Mr Blobby - I think we left pdq because I was crying. Other than the local pantos, what I would say was my first proper experience of the theatre would be the 2004 UK Tour of Beauty and the Beast. My first Broadway and West End shows were Phantom, both in 2010. (Went on holiday to New York, ended up seeing Phantom and fell in love, ended up seeing it again in London two months later.) Had you down for at least twenty years older. Oh well, you live and learn Shade!
|
|
171 posts
|
Post by musicalfloozie on Apr 2, 2016 21:41:45 GMT
I've been thinking about this a while and honestly can't remember my first time, how depressing haha. I do remember my first west end and first broadway though. Broadway was Chicago starring Marti Pellow who unfortunately is the person I've seen most in any show as he gets about a bit... my first west end was The Phantom and only remember so vividly as for some reason there was a massive mix up with the tickets and I was front row and my ex was in the dress circle!!
|
|
186 posts
|
Post by demelza on Apr 3, 2016 0:26:28 GMT
Had you down for at least twenty years older. Oh well, you live and learn Shade! Terribly sorry to disappoint you! (I think??)
|
|
|
Post by danb on Apr 3, 2016 7:04:31 GMT
I think other than panto (I seem to remember Little & Large and the woman off of 'A Handful of Songs' at the Davenport in Stockport) my first was Kenwrights 'Joseph' tour at Spectrum Arena in Warrington, with the presenter from 'Watch' as Joseph back in the early eighties. Other than that I remember Nana paying for us all to go and see 'Phantom' just after Crawford etc had buggered off to Broadway. When would that have been? 87/88?
|
|
2,206 posts
|
Post by theglenbucklaird on Apr 3, 2016 12:59:31 GMT
Terribly sorry to disappoint you! (I think??) Sorry, meant as a compliment. I meant your writing is very good, mature than your age. Came out very wrong.
|
|
186 posts
|
Post by demelza on Apr 3, 2016 16:47:05 GMT
Terribly sorry to disappoint you! (I think??) Sorry, meant as a compliment. I meant your writing is very good, mature than your age. Came out very wrong. I had hoped that it was in a good way, but you can never be completely sure. But thank you!
|
|
401 posts
|
Post by maggiem on Apr 8, 2016 15:37:41 GMT
Early theatre - panto at Manchester or Liverpool (Ken Dodd & the Diddymen, Hope and Keen, Norman Wisdom)in early 1970s Teens & early Twenties - 1st Shakespeare was Henry V at Bolton Octogon in 1979, 1st RSC was Hamlet(Michael Pennington)in 1981; Various summer shows in Blackpool(Les Dawson, Paul Daniels, Little & Large),Torquay (Get Some In!),Scarborough(Bud and Ches, and various plays at Plymouth theatre Royal in my student days 1987-1990. Late Twenties onwards - RSC at the Barbican(various)1990-1994,ditto for the West End (I lived and worked in Romford at the time) then very little until 2008 when I started to get down to Stratford Upon Avon and London for various productions. I've also been to NYC and Boston,Mass. to see Victor Garber onstage
|
|
204 posts
|
Post by Sue on Apr 10, 2016 8:53:16 GMT
My first play was Midsummer Nights Dream at the Barbican in 1986. Janet McTeer was in it and I was completely mesmerised - her ability to own the stage and control the audience has never left me. I saw her again in 1993 at the Queen's theatre, to see Much Ado About Nothing. Mark Rylance was on too apparently but sadly I remember nothing about him !! My first show was Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story at the Victoria Palace in 1989 but the first show I saw that had real impact was Jesus Christ Superstar in 1996 at the Lyceum, mainly because the music was SO loud I thought my ear drums were about to explode. As a 25 year old with many many years of nightclubbing experience, I couldn't believe that any sound could be louder than me being parked up right next to the biggest, baddest speaker in the house all night!
|
|
|
Post by zuberin0 on Mar 21, 2024 16:24:26 GMT
Coming in late. First show ever was Blackbird by David Harrower, at the old Albery. Early 2006, and a friend who was visiting from the north asked me, so what's to do in town? I was new myself, having moved to London just three months before. So took a punt - and it turned out to be quite an experience. Roger Allam / Jodhi May / grooming / pedophilia. Billington wrote "Not since Festen has the West End offered such a searing theatrical experience." There was some brief nudity, I think, and even a full-sized car driving on to the stage!
Some two thousand shows later, and I still go around three times a week.
|
|