8 posts
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Post by bizzo on Feb 28, 2016 16:41:37 GMT
My first trip was to Panto and then my first musical was to see Joseph
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1,351 posts
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Post by CG on the loose on Feb 29, 2016 7:59:09 GMT
First memory of theatre was my big brother's school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (he was Bottom, which at the age of 4 amused me enormously). They staged it in the open air, under the trees in the school grounds and I remember nothing of the play except the costumes.
For my 6th birthday/Christmas my best friend and I were taken to The Nutcracker in London - I remember the train, the taxi, the foyer but nothing of the ballet.
In my early teens, Pirates of Penzance and Romeo & Juliet at the Minack were the absolute highlights of a summer holiday to Cornwall. (Come to think of it, there was a fair bit of G&S scattered through my childhood, Mum loved it and passed that love on to me).
First West End show was Annie, at 17 - a ticket in the gods as I passed through London on my way home from two months in Europe before catching the late train home, arriving in Devon with the newspapers at 4am the next day.
Then I moved to London and a habit formed...
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1,319 posts
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Post by londonmzfitz on Mar 1, 2016 13:09:08 GMT
My older sister bought panto tickets for me and my younger sister, Cilla Black in Aladdin at the London Palladium, which (ta google) was 1970. I'd have been 11.
First play - School trip, The Taming of the Shrew, which we were "doing" for "O" Level, Susan Hampshire at Kate, Nicky Henson as Petrucio, at the Shaw Theatre on the Euston Road. 5 November 1974. I have the ticket stub somewhere. Something absolutely magical happened. Brought Shakespeare off the page.
First musical - Pirates of Penzance with Tim Curry, Michael Praed, Pamela Stephenson, George Cole, which I saw 3 times, and still have the programme (dusty and dog-eared), with Yakety Yak at the Astoria around the same time.
Memories!
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2,041 posts
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Post by 49thand8th on Mar 1, 2016 18:15:18 GMT
The first thing I ever saw on stage was a children's theatre production of... Pinocchio? Maybe. Or Snow White.
First professional show: Miss Saigon, Los Angeles 1995 First Broadway show: Les Miserables revival, 2007 First West End show: Jersey Boys, 2009
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18 posts
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Post by missmelon on Mar 3, 2016 10:28:10 GMT
First thing I have a vague memory of seeing was Jack and the Beanstalk at my local theatre during panto season. I was probably about 4 or 5? And I don't remember the panto itself, just the fact that I had a dream that night where the giant came into the house and my nan (family was all staying with her for the night) pulled some major kung fu fighting moves on him... First proper theatre memory would probably be seeing Cats for my 8th birthday, a few months before it's original London run finished. Absolutely fell in love with the show, got the stage film version and grew up watching that. Still love it, saw it in London twice last year (Kerry Ellis, such a good Grizabella!) and then have tickets to see it on tour in June. Safe to say it's still one of my favourite musicals!
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115 posts
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Post by Peach on Mar 3, 2016 11:15:31 GMT
My first time was panto when I was about 4, Tony Blackburn and Ann Aston in Cinderella at a theatre in East Ham that is no doubt something else now.
Then a primary school trip to see The Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner at Sadlers Wells.
My first Shakespeare was Twelfth Night, probably at Theatre Royal Stratford. I don't remember who was in the cast, only that Sebastian was hot and his scenes with Antonio had quite an effect on 15 year old me.
Also saw a pre ALW version of Phantom of the Opera around the same time.
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217 posts
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Post by zsazsa on Mar 3, 2016 13:25:04 GMT
First experience of theatre was, like many in this country, pantomime. It was Sinbad The Sailor at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness and featured many of the cast from Scottish soap opera 'Take The High Road'.
The first musical I saw onstage was an amateur production of 'Calamity Jane' by Lochaber Showstoppers in Fort William.
My first pro show was 'The Phantom Of The Opera' at the Edinburgh Playhouse.
First west end show was 'Starlight Express' and my first Broadway show was 'The King And I' last year.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2016 13:47:16 GMT
I know I went to see 'Robinson Crusoe' as a smallish child but have zero memory of it except that I got a badge...
We didn't really do theatre when I was a kid (too poor...still am thanks to my theatre habit) so my first 'proper' theatre was as a teenager seeing Gillian Anderson in 'What the Night is For' ...nothing like a bit of adultery for a first trip to the theatre. However I was enchanted with the experience (and Roger Allam) and fell hard and fast. Despite listening to musicals from a young age the first musical I saw was The Boy From Oz on Broadway, and again it was all downhill from there...
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330 posts
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Post by RedRose on Mar 4, 2016 12:32:47 GMT
The Christmas Plays during Primary School - massive waste of time and money -next city with a theatre over 1,5 hours away, we got there by bus. Very badly adapted German fairytales. First time I was impressed by theatre was a touring production of The Physicists at a small location (another school trip) I was 13 or 14 and my love of theatre had started on that day. Since then I have enjoyed all of my theatre school trips and went even voluntarily when others preferred to watch a pop concert.
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17 posts
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Post by greenlantern on Mar 4, 2016 23:04:05 GMT
First Professional show I saw was - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Swansea Grand First West End Show I saw was - Les Miserables with Linzi Hately as Eponine First Broadway Show I was was - Tarzan
I still remember each one vividly and the feelings that accompanied them.
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193 posts
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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.)
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19,778 posts
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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.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2016 7:57:03 GMT
Hi, WhatsOnStage! [waves]
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19,778 posts
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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.
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1,249 posts
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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.
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111 posts
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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.
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2,339 posts
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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
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19,778 posts
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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!
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171 posts
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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!!
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193 posts
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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??)
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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?
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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.
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193 posts
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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!
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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
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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!
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