A Week in London
(Yes, Paddington the Musical is as fantastic as it looks)
“Hey, do you think the company would let me work from London so I could see Richard Kind in The Producers?”
…is how I pitched working remotely from London for a week. As if it was a normal, HR-approved reason to cross an ocean.
Random, sure. But let’s be real—I f*cking love character actor Richard Kind (“Only Murders in the Building”, “Girls5Eva”, “Inside Out”).
So I drafted a one-sheet outlining everything I wanted to accomplish while I was there, got it approved by our team, and then I began the process of determining how I would cram an irresponsible number of shows into five days.
I was lucky enough to study abroad in college and spent four months soaking up life in the city–interning for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and seeing every show I could. You know how people spend their study abroad weekends exploring Europe? I spent mine in the West End, off-West End, and basement theatres, seeing everything possible (ask me about the time I saw immersive Hair–actually, please don’t).
SATURDAY
After an overnight flight, I arrived Saturday morning, checked into my hotel in Covent Garden, and set off for the day. I decided to wander toward the Tate Modern to look at some art before journeying to the most spectacularly named Tube stop (Pudding Mill Lane!) for a 3pm ABBA Voyage experience. ABBA Gold was one of the first CDs my parents ever bought me, and, as a Swedish girl with a flair for the dramatic, I sang ABBA songs constantly. I went solo, did the Dance Floor/General Admission experience, and had a BLAST. Everyone was in full ABBA cosplay. I, spiritually aligned but visually not, showed up in all black. Putting that aside, it is impossible not to shake ass and sing along. The technology is deeply impressive. I do not know how they did it. I need a version in New York, Vegas—anywhere in the States—immediately.
After dancing nonstop for 90 minutes, I popped back on the tube to meet up with my friend Jonathan to catch the evening performance of John Proctor is the Villain at the Royal Court. It’s just as impactful as it was in New York, and I sobbed just as hard at the end. “Green Light” really is that song. Praise the Lorde.
SUNDAY
Woke up, got dressed, had a wonderful lunch at The Barbary, and then realized I was accidentally in Paddington cosplay in advance of going to see the bear himself in the afternoon.
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It feels rare nowadays to see a show with an actual set rather than just LED panels or bare stage minimalism (not that there’s anything wrong with that). When I walked into Paddington the Musical, I was struck by the level of detail and care, especially by how different objects hidden in the design came into play throughout the show. By the end, I, a grown woman, was wiping tears off my face. The show is joyful and heartfelt, and absolutely resonates with all ages. While I didn’t purchase it myself, I’m also thrilled to know you can get a Marmalade Sandwich lunch at the theatre, which 100% sweetens the experience.
MONDAY
To the office! I don’t think I listened to anything other than Lily Allen’s West End Girl all week while commuting. Am I happily married? Yes. Do I enjoy feeling moody and dramatic, walking the streets in dark sunglasses? Absolutely.
I feel incredibly lucky to work somewhere that lets me bounce between New York and London and compare how the same industry functions in two completely different ecosystems. I spent a lot of time thinking about a recent New York Times article (“Fed Up With High Costs, American Theater Takes a Trip to London”), and talking with Londoners—as well as a few New Yorkers who happened to be in town. There’s a lot to be said here—and this is a trip recap, not a dissertation—but Daniel Kuney (KGM Theatrical) does a great job of breaking it down in his blog post:
If you’re curious, the Times also published: “Why Are Theater Tickets So Much Cheaper in London Than New York?”
And now, the real reason for my trip:
Richard Kind’s first performance in the West End production of The Producers.
I couldn’t believe I’d never seen it on stage—I’d only ever seen the movie. It was exactly the kind of big, stupid, joyful laugh I needed to start the week. My biggest takeaway: Richard Kind has star quality and should be in more musicals immediately. This is a formal request.
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There’s also something kind of unhinged about crossing an ocean to see a performer I’ve spotted wandering the Upper West Side and at more Broadway opening nights than I can count. I’d do it again.
TUESDAY
For me, the best part of the trip was getting to connect with colleagues I’d only ever seen as boxes on a Teams call. It was lots of fun to discuss our day-to-day experiences, what shows we’d seen, funny office moments… One thing I learned that was fascinating to me is that there’s not really a Playbill.com style website that informs you about theatre happenings – many sites operate as a ticket agent a-la-Broadway.com. It feels like there’s room in the market to have a site that provides a holistic overview of everything happening or even something like my most visited website: BroadwayNowAndNext.com
After a full day of meetings and catch ups, I rewarded myself with a solo dinner at Rita’s (mini martini + jalapeño popper gilda = must order) while my husband chose, for reasons I still don’t fully understand, to attend six straight hours of opera at the Royal Opera House. Two teeny ’tinis later, I felt both powerful and correct in my decisions, and headed off to see The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, a charming musical with an album I’ve listened to a lot since seeing the show (especially “One for the Road”).
WEDNESDAY
Tragically, I ran out of both time and theatrical stamina. It was time to recharge with some rest & relaxation in Portugal.
TO SUM IT ALL UP…
There’s something about seeing theatre in another city that snaps you out of your own industry bubble. Spending a week seeing as much theatre as humanly possible felt, in a lot of ways, like coming back to the version of myself who worked and studied abroad here almost nine years ago—running from show to show, saying yes to anything I could physically make it to, and structuring my life around what I could see that night. The difference now is that I actually understand what it takes to get people into those seats in the first place. This trip reminded me why I love theatre, and why I’ve built my career around convincing other people to love it too.
Because, when it all clicks—when the right audience meets the right show at the right moment—there’s honestly nothing better.