Joyce

I'm taking my daughter-in-law and granddaughters ages 14 and 15 to London for a week over Easter break. I want to take them to as many shows as my budget will allow, so will need to frequent the half price ticket booth I'm sure. We'd all love to see Cats and My Fair Lady and don't know if I could expect to ever find tickets there or should I just call the theater box office instead? I know for Lion King, Momma Mia or Phantom I would need to bite the bullet. Any opinions on good choices are very welcome. I love reading this forum - more helpful info than reading a good guidebook!

David

Joyce<BR><BR>Cats is very rarely available at the half price booth. However, www.lastminute.com usually carries half price tickets to this show along with My Fair Lady. I use Lastminute frequently and have never been disappointed with the seats allocated.<BR><BR>Have a good time in London.

janis

Cats is not offered at the 1/2 price booth (Cameron Mackintosh policy for all his "biggies" - not because it is totally sold out)<BR><BR>For all the shows you mention - you can probably get tickets at lastminute.com or simply by queueing for returns at the theatre. That's how ig saw Lion King in October - waited for a little less than an hour on Sunday morning and got two seats on the aisle in the middle of the stalls.

elaine

Cats will be closing in May so it is possible that it is not doing as well as it used to with selling out in advance. On the other hand, when that happened in New York, the closing generated additional ticket-buying interest at the end of the run.<BR>

r

Joyce; Don't worry about Cats. You won't be missing anything. It's completely over-rated. You will find discounted tickets to plenty of great shows that the kids will also like. IMHO, there is nothing like London theatre. Unforgettable.

Joan

I just saw Cats in London and absolutely HATED it. We left at intermission. It was intolerable. I was shocked something this BAD could run for 20 years. The set, customes, actors in make-up, and music were all so ugly and unappealing. I wanted to leave and go take a shower. Sorry for the intense negative reaction I had to Cats. I love the theater and never feel this way - normally.

Andrea

I found that by going directly to the theatre box office I could buy tickets, sometimes restricted view, which turned out to be just fine, for very little. I saw Les Miz for about $15 US. Last summer I got a box for a play, for about the same amount. One doesn't need the most expensive tickets since most of the theatres aren't all that big. I also saw My Fair Lady on opening night, bought the ticket the morning before as the box office opened at 10:00. I paid full price (still much cheaper thatn tickets in the US) and had a 3rd row seat for 35 pounds. So, either go right to Leicester Sq. and see what's on their board...always something, or go to box office and get cheaper tickets. What lucky granddaughters!!! Enjoy your trip!

Julie

It might be nice if people would be less negative about Cats in this thread, since Joyce has said that she, her daughter-in-law, and her granddaughters would all "love to see" it.

exasperated

Julie; I did not find either post about Cats negative. Both individuals gave their honest opinions based on the post that said it would be unlikely to find Cats tickets at a discount. Joyce specifically said that she would need to "frequent the half price ticket booth." I think they were trying to be helpful. We are all adults here, aren't we? I mean is the policing of opinions really necessary? I for one didn't care for it either and wish I had been warned by serious theatre goers in order to save the money and time. Yet, if I still wanted to see it, an opinion would be just that,and not any kind of influence. I think that most of us on this forum have minds of our own.

Carl

Julie,<BR><BR>Is your last name Polyanna?<BR><BR>Your type bores me. Always tiptoeing and scared to death of the truth as it might injure someone in some abstract way. If someone says they did not enjoy Cats, Julie does not believe it belongs on a thread about Cats. hmmmmm

jgranneman

Thanks for everyone's 'honest'opinion of the play CAT'S. I asked for responses and am pleased to have gotten them. We might still go to CATS (if the girl's really want to), but personally, Id take the majority vote and go to something else instead. I appreciate all the help.

Patrick

Excuse me, Joyce, but what "majority vote" are you talking about? Just because a couple of people posted that they hated it, that certainly doesn't represent any majority. I was nearly forced to go a number of years ago with friends (I hate cats and didn't want to go see a show about them), and yet I enjoyed the show greatly -- tremendous dancing, exciting musical numbers, and a spectacular ending. London is the place to see the show with the revolving stage and the intimate feel. <BR>Cats has been running practically forever -- all those millions of people didn't go by accident. Obviously it is an extremely popular show and millions of people have loved it. If the "majority" didn't like it would have closed years ago. I support the right of people to post here and say that they disliked it, but please don't assume that they are the majority.

To Patrick

What was that great quote about the American people?-- something like no one ever lost money underestimating their taste. That goes for non-Americans,too. Patrick, I think those millions of people DID go by accident, actually! Millions of people are sheep; following along and doing whatever everyone else in front of them is doing without using their own minds. A simple observation of the history of the arts will show this perfectly. Many of the greatest artists of their day and their works were dismissed by the masses for not conforming with their watered down, tasteless preferences only to be resurrected and appreciated long after their deaths. The trivial and boring have ruled for some time now Just turn on the tube. <BR><BR>Also,it doesn't seems to me that Joyce is "assuming" anything. She'd just rather go to another show.

Patrick

Oh, please, who's talking about the great art of the world? We're talking about a bit of flashy entertainment, which has aroused the interest and the enjoyment of millions of people. I would never compare CATS to a great play, but just like millions of others I was throrougly entertained by it. That's all. Nothing more and nothing less. Actually Mama Mia comes to mind as well. If you just go and readily accept being entertained you will love it. If you go as a lover of true and great theatre and have your nose in the air, you will consider it a piece of trash. I happen to be a theatre goer that can enjoy a variety of levels of entertainment. I may be wiped out by a performance of Richard III at RSC, or enchanted by Maggie Smith in The Lady in the Van, and can still "lower" by standards (if you wish to call it that) and admit that I was throroughly entertained with CATS.

What's this?

Patrick; Why are you picking on Joyce? Talk about "nose in the air". That's a description of yourself. If she wants to call it a "majority", then why don't you let her. That's her prerogative.<BR> You didn't just admit that you were "thoroughly entertained by Cats" you had an arrogant attitude about it. You really must do a review of your tone and you will see what I mean. Your tone, provokes.

Julie

Carl, please don't reduce me to a "type" based on two lines of text in a newsgroup. I'm not a Pollyana nor scared of the truth. If we are all grown-ups here, let's not stoop to personal attacks or stereotyping.<BR><BR>My take on it was that the original poster was just trying to find out if she could get cheap tickets to Cats, not whether people thought it was good or not. It might be something she would really enjoy, even though other people didn't like it, and it sounded like she was looking forward to it.

Sue

I saw Cats 15 years ago and was very disappointed. As time went on, I realized that most of my friends felt the same.

pam

Have to agree with Joan and I am well acquanited with the theatre. This show is incredibly overrated. If you have seen the costumes and make-up-you've seen the best of what "cats" has to offer. <BR>There are so many wonderful,exciting and entertaining shows out there...don't pick this one. When my son was 10 we took him to see it. He really hated it and we left at intermission together with another couple we were with who felt the same way.<BR>There's no accounting...

Patrick

one simple question: Joyce, did you think I was picking on you? I tried to be helpful as I got the impression that a couple of posters seemed like the majority in hating Cats. I just felt that you shouldn't be talked out of seeing it since you already mentioned that you and your daughters all wanted to see Cats, so I see no reason to suddenly change your mind just because a couple of people said they hated it. <BR><BR>Let's see now. To quote myself exactly, "I was nearly forced to go a number of years ago with friends. . . and yet I enjoyed the show greatly, temendous dancing, exciting musical numbers, and a spectacular ending." Now someone tells me that statement shows an arrogant attitude. Please will someone explain how that is arrogant?????? I think these days I could do a post that says simply, "I enjoyed Paris" and I would be told that my post was pompous and arrogant.<BR>So to What's This?: please you do not need to comment on my tone any more. I realize that anything I say will be considered arrogant by you, but I am totally unable to see how this post was arrogant. So there's no point in trying to change me if I simply don't understand. I will go on trying to be helpful. If you call that pompous and arrogant because I dare to express a simple opinion without slamming anyone, then too bad. Unlike you I really don't like insulting people. I'd rather be my kind of arrogant than yours, thank you very much.

x

Truly, I don't care about Cats one way or the other.<BR><BR>However, Patrick, this is not your personal platform. Give it a rest. You sound like a sniveling child. Many all those posts that I have been reading about you are true. Take a break and do something else besides responding to posts. If you do that, then you won't have to spend the time defending yourself. Jeez, this is freaking cyberspace.