janisj

Ian McKellen and Roger Allam (Endeavour and sooooo many other things) in the two man Frank & Percy at The Other Palace. Limited run Sept 8 through Dec 3. The final evening performance falls on Dec 2 (my birthday) so it seems like fate.

Frank & Percy plus the Chanel at the V&A - now that's a trip . . .

SusanP

Sure wish I could do this! 😁

ChgoGal

Thank you, Janisj! Sounds wonderful. Would be a thrill to see Ian McKellan live. I saw him on Broadway in Dance of Death a month after 9/11, but sadly, can't remember anything of that performance. Seems my memories of that trip were fixed on the posters of the missing down in lower Manhattan and the messages of peace in Times Square. A sad time. Just remember being terribly anxious about traveling, but also being young, and poor, and not wanting to lose the money I'd spent on airfare and theater tickets.

janisj

Thinking back to 2001 -- two friends and I were on the very first regular Virgin Atlantic SFO > LHR flight after all the repatriating everyone who was stranded on either side of the Atlantic. 6 nights in London/7 nights in a Cotswold rental cottage, and 5 nights in Paris. Was blown away by all the memorials and dedications to the American losses -- every town and village and all over London - we could barely buy a drink in any pub. As soon as either of the two of us opened our mouths - everything was on the house. (all three of us were US citizens but one was a UK ex-pat and still had a definite SE England accent). We were in Woodstock on Sunday Sept 24 and there was a two minutes of silence at the war memorial with US and UK flags and mountain of red/white/blue flower arrangements. Just amazing.

Well -- its a done deal . . . booked Frank & Percy for Dec 2. Not another thing booked - I'll start looking for flights etc next week . . .

Tulips

There's also Lyonesse, with Kristin Scott-Thomas and Lily James, if you are looking for another play.

janisj

I had considered Lyonesse when I first got an announcement from ATG back in maybe May/June . . . but let it pass since I had just returned from London and was thinking of visiting Venice in October and had no plans to be in London (though I'm usually there over my b'day) . . . and now the entire run is almost sold out. Only seats available are mostly in the 2nd balcony. Would love to see K. S-T but not from the rafters

Tulips

I saw that it was going quickly. We booked good seats for October. Frank & Percy looks good too.
Early December is a great time to be in London. The Crazy Coqs has some Christmassy shows on, that's always fun.
I'm sure you'll have a great time!

Vicky

I have flight and hotel booked for Dublin in Dec but am thinking of flying Dublin-London. It’s a big b day and I love London and thestre the way you love London. My dream is the Savoy but it is cheaper in Jan-Feb. I saw the Abba Voyage was extended. I want to see it.

ChgoGal

I wanted to see Hamnet, based on the book, but reviews made it seem a possible miss. The book was extraordinary. Am seeing Mark Rylance in Dr. Semmelweis, which I'm excited about. I think he's wonderful, and will be my first time seeing him perform live. (I actually saw him walking his dog on the Strand, immediately after seeing Eddie Redmayne. That was a thrill! Normally, I don't notice people, but those two men must've had a certain aura. Or maybe others around me were buzzing and I finally got my head out of the clouds.)

Lyonnese looks interesting but dates don't work for me. Hopefully, I'll find some great plays while there. I wasn't finding a great site to search for plays in England that was searchable by dates. Can anyone share their favorites?

lrice

Janisj, thank you for your lovely story.

I took my family to London in 2019 thinking I wanted to expose my young adult children to one of greatest cities in the world. Their roots trace back to Edinburgh in the 1700s before their grandparents migrated to Virginia pre- American Revolution. It was a fascinating trip!

I had been to London before but it was this trip that redirected my life and kicked off our new-found inspiration to slow travel. We loved London (and Edinburgh) and my husband and I decided right then that we would return for a month’s stay to immerse ourselves in daily life.

We stayed a month in Provence and have almost a month planned for Sevilla this December. London may be next! We just love it and cannot wait to return!

Meanwhile, I’ve passed these tips onto my sister who is traveling there next month

chepar

I'm not a lover of theater but I wasn't aware of the Chanel exhibition - I'll be in London in December and thanks to your information I just purchased my ticket to see it.

Actually, thanks to a previous trip report of yours, I'll also be doing Christmas at Kew during my trip, and planning on having dinner at the Botanical restaurant in the early evening. You are always a font of good information for London and I'll be looking forward to your upcoming trip report from this trip (although I will have to read about it once I return from my own).

stokebailey

Hmm, yes. It would be fun to see Allam and McKellen and of course Rylance.

We might hold off on getting tickets until my daughter's firmed up her evenings with London friends.

I'm looking at Pygmalion at the Old Vic, also. Never seeing the play., and it would be fun to see it on a London stage. There's a kind of fun story about the original. Eliza actress, and how Shaw wanted her to marry him, but she ended up marrying our late great CW's great uncle the day after his divorce from Jennie Churchill became final. The actress, and Jennie, of course, must have been hot stuff indeed.

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janisj

Always happy to help Hope you have decent weather for your Kew evening. Eating at the Botanist is so convenient (and will let you enter the grounds before your timed entry 🤫 )

idesofmarch

OMG those plays sound wonderful!!! I am jealous. I did see Ian McKellen in King Lear, fabulous of course, but I was dousing myself with cold water because it was so darn hot! Love Kristin Scott Thomas since I first saw her play a nun on television in Body & Soul. I was lucky to see her live in The Audience. I would give a lot to see Mark Rylance. I need to see what is playing in May when we will be in London. Can’t wait to read your trip report janisj, it has always been a goal of mine to visit London at Christmas.

stokebailey

I went ahead and got tickets to Play That Goes Wrong for myself and my brothers, reduced price on WestEndtheatre.com. Fun, slapstick, nothing egghead, no one famous.

Looking at The Effect at NT for my daughter and myself. She arrives the day of the last performance, so tricky for a long-ish play.

Tulips

Another good one is The Motive and the Cue, transferring to the Noel Coward Theatre from The National.
It's about John Gielgud directing Richard Burton in Hamlet, just after he married Elisabeth Taylor. Great acting from all, the guy playing Burton really gets his voice and manners.

ChgoGal

Tulips The Motive and the Cue sounds fantastic. Starts after I'll be there, but I may have to consider a winter trip for that one.

janisj

. . . it starts after I leave London too -- by 3 days. Its a 15 week run so I may have to go back in Feb or March . . .

northie

That sounds fun .I saw McKellen in Melbourne with Patrick Stewart in Waiting for Godot -what a thrill.
Ill have to get back to London soon -its been 5 years.
A great birthday present.

janisj

Follow up -- the full run was sold out and they just added two more weeks. Now running til Dec 17. If anyone in London then / interested in the show, jump on it ASAP cuz the new booking period is likely to sell out soon.