Livin' it up in London!

GROWING up with the Bardic Theatre in Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, there was simply no escaping the magic of musical theatre.

As they say around these parts, I was reared on it so when a weekend in the West End of London beckoned, I was like a child in a toy shop at the very thought of choosing an evening out to the theatre, but which to see and where to start?

For me it was easy.

In fact my musical of choice was a no brainer really.

I’ve been a tad obsessed you might say with the Oscar winning Dublin based movie ‘Once’ for a while now, so when some clever person decided to make it into a Tony and Grammy award winning stage show I was chomping at the bit to go see it since it made its debut in London earlier this year.

Compared to other musical phenomenon such as Les Miserables, Wicked and Billy Elliott, Once is perhaps still a baby of the bunch, but despite its young age it is standing strong amongst the big boys with a stellar cast, a funny and touching script and packed out audiences to prove its worth. 

The story centres round an un-named Dublin busker who is pining for his lost love, singing songs in her name when he meets a Czech immigrant on the street and promises to fix her hoover. ‘Guy’ as he is known in the credits, soon discovers that musically, this beautiful quirky stranger is as talented as he is and as a deep relationship develops, music turns to magical love but not without hiccups and heartaches along the way.

For fans of the movie and newbies alike, Once The Musical will delight you and surprise you at the same time. It is much more comedic than the on screen version, certainly more lively in style and character and dare I say it…it’s even better.

I got shivers, I had tears in my eyes and the music with onstage fiddles, banjos, guitars and more was moving, mind blowing and achingly beautiful.

Jim was as enthralled as I was and as a singer/songwriter himself, he was blown away by the feeling and depth of Once, not to mention the highly charged emotional journey the live on stage story takes you on. This was his first musical theatre experience and one he described as ‘musical genius, a singer/songwriter’s paradise and breathtakingly better than the film.’

For me, it was a bit like meeting an idol – I wanted it to be good but had a fear of building my hopes up too much. However, I needn’t have worried as it exceeded every expectation I could have had and I’ve been telling everyone to go see it since we came home.

It’s a treat for the eyes, the ears and for those who love a laugh and a tug at the old heart strings, it really is a must see.

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Planning a West End break to London can be a minefield when it comes to accommodation and it’s easy to make the mistake of staying somewhere which cuts the cost per night but requires multiple Tube stops, swaps and taxi rides to get into the heart of theatre land.

However, the recently opened 4*Novotel in Blackfriars takes away any unnecessary time wasting travel with its South Bank location and walking distance to the heart of the action.

We stayed in an Executive Suite on the 13^th floor with a spacious room which looked out onto The Shard, London’s tallest building, and an invigorating skyline that which reminded us just how close we were to the lights of London’s city life.

Staff at Novotel were friendly and courteous and the breakfasts were to die for, plus it’s fresh, modern and clean interior told us that this was a young hotel which was out to impress. The centrally located bar in the foyer serves a mean cocktail list and its open plan design gives it a real metropolitan feel.

We sampled the sauna, Jacuzzi and swimming pool and there is also a fitness centre and a play area with computer games for kids. The rooms are ensuite with a rain-shower and the hotel has free WiFi too.

A delightful stroll across the Blackfriars Bridge allowed us to take in sights such as Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, The London Eye and the Tate Modern Gallery and on a crisp Autumn night, it was truly a treat to be able to walk to our destination rather than miss it all by travelling on the Underground.

The Novotel’s key selling point is its location and despite our initial plan to stay only one night, we ended up staying three! I think that says it all really….

For culture vultures, West End fans or those who just like to see London rather than trundle through the Underground, the Novotel is simply perfect in every way.

And like us, you just might find it so good that you will want to stay there more than ‘Once.’

For seasonal rates and special offers at Novotel Blackfriars, click www.novotel.com

Once The Musical runs at the Phoenix Theatre Monday to Saturday with Saturday Matinees – tickets and info is available at www.oncemusical.co.uk