School of Rock: The Musical (Review)

Whenever I go to London, I go see a musical on the West End and this trip to London was no different. I have been very lucky to see many musicals, especially as I managed to get cheap last minute tickets when I lived in London so I definitely made the most of it in my last few months there. This time was slightly different as I was going with my boyfriend. I wanted to pick something that wasn't super traditional and musically because he's not really into that, and I wanted it to be a story he was familiar with...aka not Disney. I settled on School of Rock and to be honest, I wasn't expecting much but I was completely blown away!

Click here to watch the trailer and here to buy tickets. Once again, I always buy tickets through TodayTix.

The theatre is a little further afield than other theatres, so took a little longer to get there than I expected but it is actually a really amazing theatre. It's a little dated in terms of the decor which isn't awful, but the queues for the toilet is so long as there is only 2 sets of 3 cubicles. Having said that, the seating area is amazing! It's a really steep and sloped seating arrangement which really means that no seat is a bad seat. You have a perfect view from every angle. Also, it's curved. Meaning the seats curve around a round stage.

As the show starts, Andrew Lloyd Webber's voice projects out stating the children in the show are all singing and playing live. At the time, I didn't think much of it but as the musical progresses, you'll understand why. The children are absolutely incredible. They blew me away. Every single one of them. I cried...twice! They were unbelieveably talented in not just the instruments, but also the acting.

What made it even more special was that there were three children who were coming to the end of their contracts so it was their last show. The front few rows were of their families and friends who were rooting and cheering for them. The atmosphere was emotional and it all felt very surreal as I was swept into the celebration.

Going on from this, it is made to feel like a proper concert at the end. The entire audience stood up and started singing and clapping along and it was lovely to see the audience being encouraged to be involved. The actors asked for feedback and even responded to the audience with an unexpected encore! It also amazed me to see them encouraging photos to be taken, and I think that was a nice way to end the show.

I love that the musical stays true to the film. Very clever set designers made the multiple locations merge perfectly together and the dance sequences move the scenes into place making it appear seamlessly smooth.

Finally, the lead actor who plays Dewey is unbelievable. How he maintains that level of energy the entire way through is beyond me. It made me tired just sitting there watching!

It's defintely one to consider seeing if you like musicals! I am obsessed.

To read my other reviews, see some of them here. The latest ones include Waitress the Musical and Magic Mike LIVE.