Perfect Weekends: Part 2

This past week(end) was absolutely amazing! Before I talk about that though, my Musical Theatre class went to see Pippin! It was so incredible, I have to say. I didn't know anything about it, other than that it was Eve's favorite show haha. Beforehand, Mo (who we got an extra ticket), Eve and I went to dinner at the attached restaurant in the Menier Chocolate Factory. Eve took a picture of my dessert that I must share because it is beautiful.

So then we went to the show which was SO COOL! From the moment you walk in, you are already immersed in the show. The had the entrance to the theatre made up to look like Pippin's bedroom and he was there playing a video game. (The 2nd time I saw it he was actually playing Super Mario Brothers, hahaha I was in love). Actually, it was funny because you obviously don't know it's him at first and so as we're walking, this guy jumps down from a ladder in the ceiling and almost hits me and he apologizes quite cutely, and now I know it was the guy playing Pippin :D He can do that anytime he wishes... Anyway, so the show itself is about a college-aged boy named Pippin who hates his life and is contemplating killing himself. He escapes by playing a video game and is obsessed with finding meaning for his life because according to him, he is extraordinary. All of the characters in the game either encourage or discourage him towards killing himself (I won't spoil the end for you because it is DEFINITELY worth seeing!!) I even went to see it twice, and can I just say, they should pay me as a writer because when we were discussing it in class, I made a suggestion for the end. They totally heard me/read my mind and used it the 2nd time I saw it. Matt Rawle (who plays the Lead Player) and Harry Hepple (who plays Pippin) were definitely the shining stars in this sky. Their singing was phenomenal, and they were so charming that you automatically just fell in love with them straight away. And the Lead Player was totally a cheeky minx and winked, blew kisses and held Eve, Mo and my eye contact at one point ;) And I must mention that Harry's 'dancing' (or attempt at dancing) was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Hopefully someone films it so I can just watch that video over and over and over...

Last night, I went to see it again and they did this weird reprise/medley thing but it was nice to hear all the best songs one more time. ''Magic to Do,'' ''Corner in the Sky,'' ''Glory,'' ''Simple Joys,'' ''No Time At All,'' ''The Right Track,'' and ''Extraordinary'' were definitely the best songs. And, when Berthe (Pippin's grandmother) sang ''No Time At All'' she encouraged the crowd to help her and Pippin sing the chorus. So I can now truthfully say I have sung in a London musical :D And we got to see more of Pippin's dancing so ya know, I loved it... I wish we could have taken pictures of the set because the special effects were AMAZING! There were lasers, projections to make the actors look like video game characters, a curtain wall to make it look like characters appeared out of nowhere (like they would in a video game) and web cams to make the story feel up to date and really make it feel like you were in the video game with them.

I can't rave about it enough, soooo: GO SEE IT NOW
http://tinyurl.com/6yhsosf

We go see Billy Elliot (our last show :( ) tonight, so I will definitely let you know how that is. I know it's gonna be fantastic though!!

Then on Thursday, I went to see Yellowcard perform at the HMV Forum in Camden. I was a little nervous going by myself but I found some nice girls to talk to in line, so it was okay. I got there a little over an hour before doors opened and was surprised to find that there were maybe only about 20 people in the queue. In the US, if you got there an hour before doors, there would be most of the crowd already in line. Unfortunately, it started raining steadily and that lasted until we got inside, so I ended up kind of soaked. But the waiting was worth it as I got barrier!!

 I may be leaving but you're always in my heart.

 Rough Landing, Holly

 Can you feel it beating, my heart sinking like a weight?

Check out that British flag that they hung up for a bit in the background :D

 A chunk of 'Soundtrack' that I found on Youtube.

''Sing For Me (acoustic)'' which Ryan told us was about his late aunt Steph, who unfortunately passed away about a month ago. He told us she was Yellowcard's biggest fan and was at every show she could make. I even read somewhere else that she would drive them to shows because his parents weren't supportive of his career choice. It warmed my heart.

The show was SO much fun! I just jumped around, sung my heart out and went crazy! I was so glad they played 'Soundtrack' since it's one of my favorite songs off of When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes! They also played 'Be The Young,'' ''Believe,'' Breathing,'' For You, And Your Denial,'' Hang You Up,'' ''Life of Leaving Home,'' ''Lights and Sounds,'' Ocean Avenue,'' ''Only One,'' Rough Landing, Holly,''The Sound of You and Me,'' ''Way Away,'' and ''With You Around.'' I was a bit sad they didn't get around to ''Inside Out,'' ''Twentythree,'' ''Miles Apart,'' or ''Empty Apartment'' but it's just an excuse for me to see them a third time (which if the opportunity ever arises, I definitely plan on taking advantage of it!!) They're so humble and amazing and I love them so much, even more especially after getting to know how they are as people a bit.

So then since I checked my coat, I unfortunately had to wait about 20 minutes in order to get it back. But on the bright side, I met this really nice girl name Beatriz and we got to talking. We decided to wait outside together and see if any of the guys were gonna come out. We also met this really nice girl named Stephanie while waiting! One and a half hours later in the freezing cold...

 Me and Ryan Key, the lead singer. He is so sweet. I told him I was sad they didn't play 'Inside Out' and he said that it was getting tough now since they had 5 albums. I told them to just play a 5 hour long show ;) He said that if they did that, we'd all have to go, as well as clone ourselves so that we could all stay awake for it haha. He's wonderful.

Then we met Sean O'Donnell, the bassist. He was really nice! Someone in the crowd told him congratulations on getting engaged and asked him about wedding plans. So he told us how his fiancee keeps asking his opinion on everything and how it was driving him nuts because he doesn't care about the details lol.

Me and Ryan Mendez, the lead guitarist. I didn't really have any idea what he was going to be like, but he turned out to be one of the sweetest people I've ever met! He was so nice and very understanding when Steph took our picture and it came out dark the first time. He didn't mind at all taking another one :) Then some girl brought him the scarf he's holding and he kept hugging her and it was so cute. Then they were talking about how she made a website for them and he told her to send it to him on twitter so he could check it out and almost as an afterthought and in a teasing way, she told him that she did but he ignored her post! His reaction was priceless. He walked right up to her and and was like ''Do you really think I ignored you?? You know that's not true. If I see it, I reply. Sometimes I just don't see it because there's a lot of people and a lot of posts.'' Haha, it was adorable, because she totally challenged him and he accepted. But then I was telling him about how I was sad they didn't play ''Inside Out'' and he told me they'd be back in London again. So then I told him I was leaving soon and he asked me where I was from and I don't even know how to describe it without it sounding dumb, but it was really cool for him to be interested in talking to me. Even if it was only for a few minutes, he cared about what I had to say and was interested to hear what I had to say.

Thennnn I finally got to meet Sean Mackin, who is the incredible violinist and back-up singer. I've wanted to meet him ever since I saw them in March for the first time. He seemed like such a sweet and humble guy, and he didn't disappoint. He was quite funny too actually haha, he was running around screaming that they had left him lol (all the guys were getting ready to go out to a bar). They hadn't left him lol, so the other guys would come back and randomly talk for a minute and then wander off again. As they were walking away, I ordered Sean (nicely) to play ''Inside Out'' next time. He laughed and told me okay! Success!!
Then after that we watched them get into a car after a chorus of thank yous and good nights from us, Beatriz, Steph and I made our way to the bus stop. It was a truly magical night and I won't forget it anytime soon.


Random pictures that I never included in my blog posts:

 When Chelsea's friends and MK's friend were here we ventured to Platform 9 and 3/4 to get onto the Hogwart's Express!

 Gotta get back to Hogwart's! (Yes, that is A Very Potter Musical reference. I've become obsessed with it. But of course, it has Darren Criss in it, so who's really surprised??)

Thennn after a long Friday spent writing a paper about Pippin, Eve and I ventured to Covent Garden to hang out with some of my favorite people, Danielle and Heavens!! First on the agenda was petting/feeding reindeer!! Unfortunately when we got there, they were resting so we could only look at them, but they were adorable. One even started curling up into a ball to get comfy :)

Sooo cuteeee.

So after we saw the reindeer, we walked around Covent Garden Market for a bit before we got Ben's Cookies CHICKA CHICKA YEAH!! I got a dark chocolate chunk cookie and a chocolate milkshake as usual :D Gonna miss those little bites of heaven. They're lush! Then we made our way to Hyde Park to go the annual Winter Wonderland!

Genius name, except for the fact that it's spelled wrong...



 This ride had a 216ft free fall!!

 Danielle and Heavens went on this, and Heavens said it was terrifying and that she used some choice words haha!

 Frosty the snowman...

 It's true.

 The spectacular view from the Ferris Wheel!! (If you look realllly closely, you can see the London Eye and Big Ben in the distance!!)

 One of the wonderful ladies we shared our car with :) She was hilarious.

 Aww :)

 This effect was totally unintentional but I'm in love with how this picture came out!

I absolutely loved Winter Wonderland! It was a lovely way to spend the Saturday and I spent it with some lovely company.

Tonight is Billy Elliot, tomorrow I'm going to Oxford, Thursday I'm going to Abbey Road and maybe going on the Eye that night, Friday me and a couple friends are taking a trip to a small, (as of yet undecided) charming little English town, and Saturday I'm going to a Chocolate Lover's Festival, to see The Woman in Black and to have a Tex-Mex dinner with Eve, Danielle and Heavens so expect another few posts in the next few days!!