Theatres in the UK

One thing that surprised me in the UK, especially in London, was the fact that I saw more theatres in the area rather than cinemas; this was completely contrary with it's Asian counterparts, where seeing a single theatre was nothing short as a miracle as land costs continue to increase and plays tend to be less lucrative than cinemas... at least in Asia. Seeing such places makes me realise that truly this was the land that Shakespeare roamed during his time. It seems to me that the British enjoy watching plays rather than movies (which is significantly more expensive can I add). I was quite surprised to find famous movie actors in the play such as Daniel Radcliffe as well as Judi Dench, who played M in 007. My father didn't seem surprised about the fact; an actor is famous everywhere except in his or her hometown after all.

Our trip to the UK was not complete without watching a play, so we watched one called "Let it Be", and it doesn't take a genius to realise that it's based on the Beatles.  

Often I am used plays which involve plots, storylines and twists. However this play was basically a group of people who pretended to be members of the Beatles and play their hits on stage. However boring that may sound, the music, as well as the way they moved (which was very similar to the original Beatles), made it seem as though they were really there. The make up was amazing and their voices were very similar (probably put on) so it wasn't hard to tell which actor was playing who. Being a big Beatles fan, the songs brought back memories of my past (although probably not as far back as the other older members of the audience), especially the song "All my life".

There are places I remember, all my life... though some have changed...

Needless to say, by the end of the play, the whole crowd was standing up singing "Hey Jude", written by Paul McCartney. 

Plays are really a magical thing, especially where they are so much more appreciated and when there are so many in frequency in London compared to those in Asia. If you ever go by London, I recommend you go to see one as soon as possible. 

Cheers,

Matthew Tan