As a former theater kid, seeking out opportunities to see live art is a huge priority for me. Though it may not always be accessible, I find that I am always looking for ways to experience art, whether it’s at the West End in London, or even at a local theater here in Santa Barbara.
Personally, I feel that there is such an overwhelming sense of belonging that comes with watching a stage light up with the stories being told. Theater is so special because, while being subjective, it manages to explore the universal experiences that we all share as humans and brings them to life in artistic and nuanced ways.
In 2022, I had some amazing opportunities thrown at me, one of which happened to be the ability to see three of the most (in my opinion) iconic musicals of all time. In March, I saw The Phantom of the Opera and Chicago on New York City’s Broadway, and in August, I saw Les Misérables in the West End of London. If I had been told two years ago that I would be seeing these shows all in one year in two cities that I had always dreamt of seeing them in, I would never have believed it.
The Phantom of the Opera
The first show I saw in 2022, was The Phantom of the Opera. My two roommates and I took a trip to New York for spring break and decided that while we were there, we had to see this lifelong bucket list show of ours. From the beautiful music and unsettling yet riveting aesthetics to the heartbreaking and classic story, (and of course, the dazzling costumes), seeing The Phantom of the Opera had been at the forefront of my theater kid fantasies since my mom first played the soundtrack for me as a kid on the way to school. From the beginning to the end, the performance blew me away and completely exceeded my already high expectations.
The singing and acting were immaculate and emotional, but what I actually, unexpectedly found was how incredible and intricate the special effects were. From actual fire blazing on stage to incredible optical illusions, I was blown away. This show could have been performed with zero special effects and I would have still been intrigued because of how beautiful the story is and how remarkable the talent was, but the special effects truly did bring something so special to this specific performance and added to the show in a way that brought me to tears by the end. The entire show was outstanding and I sat immovable in my seat when it was over, feeling overwhelmingly awestruck by what I just saw.
Chicago
My roommates and I were in a state of theatrical bliss after seeing The Phantom of the Opera and were not ready to leave the streets of Broadway quite yet. Looking to our left, we saw a brightly-lit billboard advertising the musical Chicago. We were enticed, and after short contemplation, we impulsively took out our phones and bought tickets to see it that very same night. This last-minute decision gave us only an hour before our next showtime, so we hopped over to the next theater, still in a buzz from the previous performance.
Seeing this show made me quite nostalgic, because of how dance-centric it is. I had danced for my entire life before college, and my participation in musicals had always been centered around my dancing. Chicago was performed in a smaller, more intimate space with a smaller cast. The talent was beyond almost anything I had seen before, and though it was performed in a small space, the actual performance gave so much energy to the show that it kept me in a trance through its entirety. It is hard not to love Chicago, especially when you have a background in jazz and musical theater dancing. The performance was impeccable and brought me back to my dancing roots, as I had a hard time sitting still as soon as the first eight-count of the Cell Block Tango number began. The entire show really fed into the indulgent musical theater and dance junkie that I am, and as soon as it ended, I was (mentally) begging for an encore.
Les Misérables
The last musical I saw in 2022 was one of the best experiences of my life. After traveling to New York together, my friends and I decided that we needed another trip together. Shortly after getting back, we booked our flight to London. In August, we hopped on our plane and embarked on our 10-hour journey to visit our friend who lives in England. After we got there, one of the first things on our itineraries was to see a show on the West End.
In the back of my mind, I was really hoping the group consensus would be to see Les Misérables, my all-time favorite musical. To my extreme excitement, my friend decided to take me as a birthday gift, so the decision was made that we would all go to see Les Misérables the night before my birthday. An evening that I had only ever dreamt of experiencing, the evening that I would see Les Misérables in the West End of London finally arrived!
As the sun went down, and our dinner at Cecconi’s settled in our stomachs, the excitement as my friends and I walked down the lively streets of Soho to the theater was beyond measure. We were seated, the lights dimmed, the orchestra began playing, and it wasn’t even 10 minutes into the show before tears of amazement, passion, awe, and emotion for the story being told started rolling down my cheek.
The entire experience was surreal, as I heard the songs that got me through many stages of my life being performed, and watched as the most intense and beautiful live acting I had ever seen was happening in front of me. Watching and soaking in the beautiful sounds of my favorite songs from the show, “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Who Am I,” “Do You Hear the People Sing,” “One Day More,” “On My Own,” and everything in between fulfilled a life’s dream of mine. The show was even better than I could have ever imagined, and every time I hear the familiar melodies, I relive the experience and get taken back to the exact moment that the curtains rose up and the beginning of this impactful, inspiring, and truly beautiful performance began.
Seeing and experiencing art is something that makes me excited to wake up in the morning, and being that I go to college in such a culturally rich part of California, I found it easy to find accessible live art opportunities here. After seeing three amazing musicals in 2022, I did my research and already have some shows on my bucket list to see here in Santa Barbara this year. The Granada Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara is a hub for so many performances that UCSB students can watch for student pricing Events | The Granada Theatre. Some upcoming shows happening at the Granada Theatre include Anastasia in April, and The Book of Mormon in May, both of which I have not seen before, and cannot wait to go out and watch!
Though I find it difficult to participate in theater in the way I did before going to college, I have rechanneled my passion for the arts into taking every chance I can get to go out and watch shows, learning about the art I watch, and supporting those who put their heart and soul into crafting phenomenal shows for people to experience and keep the unique and magical experience of theater-going alive.