Attend To The Tale Of Sweeney Todd

It's the third and final instalment of my London trip today! I hope I haven't bored you to tears by rambling on too much. As you will know if you have read my previous two posts, Rob and I went to see Sweeney Todd at the theatre on Thursday. Now, I love the theatre. Seriously. Somebody please let me get on a stage and sing my heart out. (Always how I feel after leaving a show).

Now, I haven't seen the film Sweeney Todd, you know, the one with Johnny Depp and Helen Bonham Carter, so I really couldn't say how alike they are. But the musical was fabulous. Brilliantly witty and the actors and actresses were just ridiculously talented. Sweeney Todd was played by Michael Ball (although, had I not known from the programme that it was him, I would never have guessed!) The lead female role of Mrs. Lovett was played by Imelda Staunton. I had no idea that she could sing, but she can and is brilliant at it.

The musical is about 'the demon barber of Fleet Street', Sweeney Todd, who murders his clients by slitting their throats with his razor. The bodies are then handed over to Mrs. Lovett, his accomplice who grinds the bodies up and bakes them into pies, which she sells in her now booming café.

The story is quite dark, but comedy genius at its best and it really is impossible to tear your eyes away from the lead characters. The story is complete with a beautiful damsel in distress, a young orphaned boy, two evil perverted old men and the man from the 'Go Compare' advert (spitting image!) I won't give away the ending of the story. but I implore you to go and see it. Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton were just flawless and it was a thoroughly enjoyable three hours of entertainment.

Have you seen anything in the theatre recently? What would you recommend for my next visit?

Promises, Swear Them To The Sky

The second day of our London stay saw clear blue skies and more wonderful sunshine. It also saw us checking out of our beautiful hotel, sigh. With out bags put away, we hit the streets in search of some brunch, and  little Googling from Rob led us to Lantana Café. It is an Australian café and they served the most delicious salads, fresh juice and coffee. The quiche tarts that had just come out of the oven looked incredible as well, and the rest of their menu left me more indecisive than usual. I would definitely recommend checking them out should you be in the area (they're just off Goodge Street down a pretty little lane).

With our salads in hand, we chose St. James' Park to bask in the sunshine and soak up some rays. The park was bustling with people sunbathing, enjoying picnics and feeding the ducks. (I didn't get to feed any ducks unfortunately, I was too pre-occupied with stuffing my own face). 

Afterwards we crossed the bridge, and headed for Oxford Street to have a quick mooch around Selfridges and sigh over how we could afford nada! One day, perhaps... 

All too quickly it was time to catch our train home. London really is wonderful in the summer; it's easy to forget that there are beautiful bits of greenery like St. James' Park hidden amongst the hustle and bustle of the busy Londoner's life. It was good to step away from London's chaotic streets for a few hours and relax in the summer heat. A wonderful second day to end our trip. 

Let This Part Of Me Remember How Lovely We Are

I have been one incredibly lucky girl this weekend. Last Wednesday I finished my last ever university exam and with a huge smile on my face and the sun beaming down gloriously, I made my way home. Not knowing what belated anniversary plans had been made for the next two days, I was one incredibly excited bean. 

So, Thursday swiftly came around and still clueless as to what the next couple of days had in store for me, Rob and I boarded a train to London Victoria. An hour and a half later and all surprises were revealed...

Rob had booked us a night at the Savoy Hotel, which is just the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen in my life. The building was gorgeous and the staff treated us like the most important people in the world. 

(I jumped on the bed before I got to take  picture of it in pristine condition, it didn't come wrinkly, honestly!)

Our room was amazing. After oohing and ahhing over its magnificence for quite some time, we decided to take advantage of the complimentary use of the gym and went swimming, being fortunate enough to have the entire 5 star pool to ourselves! Post swim, we crossed the street to a lovely little Italian restaurant where we feasted on their delicious cuisine before we pottered slightly further along the road to the theatre for phase two of the surprise: Sweeney Todd!

I cannot gush enough about how much I adore the theatre, and this show was just incredible. (I'm going to review it in a separate post). With our eyes and ears both equally satisfied, we went in search of a bar for a few drinks and finished the night off in Be At One cocktail bar. They played some great music and had a never ending selection of delicious cocktails and topped all this off with some extremely enthusiastic bar tenders getting a bit excited to one particular song, removing their shirts and dancing on the bar! 

It was such a lovely day and I am so grateful to Rob for organising it all; a truly wonderful way to unwind and celebrate after these past few weeks of dissertation and exams. Day two was just as wonderful but that's for another post...