London with Glee – a reminiscence
Our ‘London with Glee’ trip exceeded our expectations in so many ways. Firstly, it actually happened – our ‘New York with Glee’ trip had been booked in for September 2020 and, well, you don’t need me to spell out why that didn’t go ahead.
So there was a small part of me that couldn’t believe my eyes as we sat down to the opening night dinner at The Ivy Market Grill in Covent Garden – we were all actually here! From then on it was a whirlwind of highlights and the travel gods were firmly on our side for the full eight days.
The next day brought us our first singing rehearsal together at Seven Dials Playhouse and an inspiring workshop with Abi Moore on a cappella singing. She had us sounding brilliant in no time – check us out here. Then we were off to the theatre to see Cabaret which was a truly immersive theatrical experience complete with schnapps on entry.
Our fellow Aussie, Ben Van Tienan was conducting his first performance of the show that night and kindly came to visit us at rehearsal next day to answer our questions and share his incredible knowledge and experience.
Tuesday we were off to our Silent Disco Tour of the West End. This was filled with hilarity as we sang our way through the theatre district. Unaware that we were caught on film and posted to Tik Tok, we went viral! 2 million people got to share in a little bit of the joy we spread that afternoon.
And the hilarity continued as we headed to Wilton’s Music Hall for Tom Carradine’s Cockney Singalong. Wilton’s Music Hall is the oldest running music hall in the world and it was so much fun to sing all the old time London songs with 300 or so new buddies – “‘ave a banana”!
We were back together singing at Pineapple Studios the next morning before heading off to Royal Albert Hall for a behind the scenes tour and boy did we get lucky. The Royal Philharmonic were just starting their rehearsal as we stepped in so we got to sit and listen to this extraordinary orchestra in their native habitat. And then of course we followed the tour with high tea because that’s how we roll!
We headed off for a super informative walking tour of Covent Garden the next morning. Understandably some Gleebers decided to stay in bed after the previous jam-packed days. As with all things Glee, our motto is “you do you”!
That afternoon it was our last rehearsal in London so we thought we better mark the occasion – at the end of rehearsal we all marched down to Trafalgar Square and gave London a surprise pop-up performance. The rain stopped, a rainbow appeared and magic was made!
Operation Mincemeat was the show we opted for that night at the slightly squishy Fortune Theatre in Drury Lane. If you haven’t heard of this show and have the opportunity to see it, make sure you get there. It is a true delight.
Friday saw us boarding a bus for Trinity College Cambridge which turned out to be the highlight of the whole trip. After a slow bus trip there, we squished in a tiny bit of punting on the River Cam before the magic really started to happen. We were met in the chapel by the Trinity College choristers who generously listened to one of our favourite songs and shared their own beautiful music with us. Then they invited us to stand amongst them and all sing a piece of Tallis together. It was a moment none of us will forget. Further, they generously invited us to afternoon tea before our fantastic host, Hugh took us on an unforgettable tour of the college: “Here is why Isaac Newton first measured the speed of sound. And over here is A. A. Milne’s hand-written copy of Winnie the Pooh”. Mind-blowing!
After our bus journey home, we finished off our London leg with burgers and beers at a West End piano bar as the next morning we were checking out and on to Bath.
Bath brought us the perfect way to finish our trip. We performed at beautiful St Michael’s Church with a local Bath choir and a visiting choir from Cornwall. Then a day of choral workshops with many local choirs where lots of new skills were learned and new friendships made.
Then after a fabulous farewell meal at Bath Square Grill which overlooks the Roman baths we finished in the best way we know how – with a rollicking singalong around the piano! We’re not sure the diners knew what hit them but we had them joining in before long and it was truly a night to remember at the end of a week none of us will ever forget.