My Top 5 Things We Can Learn From West End Musicals
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| By
Jasmine Richards
Every musical ever written has a story to it and usually, the moral of the story is pretty obvious! But what about all those hidden stories that we can learn things from? Every show is full of them and they're there to be uncovered! (#SpoilerAlert....sorry!)
Billy Elliott has so many hidden influential messages that can really change the way people think.
The show is all about a boy who is sent to a boxing class by his dad every week but accidentally ends up in Mrs Wilkinson's ballet class. He soon realised he loves the ballet class and decides to continue it and sack off the boxing- much to his family's dismay!
This touching show really sends a message that everyone should follow, if you have a passion, don't let anyone stop you! Billy continues to pursue his passion for ballet and lands himself a place at a prestigious school. He didn't let anyone prevent him from doing what he loves and that's something we all need to follow! Don't let yourself be told you can't do something, get out there and do it!
This show is one of my favourites, as it's so emotional and really tugs on your heart strings. Get your tickets now and experience the wonder that is Billy Elliott.
Kinky Boots is such a brilliant show that is oozing with life lessons. It's all about Charlie Price (Killian Donnelly) who ends up having to take over his father's shoe factory, but when it all goes badly wrong, he ends up making an unlikely friendship with drag queen, Lola (Matt Henry).
One of the two main stand out messages in this show is also the title of one of the songs- 'Just Be'. Lola doesn't let people's opinions or thoughts about her life choice stop her from being the best she can be and this is such an important moral to have. Regardless of what you want to do or be, there's only you who has the right to make it or break it, you can't live your life defined by everyone else's opinions and I think it's so admirable and important to be able to say 'this is me'.
The show is so fabulous with upbeat numbers and incredible costumes and is a definite must see!
Wicked is definitely one of the best known musicals of all time! The incredible music and the amazing costumes and scenery mean that it has certainly earned its place as one of the best west end musicals!
There are also some really lovely lessons we can all learn within the beautiful story. My favourite one has to be don't judge a book by its cover. To start with, Glinda is very dubious of Elphie (and vise-versa), but in the end, they turn out be really good friends. They both help each other through the hardest times and had they written each other off straight away, who knows where they'd be.
Sometimes the most unlikeliest of people turn out to be the ones you value the most. Looks aren't always everything- Glinda isn't keen on Elphaba at the start because she was very obviously green, and Glinda's sparkly, pink and girly sense of style really wasn't Elphie's cup of tea- it's what's inside that counts. Just because someone looks different doesn't mean they're not a nice person, you never know until you try!
This show has definitely earned its place as my favourite musical comedy ever! The hilarious songs and libretto create an immense show that is simply a barrel of laughs! Having said that, the two main characters demonstrate some really important morals and we should all take a leaf out of Elder Price's book.
To start with, Elder Price thinks of himself as the new Joseph Smith- the Mormon leader- and acts very righteously towards all the other missionaries. But when he's sent on a really challenging mission in Africa, he gives up, leaves and claims that its someone else's fault, leaving his inexperienced mission brother behind to convert the entire of Uganda. Elder Price soon realises that he needs to put others before himself if he wants to be the most successful Mormon, so reluctantly returns to help Elder Cunningham. He puts the needs of the other missionaries before his own and realises that they need help. It's really important to remember that sometimes, regardless of how you're feeling, you have to put others before yourself and help them if they're struggling or going through hard times.
And finally, we're back with my favourite musical to ever grace a west end stage! This message comes from a lyric in one of the biggest songs- 'you can change world if you change your mind'. Never have truer words been spoken! Something as simple as becoming more open minded or changing your opinion can have such an amazing impact on, not only yourself, but those around you. Not everything is as it seems!