2021 Bucket List

Bye Bye 2020... and Good Riddance!! Now let's throw it in the bin, set it on fire and press refresh on a brand new year...

Because surely it cannot get any worse.... Right.... (Please don't, I don't know if I can take much more disappointment in life!). 

Source: Election Year GIF by Veit Penzenstadler - Find & Share on GIPHY

I oddly in my now 6 years of writing (!), have never done a proper Bucket List for the following year; I've usually just mushed it in with the Review of the Year (click here to read last year's). And I thought, what better to year to do it than now - but remember, this is all based off whether Ms Rona buggers off, and the country is able to come out of Tier 3/4 restrictions.... So this may be subject to change...

I'm going to separate it into 4 tiers (hehe): London, Tours, Regional, and On-Screen Events (that we know of). Oh and this is for CONFIRMED productions only, no rumours

Let's Get Started

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London:

1. & Juliet - I may have seen the show before, but I've put this down for 2 reasons: a. it was the last show I saw before everything happened: and b. because when I saw it, it was the concert version, so I would like to see it in its full glory (which will also give me a proper chance to write about it). Tickets here
2. Come From Away - I had tickets for this on 28th March last year. Just a few days after lockdown kicked in. Gutted didn't even cover it at the time! (Still doesn't). Tickets here 
3. The Phantom of the Opera - Another casualty of lockdown, the 2020 tour was supposed to be the first time I saw Phantom since the last tour in 2012! ALW has confirmed it will be back at Her Maj in the Summer, with the fabulous Killian Donnelly (Les Mis) as the Phantom. Tickets here
4. Hairspray - Yet another 2020 casualty (this one was twice!), this was booked for my birthday!! I haven't seen Hairspray on stage since 2013, and with Michael Ball (Les Mis concert), Lizze Bea (Kinky Boots) and Marisha Wallace (Waitress) on board, I was sold! Tickets here
5. Frozen - It's no wonder after Samantha Barks sang Let It Go on the Royal Variety Performance, the ticket queue for this went to over an hour long.... Tickets here

Also look out for:

• Cinderella written by Andrew Lloyd Webber will run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre starring Carrie Hope Fletcher (The Addams Family)
• The Drifter's Girl starring Beverley Knight will premiere at the Newcastle Theatre Royal before transferring to the Garrick. 
• Aaron Sorkin's production of To Kill a Mockingbird will transfer from Broadway to the West End
• A new musical of the classic 101 Dalmatians will play at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre 
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice at the Southwark Playhouse

Tour:

1. The Lion King - Not seeing this as planned was a huge blow for me as The Lion King was my first West End show when I was 14, and I haven't seen it since. Cities it will be showing in include Manchester, Bradford, Cardiff and Southampton. Tickets here
2. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - Direct from the Bridge Theatre, this tour will begin in Leicester in November, and will be the Lowry's Christmas show for 2021. Tour dates and tickets here
3. My Best Friend's Wedding - Starring Alexandra Burke (Chess), this tour will start at Manchester's Palace Theatre. Tour dates and tickets here
4. Bedknobs and Broomsticks - Just announced a couple of weeks ago... and Twitter went crazy! Disney's latest stage musical will start from Newcastle in August. Tour date and tickets here
5. Beauty and the Beast - From Disney Theatrical's most recent musical to their first, Beauty and the Beast will play in Leicester, Dublin, Bristol, Liverpool and Edinburgh. Tickets here
   
   

Also look out for:

• Heathers - The Other Palace production will tour from Edinburgh in May. 
• Waitress - Jenna and her pies will hit the road from Bradford in May
• Bring It On - Another loss of 2020 for me, Bring It On will start in Birmingham in June
• Groan Ups - Mischief Theatre's newest show aims to hit the road in August in Salford (my neck of the woods!)
• Ruthie Henshall in Concert - Fresh off her stint in the I'm A Celeb, Henshall will be performing in London, Salford, Leicester and Dublin
• Strictly Ballroom - Starting from Theatre Royal in Plymouth in September with Strictly's Kevin Clifton
• White Christmas - The well-acclaimed Leicester Curve production will tour starting at Woking in October 2021 
  
  

Regional:

1. Unfortunate in Concert, The Lowry, Salford - Fat Rascal have been a stellar at Edinburgh Fringe for a long time now. I am so looking forward to this, not only to finally see what I have missed, but I adore anything Ursula related! 
2. South Pacific at Chichester Festival Theatre - One of the theatres on my bucket list is Chichester and their production at the South Pacific, delayed from last year, should fingers crossed be the perfect first-time. It is set to star Gina Beck, Julian Ovenden, Joanna Ampil and Rob Houchen (Eugenius!). Tickets here
3. Half A Sixpence and Carousel at Kilworth House Theatre - Kilworth House in Leicestershire is set to hold 2 blockbusters this summer; and I can't choose one over the other in my opinion. Tickets here
4. The Magician's Elephant at the RSC, Stratford-Upon-Avon - The RSC have been doing well for family musicals in the past few years following Matilda and The Boy in the Dress (which my theatre friends will not stop raving about). This latest adventure is based off Kate DiCamillo's novel about a magical elephant summoned from the sky. Tickets here
5. Something Rotten at Birmingham Rep Theatre - Ever wondered what the very first musical was? Well one version could be in this comedy set in the 1590s about two writing brothers trying to compete with a certain Will Shakespeare... I have been OBSESSED with the cast album since the Broadway production in 2015 - cannot wait for this one. Oh and if I can have a bit of dream casting, Simon Lipkin HAS to play Nick Bottom!
   
   
   
   

On-Screen: 

1. In The Heights - Director John M Chu chose to push this back a year rather than put it on a streaming platform as he felt it needs to be put on the big screen. Hopefully the cinemas will be open by the time this comes out
2. Everybody's Talking About Jamie - A big year for Jamie indeed with the West End, tour and now big-screen. We don't know exactly when this will air, but when it does, mind the glitter!
3. West Side Story - Though I'm still a little skeptical about Steven Spielburg's remake of the classic, my worries have been eased a little since watching Ariana DeBose in The Prom, who will be playing Anita. 
4. Romeo and Juliet - The National Theatre are bringing this filmed version of Shakespeare's tragedy to life. Starring Josh O'Connor and Jessie Buckley as the star-crossed lovers, it will air on Sky Arts in the UK. 
5. Encanto - Not much is known about this other than it's Disney, set in Columbia and has Lin Manuel Miranda writing the songs. That's enough for me. 

Also look out for:

• I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change - Lambert Jackson Productions have been one of Theatre-land's saviours with their filmed productions. This is the one that will kick off their 2021 and will star Trevor Dion Nicholas (Aladdin), Alice Fearn (Wicked), Brenda Edwards and Oliver Tompsett. 
• Tiana and Moana The Series - if they're given as much care as Tangled: The Series did, these could be amazing!
• Vivo - This is another Lin Manuel Miranda project, this time from Sony Pictures Animation (which can be hit or miss, we'll see how it goes...)
• Cinderella - one more version to throw into the pile, this one stars Idina Menzel as the Stepmother and Billy Porter as the Fairy Godmother 

What are you looking forward to this year? Give me a bell and I hope you have a very Happy New Year!