Thursday we slept in, and then headed over to the Victoria Palace Theatre for a matinee performance of Billy Elliot the Musical. On the way, we grabbed a pasty outside Victoria Station and ate lunch on the sidewalk outside the theatre. I hadn't seen the film, but knew the basic storyline; I found the musical really enchanting. The kid who played Billy (I'm not sure which one, as there are three who rotate performances; in London theatres, you don't get Playbills; rather, you can buy a larger format souvenir program, but even these don't include paper inserts noting the day's cast or cast changes) was incredible, as was Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy's dance teacher. Chris Lennon, portraying Billy's older brother, Tony, was easy on the eyes, as was Isaac James, Billy's older self, who performed a touching pas de deux with the younger Billy.
After the show we returned to the hotel to drop off the program, and I was able to snag some interesting pictures of the oddly bare (everything else was in bloom) trees lining John Islip Street, before heading back out for the evening performance of Mary Poppins the Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre in Soho.
After the evening show, we walked around the Soho gayborhood, ending up at Balans for a late supper, where we were entertained by the fun and cheeky group at the table next to us, as well as by our handsome waiter.
