Finally the day had come to enjoy my Mum’s Christmas and Birthday present – tickets to see the wonderful Sheridan Smith in Funny Girl and then afternoon tea at the equally wonderful Savoy Hotel.
We met in Oxford St, and did a whistlestop tour of the second floor at Debenhams, picking up a new jacket, dress and a couple of tops on the way – all in the space of about 15 minutes! Because the Saturday Prudential Ride 100 was on in London it meant lots of road closures and grabbing a cab wasn’t easy, so we tubed down to Charing Cross and walked along The Strand to The Savoy Theatre.
It was exciting seeing the signage for Funny Girl, and I was very much hoping that Sheridan was going to be in the performance. We got to our seats, which were only 5 rows from the front and was thrilled to discover the she was in the show! I’ve never seen the film and didn’t actually read anything about the play before seeing it, so I didn’t know what to expect. I was blown away – it was a simple story and a simple set, but great acting and performances made it completely enjoyable all the way through, with funny and emotional bits (as well as songs and dancing, obviously!) There were no points were it felt like time was dragging and the audience gave Sheridan two very well deserved standing ovations. That’s the second time I’ve seen her in the West End, and the second time she has been absolutely fantastic. We saw her in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2013 at The Noel Coward Theatre, when she starred opposite David Walliams.
After the show we walked next door and had tea in the Thames Foyer at The Savoy. I was ready for it by then, and it didn’t disapoint. Dainty sandwiches, fluffy scones and sweet pastries, all set under the lovely glass dome – with a twinkling piano to accompany us. The Savoy is a grande damme of London hotels and afternoon tea there was a very civillised end to a lovely day.
