21 Struggles Every Musical Theatre Geek In London Will Understand

    You're not the only one who wants to Bend and Snap every time you drop your Oyster card.

    Natalie Blenford
    by Natalie Blenford

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    1. Knowing that celebrity casting is wrong, but LOVING Scherzy as Grizabella anyway.

    Alessandro Pinna / Cats

    Although you'll sleep easier once Kerry Ellis takes over.

    2. The temptation to burst into full choreo when you're alone on an empty tube platform.

    Flickr: jayincanada / Creative Commons

    Because all the world's a stage, right? Let's just hope the CCTV is out of tape.

    3. You're still mourning the closure of Dress Circle.

    Dress Circle / Via Facebook: DressCircleShop

    Even though all your CDs come from Amazon and the only thing you ever bought there was a Blood Brothers cast calendar, for a joke, in 2011.

    4. Taking a "general" Jazz class at Pineapple, then crying when you realised "general" means suitable for a Strallen sister.

    Tom Broderick / Bill Cooper / BuzzFeed

    5. Trying to explain to your parents why you really do need to sleep outside the Apollo Victoria before Wicked cast change day.

    Flickr: aroberts / Creative Commons

    They just won't get it. But you'll be in the front row for muck-up matinee, which will be thrillifying, so whatever.

    6. Getting to fringe venues, above pubs, in Zone 3, in time for curtain-up.

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    Not easy. We might end up missing Act 1, but don't judge us.

    7. Shouting “Hey! That’s the Sound of Music waltz music!” whenever the DFS Winter Sale advert comes on TV.

    Flickr: thetalesend / Creative Commons

    8. Being absolutely devastated every time a show closes.

    Flickr: aroberts / Creative Commons

    Although in some cases, it's probably for the best. We mean you, Viva Forever.

    9. The Idina Menzel paradox.

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    Yes, you want her to rock Times Square, sell out Wembley and be a megastar. But you need people to know that YOU DISCOVERED HER FIRST. She was Elphaba before she was Elsa and she's been in your iTunes since 2003. OK, four year-old Frozen fan?

    10. Suppressing your anger when a casual film-goer says "Oh! So Into The Woods is a musical?"

    Peter Mountain / Disney

    Umm, yes. And a three-times Tony Award, one-time Olivier Award, and one-time Drama Desk award winning musical at that. Just to clarify.

    11. Trying to win The Book of Mormon £20 ticket lottery.

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    Best friend he may be, but there's only so many times a person can get to Piccadilly Circus two and a half hours before the show, with appropriate ID and wait in the rain to see if you're gonna get lucky.

    12. Struggling to give directions that don't involve complicated theatre-geography.

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    Because "Meet me at Costa opposite Les Mis, then we can go for dinner next to The Commitments and go drinking underneath Once" makes perfect sense to you.

    13. Resisting the temptation to physically unmask West End Producer.

    Matt Crockett / Via westendproducer.co.uk

    When he walks past you at Freedom, you just want to rip off that mask, dear.

    14. Finding it tricky to find a flat-share that tolerates show tunes.

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    For £800pcm plus bills, we want to be able to belt the hell out of an E flat whenever we like. Which means never mentioning musical theatre at speed flat-mating or until the contract is signed.

    15. Advance booking tickets to see the summer musical at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

    openairtheatre.com / Via openairtheatre.com

    Which is basically pointless, because pre-booking is like asking the rain maven to swing by Regent's Park circa 7pm and shed buckets of water on your head.

    16. Wanting to use a stagey hashtag but knowing you'll be judged.

    twitter.com / Via Twitter: @number1fansie

    Just because #cheekymatinee #FirstDayOfSchool #happyactor #blessed and the rest of them are easy to trot out all over Twitter, doesn't mean you should.

    17. Getting irate when a theatre-goer whips out an iphone to record a performance.

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    But happily watching other people's clips hundreds of times of YouTube.

    18. Explaining why your friends should totally go and see a musical called Urinetown.

    Via comicvine.com

    Or Bat Boy. Or Dogfight. Or anything other than Phantom of The Opera. You like to think you get a special Musical Theatre Merit Point every time you sell a ticket to a strangely titled show.

    19. The horror of finding out your favourite understudy is on for the lead, but being unable to make it.

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    You've waited months to see a humble second cover step up to the mark, so why does it have to happen when you're not around.

    20. Working out what to wear to the WhatsOnStage or Olivier Awards red carpet.

    Via Twitter: @EleanorDickens7

    Should you go all out to let people know who you want to win?

    21. But hardest of all, concealing your joy when your all-time favourite show tune comes on Shuffle, mid commute.

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    It might be 8.30am, but a surprise "So Much Better" from Legally Blonde always releases a rush of endorphins and makes you want to punch the air. Take that, rush hour.