I never normally watch or read other people’s reviews before I write mine but then I never normally leave things ten days before reviewing them. But yknow, there was “The Book Thief” the day afterwards and then choir and haircutting dogs and manics book launches and open evenings and Wales and Banbury. So all of that mean that it’s ten days later and along the way, I have heard a lot of other people’s opinions about Musical Con and some of theirs are the same as mine. Still, I try to be balanced in all things so this will be my own version, even if I occasionally reference things I’ve heard from others.
This was our second year at Musical Con and we had a lovely time last year but this year, I was a little wary. The schedule took a while to come out and when it did, there was a bit of a lack of big shows on the main stage. Last year, there was “Oliver!”, “Les Mis” and “Hadestown” and this year, the only one I really wanted to see was “The Producers”. The two big names that VK would have really loved – Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney – were both on the Sunday and we only had Saturday tickets. So I wondered if there would be a little less to do this year, but VK was excited anyway. And dressed as Gavroche, natch:
Because the Main Stage line up wasn’t quite so exciting this year, I decided to splash out on a masterclass to start the day right. It was an extra £15 each but I knew it would make VK happy as she’s obsessed with ““Operation Mincemeat” and the character of Hester in particular. So Hester’s actor Danny Becker running a class on singing through acting sounded perfect. And it was a lot of fun.
We were working on “Dear Bill”, which a lot of the group already knew quite well. There were a lot of Mincemeat cosplayers in the room, including two Spillsburies, a Haseldon and a few Charlies and Ewans. One of the Spillsburies even had a Brian in a drawer. VK was almost regretting her choice of cosplay but don’t worry, she was glad of it later.
Everyone who wanted to sing in front of the group got a chance and some were able to get feedback on their singing from Danny as well. There were some amazing voices in the room and seeing a Jane Doe singing “Dear Bill” really summed up what Musical Con should be about. Danny was very friendly and positive about everyone’s singing and it was a really feelgood start to the Con.
Next up was “The Producers” on the main stage, which I was excited about. We saw the production in around 2001 and then got the film soundtrack to listen to in the car when that came out. I wasn’t sure how the humour would work for the GenZ audience and sure enough, the punchline of “Keep it Gay” fell a bit flat. Joanna Woodward as Ulla belted out “When You Got it, Flaunt It” to well-deserved acclaim but it felt like the room just didn’t really understand the show. Ah well, I will eventually get round to booking tickets for my own teens and see what they make of it.
After that, it was more of a young person’s show – “Oscar at the Crown”. I’ve seen clips of some of the songs and I don’t think I’m target market but I appreciated the sheer energy of the performers. It’s probably a good show but the music and dancing is very much aimed at the ravers of 2025, not the ones who remember the raves of 1995. The second song, a ballad, was a total change of pace and I enjoyed that one more, even if I can’t remember much about it. It’s been ten days yknow.
As I was watching stuff on the main stage, VK was wandering around the market stalls and eyeing up theatre merch. I’d bumped into some friends from Highams Park earlier on but apart from that spent a fair amount of time on my own while my child did their own thing. Next time, I need a stagey sidekick to come with me. We did reconvene for lunch – chicken and fries for me, just fries for VK – and listened to the surprise cast reunion (“Clueless”) while we ate. Just like last year, there were no tables so we sat on the floor but it was just good to sit down for a bit.
Then it was time for “Star of Musical Con”, which was considerably shorter than last year. There was an astounding version of “Maybe This Time” by a 14-year-old singer and I was amazed she didn’t win. There was also a version of “As Long as He Needs Me”, which was a bold choice in front of someone who actually plays Nancy. The winner was a very crowd-pleasing rendition of “Defying Gravity”, which drew people from all over the room to film it as he sang. I’m glad I didn’t have to choose a winner as all the singers were just incredible.
Around this time, I lost VK for a while and apparently walked past her a number of times before finally stumbling across her. She was, of course, with the other Les Mis cosplayers at their designated fan zone meeting time. She’d been approached by them earlier in the day and given a rosette and a “join the revolution” business card. I think a lot of Les Amis already knew each other but they were very welcoming and she got to chat to them about the revolution plans while I hung around a little way away and watched Kerry Ellis from a distance. I also briefly bumped into Tess, who I’d done some IWD singing with in the City. It’s a small musical world.
By about 3, we were both exhausted and ready to go. We’d left home super early to make sure we were there in time for the masterclass and it had been a knackering week, with the Echobelly gig and our roof being repaired. So we went to the Costa just outside the Con and sat for a while in the relative peace, enjoying restorative coffee and frappe.
The big question is then – is Musical Con worth it? A lot of people have said no, because you can get the same thing for free at West End Live and there are a lot more shows involved there. To them, I would say that my kids were planning to go to West End Live (Nathan and I had a ukulele gig that day) and decided not to because the square was at capacity long before the end of the queue got anywhere near. It was also 32c that day and I was (rightly) worried about heatstroke. So it’s not really comparable.
But, for the experience to worth so much more than the free event, it does really need to offer a bit more. Yes, it’s fun to look at the cosplay and there are lots of nice stalls but all the best bits aren’t included in the ticket price. Our highlight was definitely the masterclass with Danny Becker but that was an add on when the entry alone was hefty. It felt like there were long periods of time on the main stage when nothing was happening – I don’t remember that from last year, as I think there was always *something*, even if it was just a compere starting a singalong. The list of shows wasn’t as extensive as last year and it just felt a bit less was going on. I remember there being a large exhibition on set design and a Hadestown stand with Persephone’s coat to try on. This year there was a small Lion King display but that was it really.
Also, when presenters did come onto the main stage, there was a lot of screaming that was super loud over the PA. Given how neurodiverse a lot of musical theatre fans are, it was not a sensory-friendly experience. We saw a sensory quiet room near the masterclass but we’d had to show masterclass tickets to get to it so I’m not sure how anyone else would access that area. It was through a small door and up a flight of stairs so not the most obvious placement either. Also, it was not at all obvious where the loos were and I had to leave the Con with a handstamp and come back in to use them, which I don’t think we had to last time. As others have pointed out, the placement of the market stalls made it very hard to get around and it would have been a nightmare in a wheelchair. So there is more to be done on accessibility.
I’ve drawn out some negatives there but I should say, there have been a few improvements from last year. Moving the backstage theatre to the other side of the wall from the main stage meant that the panellists could actually be heard, which was good. I didn’t get the chance to attend any of the panels but the noise seemed much more contained than last year. Also, it’s good that there was a sensory room on offer, even if it wasn’t overly signposted. Apparently, the Sunday was a lot calmer than the Saturday so maybe next year we’ll skip church and go then, especially as some of the best guests were on the Sunday.
We didn’t have a terrible time by any stretch but it did feel a bit muted….the initial excitement of bumping into Phantoms on the Elizabeth Line faded over the course of six hours and I wished there was a bit more to do and see without splashing out extra. VK had a good time tho and bumped into some theatre kid friends from school, so that was good.
We went home via Prince Regent as we were that end of Excel. Excel is a bit spooky when it’s empty:
And Prince Regent is a bit pointless as it’s less than a minute on the DLR to Custom House. Both VK and I do love a DLR trip but we walked so far to change to the Elizabeth Line at Custom House that we really should just have walked back there in the first place. Hint – if you can see the next station, then it’s probably not worth getting the train. Even when it’s the wizard train.
A fun day out but a tad expensive once you factor in coffee before and afterwards and lunch and merch. I’m sure we’ll go again next year but let’s see if they take on board all of the feedback from the various reviewers and make it a day that truly is “for the fans”,
