So I left off mentioning transfers from the airport to the hotel. Well… the shuttle bus did indeed take us to our hotel… and did it by the most round about method possible, seemingly going in circles and circles and circles. Fortunately ours was one of the earlier hotel stops on the trip (3rd or 4th?) and we got off, checked in and found excellent accommodations.
Our next step was finding the nearest Underground or Tube station (go straight down the road, follow it and you'll be there), and getting to the Tkts booth at Leichester Square. We acquired half price tickets to Cabaret (tenth row floor) and then found some excellent (and relatively inexpensive) eats at Wagamamma. I wish we had Wagamammas in Canada! The Japanese inspired dishes were completely out of the ordinary with good sized portions and great atmosphere. Totally a college/university student place!
After dinner, we semi-randomly explored the area, including Picadilly Circus, King James Park, The Mall, and many other areas within walking distance before heading into see Cabaret.
Cabaret was fantastic! The theatre itself was tiny compared to what I'm used to, but intimate and beautiful. The curtains were lush, the seats were beautiful, the architecture marvelous. Our seats were fabulous although I doubt that there'd be a bad seat in the house. And the show… the actors did such an excellent job, as did the musicians and singers (many did several of these roles). It was incredibly emotionally charged, fun and uplifting at times, saddening and horrifying at others… and well worth seeing if you haven't already.
After the show, we scurried back to our hotel via the Underground. En route we walked through Soho and Chinatown, where the night was just getting started.