What Sophie Said

Where do I even start? This visit really was one of the most magical ways to spend a Friday evening. I've been meaning to visit the Happy Potter Studio Tour for years, and my excitement levels leading up to the day were huge. The first book came out when I was about 7, so I well and truly grew up with the world of the Harry Potter books and then films. The ticket was £35, which is more than reasonable when the average visit takes about 3 hours... When we were told people tended to take 3 or more hours to look round I was a little dubious, but I had no idea quite how much was actually there! The tour begins with a short film about the making of Harry Potter, after which the doors to the Great Hall at Hogwarts are revealed. Walking through the Great Hall was just incredible, and the Studio Tour houses lots of sets just like this one. There's the Gryffindor dormitory, the potions classroom, the Weasleys' house, and many more. Costumes were displayed through...

When hunting for places to visit with my mum on her visit last month, I stumbled across 48 Doughty Street: The Charles Dickens Museum. This Georgian terrace is one of Dickens' old London homes, and is laid out to reflect what it would have looked like during his time living there. Covering 4 floors, it was full of fascinating little insights and facts into this particular period of Dickens' life. I absolutely love visiting homes of historic figures as it's such an interesting way to immerse yourself in the context in which they were living. The small details made all the difference, and the little guide book contained facts both about the period and about Dickens' life and works. The museum also contains an exhibition about the making of BBC series Dickensian, and the costumes from the series are displayed in the rooms of the house. This provided a unique blend of a 'museum' house tour and a look at how a TV series was devised and made, from ...

If you love West End theatre, you won't want to miss the current exhibition in the 'Theatre and Performance' section of the V & A. I went with my mum on Saturday to Curtain Up! and it's a complete visual treat. Telling the West End and Broadway story, mainly over the last 40 years, the exhibition features costumes, designs, set models, scripts, budget sheets and programmes / playbills from shows like The Lion King, Matilda, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and The Producers. I'd say the more shows you've seen, the more you'll love it as it's amazing to see up close what went into the shows you've loved. There were sketches of Roxie's costumes in Chicago, and of the costumes of each lead adult in Matilda, along with one of Helen Mirren's outfits as the Queen and one worn by Judi Dench as Cleopatra. The space dedicated to the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime reminded me just what a feast ...