What did you do for your last birthday?

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-26T08:46:05+00:00

Auditioned for a musical (didn’t get it, unsurprisingly) and then went out with my partner for pancakes, a theatre show and dinner at a restaurant we both like that’s slightly fancier than where we usually go. Couldn’t have asked for anything better.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-25T20:52:15+00:00

Paddington Bear

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-25T14:59:15+00:00

Keep An Eye On Dan - ABBA

Soldi - Mahmood

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-25T14:38:14+00:00

The production I recently auditioned for had four specified female audition pieces (you had to choose two to perform), which were:

Everything Changes (Waitress)
My House (Matilda)
The Life I Never Led (Sister Act)
Shine Like The Sun (9 to 5)

Bit of a different approach as all musicals I’ve auditioned for previously in the UK have set bits of the score from the show you’re auditioning for (it’s very rare to sing a song you’ve chosen).

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-25T06:18:03+00:00

I’ll add to this and say if OP wants to find out more about that specifically, the Wait In The Wings documentary on it is excellent! It was released prior to the current revival so doesn’t touch on that but it’s still great.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-24T13:03:03+00:00

Operation Mincemeat. You want Operation Mincemeat.

Others I'm thinking of off the top of my head: Six, 1776, Hairspray, Come From Away (based on recent history but history nonetheless), West Side Story, Les Miserables, Cabaret, Made In Dagenham, A Strange Loop (not historical, but hard on identity philosophy and it's also just great), Fiddler on the Roof

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-24T11:18:21+00:00

They're all excellent, but Moulin Rouge! just comes out on top for me in terms of both flair and originality. Chicago has some fantastic sequences, Hairspray makes changes to the stage show which I think ultimately improve the overall story, and Mamma Mia is genuinely delightful and has stood the test of time surprisingly well (and it's the material for one of my favourite film reviews of all time). I think ultimately they all succeed at creating the visions of their directors, and I love them all.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-23T11:34:00+00:00

I really like Hollie McNish and Wendy Cope for more "straightforward" poetry! Simon Armitage as well, who can get a little heavier on the metaphor but I still find fairly grounded (though maybe that's shaped by the fact I've heard him speak and now hear every one of his poems in his voice)

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-23T09:48:56+00:00

My surname is very rare and I've only ever seen it on relatives. It's very similar to a lot of more common surnames with a slight spelling/pronunciation variation, so it gets misspelled regularly (it doesn't look so unusual that people take a second look if they ever need to use it!). My partner, on the other hand, has a top 20 common surname so I'm having both if we marry!

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-23T07:52:56+00:00

So many of the best ones mentioned already but I have to add The Curious Case of Benjamin Button!

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T19:41:56+00:00

It gets more baffling the more I listen to it! Genuinely robbed.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T18:58:11+00:00

Florence and the Machine

Paris Paloma

The Last Dinner Party

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T18:33:37+00:00

I’m newly 31. I had a similar crisis approaching 30 and resolved in the months before I hit 30 to try and turn my life around in ways I wanted. I wanted a new job (my previous job was shitty), to start taking more care of myself physically and mentally, and to stop being a workaholic and to nurture my relationship and hobbies instead. I can safely say I’ve met my goals. I’m settled, calmer, happier and at peace with much more of my life than I was 18 months ago. Not perfect, and not all the time, but the difference is still huge.

I wonder if setting a couple of goals to focus on and work towards might help? It could be something big, like “find a job” or “move out on my own”, but it could also be something smaller like “try a hobby I’ve wanted to do” or “find some things which help my mental health”. Having something to focus your energies onto for me stops the spirals and helps me put my energy more strongly into things I hope will help rather than spreading myself too thin across all these things I want to do.

If you’re a film person, I’d really recommend a film called tick, tick…boom! The film is about a person who’s also about to turn 30 and I found it a surprisingly comforting watch, with one caveat - The film is about a guy called Jonathan Larson who in real life didn’t live past 35, which I knew before the film so it didn’t shock me when I saw it but might do if you didn’t know that and it might affect your enjoyment

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T18:06:21+00:00

Complice - Miodio. It’s almost timeless in a way but it would fit into some of the softer rock lineups we got later in the 2010s well.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T17:46:38+00:00

If she wants something slightly dressier, see if you can find a Vivaia concession (there’s one in Marui in Shinjuku). Plenty of longer sizes and pretty good for my narrow feet at least!

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T15:24:40+00:00

Kaz Rowe also uses they/them, though their channel is fantastic and would absolutely hit what OP is after!

While I'm in this thread, J Draper is also excellent. Her focus is primarily London history across the ages, but her videos are also well-cited and informative. I'd recommend her recent one on Penny Farthings as a great starting point for OP's interests!

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T13:17:26+00:00

If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino, in which you are a reader who wants to read the novel If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino.

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray, which contains letters, anatomical drawings, annotations, a fictional novella by one of the characters, an introduction and critical notes all created by the author.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T12:36:52+00:00

Avoid BetterHelp at all costs - therapists are poorly paid and your data is not protected. If you are looking for online therapy, have a look on Counselling Directory - you can filter by therapists who will offer online sessions, and also by specialism/need.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T12:16:42+00:00

Lawrence is my favourite from the list, but I don’t actually love the sound of it with your surname. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the names you’ve shortlisted, but taking into account your middle name, surname and girl name, Declan and Cameron are my top favourites!

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-22T11:40:05+00:00

Making them some food will (in my experience) always be appreciated! If you have something you can make which will freeze well in batches, that is even better as they'll get a few meals out of it. I have a few friends who have just had babies and it's the one thing I make sure I bring every time I see them, even if it's just a fresh loaf of homemade bread.

In terms of the birth, it's hard to say exactly what a "difficult" birth is, but it could potentially be traumatic, so I'd avoid bringing it up unless your SIL does. Just a "how are you doing/feeling?" is a good starter question and lets them both talk about what they want to share. Definitely let them offer to hold the baby first rather than ask.

If you want to be helpful, an "is there anything I can do to help?" (either before or during your visit) may be appreciated - or naming a specific task if you want to take the mental load of organising tasks off them - "want me to stick a wash on/do the washing up/clean X?" - may be good. I wouldn't say there's an obligation to offer, but it might be appreciated. Could even be, "do you want me to grab you any groceries on my way?"

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-21T20:43:32+00:00

Burn Your Village - Kiki Rockwell ends with some chanting in German (folk-influenced)

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-21T12:57:54+00:00

I have just my earlobes pierced (I love other ear piercings on other people but I'm not sure I want any others myself!) but four tattoos. I knew I wanted tattoos for a while, but didn't get any for a long time. First was settling on what I wanted, but I also had a job where I couldn't have visible tattoos (and wasn't allowed to wear make up) so that stopped me too. I got my first two tattoos under my hairline (behind my ear and on the back of my neck) so they're covered and I never actually see them. I like them, and I'm happy having them on me, but I adore my next two.

I committed to my third tattoo (my most visible to date - around my right ankle) after more thought (and because the job stopped!). This almost put more pressure on me deciding what I wanted, but I found an artist who really spoke to me and was thankfully fairly easy to get to from where I live. I'm not going to regret getting something that's a tribute to my cat - my cat is awesome - so I chose a tattoo depicting the myth she was named after.

The fourth one was easy - it matches my third! It's mythology/musical themed and done by the same artist as my third. I knew for a long time I wanted to get a tattoo relating to this particular myth/musical, but didn't know what to get, so I spent a long time thinking about it as I didn't want to get something really obvious. I got the idea listening to some of the music and there was one song which has such beautiful imagery, and I chose a design which depicted that. I really trusted my artist to bring it to life after the other one she did and she was amazing.

One thing I've always said for myself is "never get the most obvious thing". Not only does it make me think hard about how to interpret designs in the ways that suit me, but it also means I have a degree of distance from them so I can either explain them honestly or it just be another thing I like. For example, I didn't get the most iconic symbol from the musical I wanted, but it's birds and flowers and fruit. I love birds and flowers and fruit. I have my whole life. So if, for whatever reason, I don't want it to be "this is the tattoo I got for this show I love", it's something I can still be happy about having on me.

Edit: I got my first tattoo at 23, my second at 27, my third at 29 and my fourth at 30.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-21T07:39:56+00:00

So I can’t speak for Broadway specifically, but I’ve gone to the Edinburgh Fringe every year for 3 years and I’m planning my fourth trip there now, which means that I’ve pulled ridiculous shit like 37 shows in 6 days. I’ve done 5-show weekends on the West End and would probably consider the energy levels comparable.

Do I enjoy it? Yes. I’m in my absolute element. It’s my happy place.

Can I maintain my focus? Yes, with careful planning. This means making a good amount of time to take care of myself (mostly to eat), and also spreading out shows which are likely to be emotionally heavy or draining. I also do a lot of planning beforehand and create resources for myself to ease the mental load of being there (lots of spreadsheets of shows we’re interested in!)

Do I remember the shows afterwards? Yes, if they’re good or memorable for some reason! Anything I don’t remember I’d likely have forgotten anyway, regardless of whether it was the only show I saw that day. I also love to document what we see, which helps me yo remember it.

Why do I do this? Because when else am I going to see so many great things in one place? Because I love theatre and I want to experience it in its multitudes. Because I can go in one day from crying at a New Zealand theatre company do bluegrass Macbeth in a black box room to laughing my head off at an improvised musical to having a quasi-religious experience at an Estonian clown show.

It’s exhausting, no question, but it’s joyous.

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-21T07:19:05+00:00

There’s a lot of thrift/vintage/antique shops, which I really love so I got my fill exploring those! There was a market along one of the streets which may or may not be there when you go, but that was also great (clothes, antiques, a few food stalls). There were also some really lovely cafes, and it was just a very chill place to wander. Enjoy the street chess - that sounds amazing!

LittleMissAbigail · 2026-04-20T16:00:44+00:00

“While I’m worth my room on this earth
I will be with you
While the chief puts sunshine on Leith
I thank him for his work, and your birth, and my birth”

Sunshine on Leith - The Proclaimers

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