Grief has a strange way of finding you wherever you go. But on that trip to the UK, somewhere between Buckingham Palace and the West End, I found a little piece of peace… wrapped in green light and melody.
Johannesburg, South Africa (04 November 2025) – It was 2011. It was my first time in the UK. My first trip overseas since my gap years (there were 2 of them, I worked in America after school). But I had been invited to a friend’s wedding in the UK and I simply could not say no.
It was also the same year my dad had died. I was a mess. I still am. But less messy than that year. Well, on most days.
This was an opportunity to “get away from it all”. Even just for a bit.
New sights. New experiences. New things. New.
The trip was planned meticulously… London, Wales (to surprise my aunty – it was the bladdy best), Bath (for the wedding) and back to London before heading home.
We did so many things. We stayed in the most beautiful apartment with friends. We took a red bus tour of London. And ate pub food. We saw Buckingham Palace. And Big Ben. And Westminster Abbey. And London Bridge (and Tower too). We went shopping in Oxford. Spent hours in Harrods. And danced till the early hours of the morning in Soho.
It was the same time as the London riots. And, even though we didn’t see any, I did have my camera ready at all times, just in case (it’s the journalist in me).
While in the country, we toured Cardiff. And little villages (we actually visited the prettiest village in the whole of the UK). And saw Stonehenge. It’s not as big up close. And Bath was utterly breathtaking. It was such a special trip.
One of the things I really wanted to do while in London was see “The London Dungeons”. I had a teacher in Primary School who had visited the UK and brought back a whole heap of flyers and booklets. The London Dungeon booklet scared the living daylights out of me, but in equal measure, left me completely intrigued. So we did that. And it was the BEST. I don’t want to give anything away (for horror fans) but Jack the Ripper and the Sweeney Todd sections were mad-scary-fun!
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The other thing I wanted to do was watch a show in the West End.
I’m a theatre kid. I love musicals. And I had always heard about the West End. But never thought I would have the opportunity. I spent WEEKS going through all the shows. Trying to decide which one would be “the” one. At any given point in time, there are at least 40 shows to choose from. Do you know how difficult that is for a theatre kid? How do you choose???
I eventually settled on Wicked. I locked it in. And we bought the tickets.
It was the last thing we did (the night before we left the UK). And I sat in awe. The entire show. It was everything and more.
Since then, I have watched the show numerous times. In London and New York. I try to add Wicked to most trips. I even took my folks once. That year, when we all travelled to the UK together, and there was a drone strike at the airport, which left my parents stranded in Turkey without their baggage for a couple of days. They finally arrived (in the UK), unravelled, without any of their things. And then I took them drinking. And to Wicked.
I digress. Jammer Wimpie.
Wicked isn’t just about witches, wizards and flying monkeys. It’s about so much more. It’s a reminder that kindness matters, that friendship can change everything and that being different might just be your greatest strength (even if you’re green). It challenges what we’ve been told, flips the story we thought we knew and reminds us to look for the good in the people we don’t always understand.
But that is just Act 1.
Many of you found Wicked for the first time when the movie came out last year. It was one of the biggest movies of 2024. The second one comes out later this month. And I don’t think you’re ready.
This is a spoiler alert, so if you don’t want to get a gist of what the second movie is about, please stop reading.
The second half of Wicked is layered with loss, forgiveness and the complicated beauty of letting go. It’s about the ache of saying goodbye to someone who shaped who you are and learning to carry their love forward in a world that suddenly feels quieter. Wicked doesn’t shy away from pain. It acknowledges it, wraps it in music and meaning, and reminds you that even in heartbreak, there’s growth and goodness.
It mirrored everything I was going through that year. And maybe it’s why I love the show so much.
When I watched Wicked back then, I think something in me shifted. It didn’t take away my grief, but it did give me a different perspective… a way to move through the sadness instead of being swallowed by it. It helped me remember that love doesn’t end when someone’s gone; it just changes shape.
And I guess that’s the thing about grief. It doesn’t disappear. It softens.
I’ve been invited to the premiere (a week before it releases in cinemas) and I absolutely cannot wait. Wicked still feels like home to me. The story. The songs. And the message… they’re a reminder of how lucky we were to love that deeply in the first place.
I think, for those of you who haven’t seen the full show, when the last song plays, you’ll get it.
“Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
I started crying while typing that. Jussie, I miss my dad.
So maybe this is a PSA. You are going to love it. But you may cry. You may see more than a movie about witches. It may move you. It may even change you (for the good).
Oh, that trip was also the one when Andrew lost my digital camera while on the flight home. We were sharing one backpack. Never again (did we ever share a bag). Imagine! Had I actually captured the riots, it would be like Titanic.
“I don’t even have a picture of him. He exists now… only in my memory.”
As does that whole trip. It’s just a memory. But such a beautiful one.
Watch Wicked.
Book your tickets now.
But know you may cry.
Also, if you ever get the opportunity to see it on stage, do that.
This is not a sponsored post.
Don’t share backpacks.
Okay. Love you. Bye.
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