GOOD THEATER IN LONDON
Oct 23rd, 2000, 11:34 AM
#4
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The website to look at is www.londontheatre.co.uk/online/ That will give you the full list of things currently booking and playing as well as reviews, etc. Meanwhile to answer your question it partly depends on how much theatre you see in London or elsewhere. For a first timer in London, I usually suggest the very "London" shows. An Inspector Calls (drama), Blood Brothers (musical), and Art (comedy) have all been playing for years and are very good. You can also usually get half price tickets to them at the official half price ticket booth in Leicester Square. Be aware that this is the separate building right by the south side of the park, not all those booths that have "half-price" signs in front. Most of those are a rip off selling you cheap seats that are indeed half price of the top seats, but that's what they are anyway. Of course there are lots of the "biggies" Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, The King and I, and Mama Mia. The Witches of Eastwick is turning into a big hit and is probably well worth seeing (it opened since my last London trip unfortunately, so haven't seen it). See the post under 3 1/2 days in London for more comments. There is a production of the very funny backstage British farce Noises Off at the National Theatre and a new production of My Fair Lady this season. Anything at the National is worth seeing in my opinion. Also there is a production of The Mikado (if you like Gilbert and Sullivan as only the English can do it)at the Savoy (where it originally premiered. The Graduate is also a very hot ticket. I liked the show a lot, but not sure how good the new cast is.
Oct 23rd, 2000, 12:12 PM
#5
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Just returned from one week in London and can enthusiastically recommend two plays: "Stones In His Pockets" (hollywood movie being filmed in small Irish town and its effect on the local townspeople; this is a two-man production, but they incredibly play 15 roles!) "The Woman In Black" (has been playing for 12 years and is a thriller that I guarantee will terrify you at times...excellent for the whole family)
Oct 23rd, 2000, 12:15 PM
#6
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My husband and I just came home from out 23 day, Germany, Italy, England trip. While in London, we bought tickets at the 1/2 price ticket booth, and saw Blood Brothers. Fabulous show! My husband complained and complained (he thinks theatre is a waste of money) and finally gave in. Well, he loved it and is now a convert. Go see Blood Brothers, you'll enjoy the show!
Oct 24th, 2000, 06:51 AM
#7
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Another good web site is www.albemarle-london.com. Albemarle is a ticket agency that I have never used, so I can't recommend them. However, their web site has a lot of info about shows in London.
Oct 24th, 2000, 10:07 AM
#8
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Doug, I too have used Albemarle to book London theater tickets. I had a good experience with them getting seats last Feb. for the sold-out "Mamma Mia!" but had a *very* negative experience this past October. <BR> <BR>I had hoped to get tickets for the Sam Mendes-directed "To the Green Fields Beyond" at the Donmar Warehouse. I was told when I called the box office that all performances were fully booked. Since Albemarle had been able to help me in the past with sold-out shows, I called and asked if they had any seats. The woman at first said she did not, that it was sold out and that she had a waiting list. Then I asked how long the waiting list was for a particular matinee; at that point she said "Oh wait, yes, I do have two seats for that performance." Okay, great, I'll take 'em! <BR> <BR>The day of the performance, I called the Donmar first thing in the morning to make sure the tickets were there. They were not, and the Donmar had never heard of me. I called Albemarle, and the operator there couldn't find my record either. Finally I reached my original operator, and she proceeded to tell me that she had sold me two tickets to that day's matinee for "Stones in his Pockets," and that Albemarle doesn't book for the Donmar so there was no way she could have booked me "Green Fields" tickets. <BR> <BR>Now, I'm not quite sure how in the world she managed to do this. Since I had never, before that moment, even *heard* of "Stones in his Pockets," there's no way I would have "accidentally" named that play when I called in my request. Nor do the two plays' names sound remotely alike. Anyway, my friend (who had come in from west of London to join me for the play) and I were pretty disappointed. We did get credit for the tickets, since neither of us was particularly interested in seeing "Stones," and eventually found another show through Leicester Square, but that extremely negative experience really put me off using Albemarle again.
Oct 24th, 2000, 10:17 AM
#9
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Gina: <BR> Sorry about your recent bad experience with Albemarle but, if its any consolation, "To the Green Fields Beyond" had no performances at all last week due to an alleged "illness in the cast". I suspect the remaining performances have been cancelled altogether due to very mixed, critical reviews the play has received. So, you likely would not have been able to see the performance even if you did have tickets (I received a refund for my tickets since the show was cancelled). <BR>By the way, "Stones In His Pockets" was wonderful and will be coming to Broadway next year...you missed a good show!
Oct 24th, 2000, 11:34 AM
#10
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I go to London fairly often and see lots of shows when I go --in May saw 14 shows in my 10 days there. I have never used a ticket service. This year my priorities were Mama Mia, The Graduate, Lady in the Van (Maggie Smith's gem of a performance), and The Lion King. All were totally sold out, yet I got tickets to all four by going to the box offices on the day of performance. I sat in center stalls (orchestra) from the third to the tenth row for every one of them. Generally the theatres hold a great row of seats as "house seats" for cast, VIP's, press, etc. On the day of performance if they have not been taken, they release them. It worked for all four of these shows, although I had to try at Mama Mia three different days before I was successful. Since we stay right in the theatre district, and I am going to other shows everyday anyway, this is not an inconvenience to me and a great way to get tickets. Most of the other shows we saw we got tickets for at the half price booth on Leicester Square.
