London Theater
 

We are a family of 4 (kids are 16 and 12) traveling to London in July. We are going with a high school band, and have only one night to be on our own. Would like to see a play. Thinking of either Phantom of the Opera or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Has anyone seen any of these plays in the last year. Any advise would be welcome.

We didn't care all that much for Phantom but we all enjoyed Chitty.

Let me throw one other thing out at you...Chitty has just announced it will be closing on 04 September and it would seem Phantom will continue its run for a long time as it still regularly sells out. That being said you might have another chance to see Phantom in the future but that unless you want to go to NY, you might not have another chance to see Chitty.

I would go for Chitty

xyz's thoughts are interesting, but obviously he is in the minority. Phantom has been playing for years and years and has not lost its popularity. Chitty is closing after a couple of years. In other words, the popularity might indicate that you (if you are like most people) will be far more likely to love Phantom than Chitty.

I loved the car -- the rest of Chitty (in London) struck me as sort of week. It doesn't really have great songs, and the story line is weak. Dance numbers are kind of the main thing along with the car that extends right out into the audience.

But I saw Phantom once again just the past summer -- first time for me in London -- and it still impresses. To me there is no comparison is quality of show and production.

That said, perhaps the kids might enjoy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang more.

We saw CCBB about 6 weeks ago and it was great. On top of that we got half-price tickets TKTS at Leichest Square. We also saw Lion King and paid full price. The costuming is awesome. Mary Poppins is on on London now also.

I just saw Fame in London last week. Your family might enjoy that show if you are into the dancing and music from that show.
I thought it was great.
Got discount tickets from Leicester Square

I saw "We Will Rock You" in London last week. There were a lot of young people in the audience. It more fun than I have had in a long time.

We went to the Globe Theater and saw Shakespere's Tempest. What a multifaceted event that was---entertainment and education about the 'theater' long ago!

I saw Phantom as a teen and didn't appreciate it nearly as much as I do now. I would highly recommend seeing Lion King. It is AMAZING!!! And your kids will not only enjoy it, but be able to follow the story line, too. I haven't seen Chitty, though. I have seen both Phantom and Lion King in London (recently) and for kids, I would recommend Lion King hands down.