hawaiimom

We would like to attend a show while in London. Does anyone have any suggestions for a family with two teenagers? We have already seen Lion King, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables elsewhere. Has anyone seen We Will Rock You? Thank you for your help!

SUNSHINE1223

I saw Mama Mia and Grease while I was there which was good. Didn't see the one you were asking about.

xyz123

Young teens or older teens?

Our family loved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Half price tickets are generally available at TKTS the day of the performance.

Mamma Mia also is very good but expect to pay full price.

uhoh_busted

How old are your teens? How so phisticated are they? Maybe they would enjoy Shakespeare at the recreated Globe Theater more than a tired old Grease of Mama Mia. I'd check out some of the Theater sites (www.playbill.com is one) to see what is playing. If they've seen Les Mis they are ready for more serious fare

hawaiimom

Appreciate all the input so far. Everyone on Fodors is always so helpful. The teens are 13 and 16. With all the museums we'll be seeing, I thought something entertaining would be fun. Didn't think they'd like Shakespeare, but they ARE studying his books in school, so maybe I'll ask them. Thank you for the suggestion.

Carmen

When will you be there? If you can manage to see a Shakespeare play in London it would be a terrific experience. There is a lot of information about the different plays and musicals, including show times, prices, reviews (in many cases), etc... on www.londontheatre.co.uk. I was considering taking my 13-year-old to see We Will Rock You when we go in March, but the review was mixed. Plot is weak, but if you love the music of Queen, it's supposed to be great. If it were me, I'd do both: catch one fun musical and one Shakespeare play.

Patrick

All teens, including the ones who HATE Shakespeare seem to love the Reduced Shakespeare at the Criterion -- "The Complete Works -- Revised". It is a riot, very funny, mini versions of the shows, ala Saturday Night Live. You can always get advance half price tickets to it, or at the TKTS booth (the free standing one in Leicester Square). I would not recommend the other two shows -- History of America, and The Bible -- nowhere near the same quality. It depends on the day of the week which show they're doing.

In addition to the shows mentioned above, I'd highly recommend the very long running BLOOD BROTHERS, a very British musical about two brothers separated at birth, one raised poor and one raised rich. I guarantee a few tears. Again, always available at TKTS.

Mama Mia is the one they'd love, though!!

WillTravel

I saw Blood Brothers with my 17-year-old son last month. We enjoyed it.

Weadles

We were in London last week, and took our teens to see " A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum" at The National Theatre. We had a great evening, but tickets are very hard to get.

My husband lucked out by going directly to the theatre and securing the last four available seats!

Good luck!

benj

We saw Reduced Shakespeare in London last May with our 2 kids (22 & 16). Even the "bored" 16 yr old loved it. It was funny & if they have been studying the real thing this will definitely make them laugh. Patrick's suggestion was exactly what we did. You can go the the Reduced Shakespeare Company website to get info- www.reducedshakespeare.co.uk/

I would love to see their other shows.

Kristi

Carmen's description of We Will Rock You is pretty accurate, weak plot but if you or your teens like Queen's music, you will enjoy it. I thought the performers were all very good and the audience really gets into it-lots of clapping and singing along. In fact, out of the 6 plays I saw in London recently, I enjoyed this one the most.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare is a good suggestion, it's very funny and if they are reading Shakespeare they should get the jokes.

tuscanlifeedit

If it's not too late in the year (they close soon, to open again in the late spring) I highly recommend the Outdoor Theater in Regents Park. This is my favorite, and I think the venue alone would enchant the teens.

They do Shakespeare and other plays, too. I would give them some real theater in a great setting like the Outdoor Theater or The Globe.

Lori

How about Jailhouse Rock? We saw it in April while in London and it was great. There were all ages in the audience. Mamma Mia is another good bet I think. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is alot of fun too - for all ages, we really enjoyed it.

Patrick

I have to admit, we got half price tickets to Jailhouse Rock when we had seen practically everything else. I went with the chip on my shoulder ready to slam the show. It was very good! Do teenagers care about Elvis though?

hawaiimom

Thank you very much for the responses. We'll probably take Carmen's advice and do both Shakespeare and another show. We'll be in London middle of next year, which gives us time to plan, so I appreciate all the websites that were suggested.