shows not to miss in the West End for my London trip
 

I just booked a quick trip to London in mid-May (14th to 19th). One of my favorite things to do in London is see a show every evening. I would love to know what your top recommendations are of what is currently playing. I also usually check the half price ticket booth every day and try to find something from that list for the evening. Does anyone know if that is "online" yet so I don't have to physically go there at 11 am like in the old days? And, has anyone done this recently and scored some good shows? thanks.

Some hot tickets right now:

Oliver (with Rowan Atkinson)
Jersey Boys
Wicked

And yes, it looks like you can buy from the TKTS booth online here: http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/buy/

You can also get reduced price tickets at the theatres for that day's performances if what you want to see is not on sale at TKTS. We enjoyed The 39 Steps last month. Judi Dench may still be on in Madame de Sade . I forget when it closes. We waited in line for tickets but were told she wasn't appearing that night as she'd hurt her ankle. Made me really glad I hadn't pre-booked and paid ahead of time.

Thanks! Is that THE Oliver, the musical? That will be so exciting to see there.... my first time seeing My Fair Lady and Chicago and Mamma Mia were in London. I did see Wicked in Chicago the night Obama won the election but will look for Jersey boys as well.

Hi ncounty - also check lastminute.com (the UK site) when your travel dates get closer. They have discounted tickets for shows, sometimes a show/dinner combo (if you want).

While not a musical or a play, I always try to go attend an opera at the ROH or ENO when I'm in London. It is a real treat but something I can't get here back home, unless I go to the Met in NYC.

to clarify jamikins post above: You can buy theatre tickets through Official London Theatre - but to get their 1/2 price tickets, one must still go in person to TKTS in Leicester Sq.

They open at 10 AM everyday (noon on Sundays) but there is no reason to get there early. Later in the day is usually better since the lines are shorter and more tickets can be released during the day.

Oliver was indeed wonderful...do what you can to get tickets.

My favourite west end shows are:

The 39 Steps - hilarious. Make sure you watch DVD of Hitchcock's film first if you can (although this isn't essential).

Blood Brothers - a long running musical and not as big budget as many currently showing, but by far the best story IMO.

The Woman in Black - full of suspense and very scary at times!

Whatever you see, hope you enjoy it!

Is 39 Steps the same minimal set production the critics loved recently in NYC?

Hi Stokebailey, it probably is the same one - it's only got a cast of 4.

1 actor plays Richard Hannay, a woman plays most of the female parts, and then the remaining 150 or so other parts are played by just 2 people. It's very cleverly done, and incredibly funny. Do go and see it if you get a chance. I'm hoping to go again soon!

Oh, good. I definitely will try to get tickets. Thanks!

quiUK, looks as if 39 Steps tickets are available at websites like london-discount-theatre.com/productions
for £25.00. That seems reasonable (way cheap by NYC standards certainly).

Would you book ahead now? We were holding off on committing to any more events so we could take our Brighton daytrip based on the weather.

Hi stokebailey, if you'd rather wait to book tickets so you don't have commit to a date just yet, then you should be fine. I've just looked at www.lastminute.com and they're even selling tickets for tomorrow night at £22.50 (excl booking fee). If however, you will be here over a bank holiday weekend then you may have greater difficulty getting tickets at a good price.

If you do go and see it, then let us know if you enjoy it!

39 Steps is usually available at TKTS and their top tickets would also be £22.50 plus booking fee. It mostly depends on your seat location

The Royal Ballet is doing Giselle and a mixed program with Les Sylphides and the Firebird in May.

Les Sylphides/New Marriott (not familiar with that one)/The Firebird at ROH in May. Should be good.

Thanks, quiUK and janisj. That's good to know.

So much great information; thanks everyone! These prices really are amazing.... my goal is to do a show every night.

I'll have to do my homework and watch Hitchcock's 39 steps. I can't wait to see Oliver; one of my favorite musicals.

Also attended The 39 Steps on our March London trip and enjoyed it.

I have been perusing the current 2 for 1 deals, and see that 39 Steps is now included: Ticket prices: 2FOR1 - Get two top price tickets for £48.50, Mon-Thu evenings, Tue matinees.

I see that the Bollywood version of Wuthering Heights is also 2 for 1, but will come and go before we get there. Just curious: any word from the provinces whether it's any good? I am strangely attracted by the idea.

wow, a bollywood version of wuthering heights?!!!! sounds intriguing.

Doesn't it?
Almost irresistible. Leaves town just as we get there, though.

www.tamasha.org.uk/
Wed 29 Apr – Sat 23 May 2009
Lyric Hammersmith, LONDON
£10 - £27

oooh, thanks stokebailey.....I'm there during that period. I'll try to see it!

I hope you'll report back on what you like, since we'll be hot on your heels.

I bought tickets for a matinee of 39 Steps at the box officew the day of performance for 20 GBP

great to know, avalon....thanks for posting.

I'll be sure to report back stokebailey!

I'll be in London at the end of April-beg May. Stokebailey, how can I find tickets that are sold 2 for 1. I have put Mamma Mia at the top of my list, is it worth it?

Thanks

Hi, lol

Try this website: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk

Click on "see all offers", a long list. I know there were at least another couple of plays besides 39 Steps and Wuthering Hts. You print a voucher from the website and after that I get hazy on it, not having tried it yet. Seems like potentially a heck of a deal, actually, and it involves buying a paper travelcard, discussed at great length on this forum.

I enjoyed Mamma mia, and I saw it in London some years ago. Chicago is fantastic as well, if it is still showing.

I want to see Oliver! and will try for those tickets for this trip.

TT for this thread.

We will be in London in the 2nd week of June. Rather than start a new thread, I noticed that ncounty's thread was quite recent and revealed some suggestions that are current and available.

What are the best uplifting / comedy / happy shows that we might consider ?

Thank you for your recommendations.

The NYTimes gave very impressed review of Royal Ballet Giselle, but not so much about the Firebird/Sylphides. (the one we have tickets for; luckily we are probably a lot easier to please than Alastair Macaulay is.)

I'm hoping Neopatrick, who has just been in London will see this thread and tell us what he saw on his trip. He always gives the best recos!

We enjoyed Billy Elliot. The play has been on stage in London for awhile, but is in its first year in New York. I think we lucked out because we saw Tanner Pflueger as "Billy" and I thought he was close to note-perfect in the performance. That says a lot because he's the only American out of the four current Billys.

We procured tickets five rows from the stage on the night of the performance at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square at 2:30 pm -- just five hours before the play started. As you may know, the New York stage show won the most Tony award nominations including a joint best actor in a musical for the three boys who play Billy on the NY stage.

If you see the 39 Steps, you may want to watch the movie or read the book by John Buchan (it's quite short) first, although I hear the play is FAR different from its deadly serious source material.

39 steps is a delight. The staging is great along with the actin You can get reduced tickets at the box office on the day of performance.

Just got back 2 weeks ago. Saw La Cage aux Folles: average, Three days of Rain: brilliant but ended 9 May, and Spring Awakening: very creative and refreshing show about teenage problems, great music and dance routines.

I just returned from seeing Jersey Boys. Wow, in my opinion, it fulfills all those adjectives Goodwill is seeking: best-uplifting-comedy-happy. It's a musical obviously, not a comedy but I thought there were many funny lines and very uplifting. I had heard so much about it that I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype but it did. I was up in nosebleed section but it was still a thrill. Tickets were only 20 pounds at half price.

I was remarkably able to score a ticket to see Oliver! tomorrow which I am so excited about. The TKTS booth said it was sold out to July, another booth said they could try for a ticket for about 70 pounds.... I went to the theatre itself and got a middle seat 4 rows from the stage for 60 pounds. It is the 2:30 pm matinee tomorrow which means I might be able to catch an evening show as well.

I want to also see Judi Densch in Madame de Sade, Wuthering Heights (a Bollywood version), A Thousand Leaves of Grass (directed by ekscrunchy's brother-in-law) with Wallace Shawn and Miranda Richardson, Spring Awakening, Grease, and We will rock you. So much to see, so little time....

p.s.- I enjoyed Jersey boys more than Wicked.

Thank you ncounty for allowing me to intrude into your thread and yes we will visit the Jersey Boys. Let us know about Oliver ?

We would also like to see Madame de Sade.

Now all I need to do is find out the best way to buy two tickets for Jersey Boys in advance for either of the evenings of Monday 8 June or Tuesday 9 June.

Thank you for ideas and advice.

Well, I did a double whammy today.... Oliver! in the afternoon and Billy Elliott in the evening. Both were really great; I think I hit a trifecta!

In detail though, I think Oliver! is almost better if you haven't seen the movie. I am such a fan of the movie that it is hard to eclipse. I was thunderstruck at a moment during the show when I realized who was playing Fagin.... it was Mr. Bean! Rowan Atkinson. He really put his own signature into the role and that was wonderful. This is a performance that is a powerhouse of vocal talent. Even the minor roles were performed by fantastic voices. The music from Oliver! is outstanding and I found myself singing it all the way on my one hour walk to the next show near Victoria Station.

Billy Elliott is another smashing musical. It started a bit slowly, for me.... could have been the pint of beer I had in a local pub before the show. The Irish accents are very thick and I wished they had stage text like they did at Oliver! It is wonderfully staged and the music is great and the boy who plays Billy is fantastic.

You can probably look for tickets online. Oliver! is the most difficult to get. I only got in by going to the theater itself the day of the show and find out if they had any tickets returned for the day. I got the only one that was in the expensive section. It helps if your party is willing to split up into different seats.

You can also go to the TKTS booth at 10 am (?) the day of and see what you can get. I got screwed going to one of these outlets today though. I paid 43 pounds for Billy Elliott and he told me they were great seats the very next level above the main floor. Well, they were not....they were 2 levels above essentially in the highest altitude category. And, they were not half price, they were the full price with an add-on fee. So, be careful. I didn't understand the system before but I think there is only one official TKTS booth in Leicester square and the rest of them can be deceiving.

ncounty....

We've discussed this subject before here...coming out of the Leicester Square tube station, there is the pedestrian only street leading to Leicester Square....there are several ticket agencies on that street claiming to be the official Leicester Square half price ticket agency and you will see some queues in front of them. Unsuspecting tourists join all the time and as you discovered, they do not have half price tickets to some of the major hits although they advertise they have tickets to them an dimply they are half price tickets.

You have to continue on that street pass these places to the Burger King and you will be in a little park which is actually Leicester Square. At the rear of the park, you will see a free standing structure with the initials tkts.

Interestingly enough, you don't always get the best bargains by showing up at opening. Sometimes as the day wears on, some shows release more tickets to them. However, you will almost never find the mega musicals available for half price. Sometimes they have tickets for full price to these shows but why pay the £2.50 service charge when you can meander over to the theatre and pay the freight without the surcharge......