What is your favorite London Show?
 

We will be in London from May 20th to May 29th. What is your favorite London show? We hope to attend 2 different ones while visiting London. We are adults so content isn't an issue. No small children will be with us. Thanks.

We saw "Wicked" at the Apollo the last time we were in London. It was very entertaining. The actress/singer playing Elphaba was incredibly strong (Kerry Ellis replacing Tony award winner Menzel). I hightly recommend it. We ordered our tickets online in advance which was good because it was a packed show.


Naxos

For the most part, if you see a lot of theatre generally, I prefer seeing a show that STARTED in London, rather than one that transferred from Broadway. Billy Eliott is one such show (but a new version will be opening in New York in the fall). Or you could see the newly opened huge production of Gone With the Wind -- the musical.

Blood Brothers has been running practically forever. It is a fairly sentimental musical that is decidedly "British". Easy to get half price tickets (as it is for MOST shows except a few huge hits)

Or are you looking for non musicals, perhaps even classics like Shakespeare? Lots of choices there.

The perfect "London" play, Pygmalion is playing at the Old Vic while you're there. That might be a great choice (if you can manage to watch it and not hum the songs from My Fair Lady where they fit in.)

What have you seen before? (And why limit yourselves to 2 shows - in 10 days you could see several if you really enjoy the theatre)

Also consider attending the Globe.

Hendren and JanisJ:

We, too, will be in London in mid May and will be seeking out TWO shows...like Patrick, we usually enjoy the home grown British shows when in London...(we'd better start hitting the web so we can make plans)

Dear janis:
>>>(And why limit yourselves to 2 shows - in 10 days you could see several if you really enjoy the theatre)<<<

I'm sure a bright lady like you can spell the word..b-u-d-g-e-t*

stu T.
(* with the £ at 2-1)

If I can insert a question here- I know you can buy half price tickets at the booth there in London- but is there anything similar to NYC's Season of Savings or Broadway box, where you can bring print-outs with you, and get tickets a few days in advance?

Broadwaybox.com and theatremania.com both now have London discounts available as well as Broadway for advance sales. I've not yet used them, and am not totally sure you they work -- if you must do them ahead of time online or if the codes also work going to the box offices -- or perhaps even calling the box office -- as you CAN do that normally in London to get tickets, unlike New York where you CAN'T do phone orders to the box office.

I just love logging on and checking in on everyones suggestions! Are there any "historic" or fabulous theatres that you would go to the show partly because of where it is being held??

Many of the theatres are very beautiful, and most are quite small in comparison to the Broadway houses. One thing to watch is at the intermission (they call it the interval) London theatres always lower the fire curtain dividing the house from the stage -- required by law. Some of those old fire curtains are really beautiful and old. And you don't have to leave the house during the interval unless you need to go the restroom. They sell ice cream and you eat it right there at your seats. That always cracks me up.

After having seen various productions of Phantom of the Opera in huge US touring theatres, we finally saw it a couple years ago in London and the small but beautiful Her Majesty's Theatre. It gave the show a new life for me. We got tickets in the first row of the dress circle or Royal Circle (front row mezzanine). The theatre itself added greatly to our enjoyment of the show.

Also the backstage tour of Royal Drury Lane Theatre is particularly interesting. You go below the stage and even see the hydraulic lifts which were built to be controlled by using water from the Thames!

The theatre bars get absolutely slammed during the intervals. So if you want a beverage (alcoholic or non) what you do is go in to the bar before you go to your seats and pre-order your drinks for the interval. They will be set out on a side table or shelf w/ your name on them and you just go pick them up w/o having to fight through the mob ordering at the bar.

Just got back from London a few days ago. My mom and I saw Spamalot -- which I've seen before, but was still a lot of fun and full of that dry humor I enjoy -- and a preview of the now-open Gone With the Wind musical.

Gone With the Wind was nearly 4 hours long, the songs and book were written by a first-timer from Los Angeles (go figure) and really not memorable at all. The reviews were pretty dismal too. Spamalot gets my vote for sure.

Thanks so much for your input!