Chitty has been gone from London for a bit over a year now...I agree it was very enjoyable.

Billy Elliot is a tough ticket but has eased a bit as it has been running for more than a year...the performances of the kids in the show is stupendous...the score is adequate at best and a bit of a knowledge of the history of the times would increase understanding of the show. Also the accents are a very sometimes difficult to understand to American ears Northern English accent..not that that ruins the show or anything...also be prepared for 12 year old boys and adults using the "f" word on multiple times during the show.

Mary Poppins is excellent also...not completely true to the original movie but well done nonetheless. It again is uaually easy to get tickets except perhaps for Friday and Saturday nights.

You might also like Mamma Mia if you are a fan of Abba...it basically is a show that was adapted to the lyrics of various songs not that the plot itself is believable.

Les Miz is an old stand by and if you haven't seen it, you should at least once.

Guys and Dolls is sometimes available at TKTS and is good..Evita has been revived and is running currently and I have heard only good things about the person playing the lead role (I saw it with the understudy and it was good but not great)

The Producers will soon be closing in London and was not well received by most of the critics.

Avenue Q has opened in London and got very mixed reviews.

Phantom of the Opera is workmanlike.

Blood Brothers, I guess considered a musical, is very British and worth seeing and is almost always available atTKTS.

Opening soon are Cabaret, Sound of Music, Spamalot if they haven't opened already.

I admit I am partial to musicals and some others might not be.

I, personally, didn't care for We WillRock You, some like it.

But I liked Whistle Down the Wind, most panned it (it's closed now anyway).

Incidentally, Mary Poppins is on the verge of opening on Broadway in the next couple of weeks and I will go to see it around Thanksgiving on Broadway to compare the quality of the show in NY with that in London.

Billy Elliot is supposed to be heading for Broadway in September 2008, it will need some tweaking to be accepted, I believe, by American audiences.

Of course, everybody's tastes are different but whatever you choose, for the most part, you will have a very pleasant evening's entertainment at prices somewhat below those on Broadway or Las Vegas (Mamma Mia).

Oh one other thing...

There are some awesome discounts for many of the shows available on www.Broadwaybox.com

I got tickets for a performance of Les Miz a couple of weeks ago for about 10 quid or so and the seats were in the 5th row of the stalls (and I wouldn't exactly say the theatre was empty that night)...click on the link to London discounts.

xyz: did you pick your tickets up at the box office ? how much service charge was added to purchase price? Thanks for this link, I'd like to know if anyone else has used them. I've always used TicketmasterUK but with the dollar so weak I am not against any discounts I can find for our Spring trip :-) Thanks !!

Lori...

I used that site for 3 or 4 tickets this past August and in each case I picked up the tickets about 45 minutes before the show and it was no problem.

Thanks, xyz. Do your recall what the service fee was on each ticket ?

Lori..

The service charges are clearly indicated on the link. Broadwaybox.com basically gives you a list of links to places where discount tickets are available....on the Les Miz one, for example, I was directed to the site of lastminute.com (this one just happens to stick in my mind) and the service charges, usually very small, were clearly indicated.

It doesn't hurt to browse the site to get some idea of how it works...you'll be very pleased with the prices and variety of shows available.

Oh, "Mary Poppins" was a beautiful production, more faithful to the book than the film. I was fortunate enough to get a ticket to "Billy Elliott", and found it quite moving. Serious, political, and uplifting. It helps to be familiar with British politics and class issues. I didn't have trouble understanding the northern accents, but some people might (especially if the show is headed for Broadway).