London theatre

[Travel 25]

We will be in London next month before our cruise and would like to see a play. There are 2 that we are cosidering: DREAMBOATS or OLIVER ?

My wife likes MAMMA MIA!, but we have seen it already. Another option is to go to the play with the most famous or most historic theatre, what ever that one would be? Would appreciate any input and any other advice. We are staying at the City Inn Westminster and have no idea how far that is and how long it would take to get to the theatre district. Thanks for your help. Steve

[jeanrtco]

absolutely loved Wicked, also saw Stomp which was very good.

[xpcdoojk]

We have seen Wicked the last two trips to London, and previously in NY, and I highly recommend it. We watched Billy Elliott last trip and it is good, but some of the humor is a bit difficult for USA folks with the North country jokes and accents. Still enjoyed it.

 

jc

[Mooloo]

If you want 'historic', why not try the Globe theatre? Tickets are £5 to stand and £15-33 for seats. You can pay £5pp, see a bit of a show, take pics and leave if you're not into the play. If you do like what's on offer, there's nothing more 'historical'.

 

http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/theatre/annualtheatreseason/

 

If you want to see shows, these websites always have good show & dinner ticket deals.

 

Dreamboats & a meal is coming up at £20-23.50pp; Oliver & a meal is coming up at £27-32.50

 

http://www.whatsonstage.com/

http://www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/theatre/

 

 

Highly reccomend the meal & show option for 39 Steps (great show) - We got the deal for £20, the seats were all the way up in the Gods, but we moved to front row circle at the interval.

 

Both sites have an extensive list of show & it's worth looking at all of them.

 

Most theatres are near Piccadilly / the Strand and those away from there are within easy reach of transport.

 

http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/ will have a list of maps etc (but careful as they are usually selling tickets at full value, rather than discounted)

 

If you want a little bit of something different, but low cost, try the Royal Court: http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/

[Travel 25]

We should have mentioned that we have also seen Wicked and it is outstanding. Our daughter and her husband took us there as a Christmas present so as much as we would love to see it again we would never take away from that experience.

 

What is the dress code at the theatre?

[TMLAalum]

Although reviews are mixed, Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom sequel. "Love Never Dies" opened last month at the Adelphi Theatre and won't be on Broadway til November.

[Globaliser]

Another option is to go to the play with the most famous or most historic theatre, what ever that one would be?

I second the Globe Theatre for this option.

 

Don't forget that the most famous shows are not necessarily the best. One of the hot tips for this summer is a production of Sweet Charity at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, which will open there on 23 April. It was a smash hit in its original location (the Menier Chocolate Factory), and is the next in a long line of very successful productions to have transferred to the West End from there.

 

There is no single "theatre district"; from the City Inn Westminster you will have little difficulty getting to any theatre in central London.

[lord of the seas]

I second Sweet Charity,

I saw it twice at the Menier.

[Nylsor]

We saw 'Oliver' with its original cast last summer. We were quite diappointed as it certainly didn't live up to all the hype. There are so many better shows to see in London. Try 'Hairspray' - we thought it was superb and the theatre rocked!

A very useful site is www.Theatremonkey.com

This site gives you reviews by folk who have actually seen the shows, details of the theatre and recommendations - or -otherwise - of the best / worst seats. Don't even think of booking until you've reviewed this site.

Ros

[modem9]

We saw Wicked and I was not impressed. Course, we were way up near the back.

 

We will be seeing Woman in Black at the Fortune next month using the National Rail 2 for 1 discount offers. This time, I booked the third row in the middle for 23#.

[Travel 25]

We saw 'Oliver' with its original cast last summer. We were quite diappointed as it certainly didn't live up to all the hype. There are so many better shows to see in London. Try 'Hairspray' - we thought it was superb and the theatre rocked!

A very useful site is www.Theatremonkey.com

This site gives you reviews by folk who have actually seen the shows, details of the theatre and recommendations - or -otherwise - of the best / worst seats. Don't even think of booking until you've reviewed this site.

Ros

 

Thanks Ros that is a very useful site and thanks to everyone else too. This is what is great about Cruise Critic. People taking their time to help and share their insights. My wife and I love the music from the 50's and 60's and Dreamboats looks like a feel good play. In addition, we want to see Sweet Charity because of your input. Do you think these plays would be available at the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square? Thanks again. Steve

[Globaliser]

In addition, we want to see Sweet Charity because of your input. Do you think these plays would be available at the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square?

It's very difficult to know in advance for Sweet Charity, as the show hasn't even opened yet at its new home. But there is always a chance, particularly early in its run (I think that the first couple of weeks are officially "previews") and in the slow days in the middle of the week.

 

But to give you an idea of the buzz that this show created when it was at the Menier (which is admittedly quite a small venue): it ran from something like December to March. In early February, when I was looking to try to get tickets, they had already sold out every single ticket for every future night of the entire run, so we missed out.

 

I don't know exactly when you're going to be here, but there are reduced prices for the top three price categories during the preview period.

[Travel 25]

I don't know exactly when you're going to be here, but there are reduced prices for the top three price categories during the preview period.

 

We will be there May 3 through May 6.

[MATHA531]

Isn't it funny the way this works sometimnes....I saw Oliver with the original cast and loved it and thought it was a wonderful evening's entertainment. I saw one of the original boys who won the contest playing Oliver (Laurence) and Nancy was also the winner of the contest and she was great too.

 

But how does it go, different strokes for different folks, eh.

[Globaliser]

We will be there May 3 through May 6.

From the show's official website (which I think has only gone live today):-

TICKET PRICES*

Stalls £55.00

Royal Circle £55.00, £47.50

Upper Circle £32.50, £25.00**, £17.50** Gallery £17.50

Premium seats are also available

 

Previews

£10 off top three prices for all performances 23 April – 3 May

 

* All ticket prices are subject to an additional £1 per ticket theatre restoration levy and a booking fee of up to £3.50 per ticket

**Restricted view