Hello- we will be traveling with our four children in London this fall, late October to be exact. I was wanting to get an idea of what a play might cost per person, just wondering if it would fit in our budget. Also, any cost saving tips, certain times or days would be great. I was thinking something like Lion King or Shrek. . . and we have two teens and two elementary school age.
Thank you!
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
3864 posts
Go to playbill.com and on the left hand side under listings/ tickets click on London. They have the shows and prices.
Posted by
Atlanta
972 posts
Oh, Megan, taking four kids to the theatre in London is something like skiing: you practice by throwing $50 bills in the toilet until you no longer feel the pain! Seriously though, it's my all-time favorite activity in London. I tell my traveling companions that I'll sleep in a barn if I have to, but I'll happily spend my last pound on a good London theatre seat!
This is my favorite site for seeing what's on and for buying tickets: http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk. If there's something I really want to see, I just bite the bullet and buy the best available seat in the stalls as far ahead as possible. The prices don't go down with time, but the seat selection does.
Once I'm in London, if I have an open night or afternoon, I head to the TKTS booth in Leicester Square that morning to see what's available that day at a discount. On the website above you can see what they're selling each day at TKTS. Read the info on the website carefully so you will be going to the actual free-standing TKTS booth in the square, not one of the many copycat ticketsellers in the same area. Go early for the best selection of plays.
London theatre is certainly not a bargain basement entertainment, but once you've invested in flying four kids to London, I would go for as many as I could afford. It's always been my kids' most memorable activity.
Posted by
Washington
919 posts
Theatre Monkey is a great website for reading reviews on seats/sections of each theater down to stuff like "seat j6 has a partial view", and if you need a reminder it includes definitions to compare the stateside vs. UK terminology (e.g. Stalls, dress circle, etc.).
Posted by
21 posts
We went in July and saw Mousetrap, both our kids (16 & 11) really enjoyed that. It's not a big musical, but it was fun to see something we wouldn't see in the US. Got our tickets the same day at the Leicester Square half price booth...for full price. I think it was 27-31 pounds each. You may have better luck on prices in October.
Have fun!
Susan
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32824 posts
I remember really enjoying The Mousetrap in something like 1987. I bet it hasn't changed much...
Posted by
Austin
973 posts
Some hotels have specials with dinner in their restaurant and theatre tickets.
We saw 2 musicals near Victoria station. In one, three 8th row seats were about the same price as 2 Broadway tickets- the pound was $1.38 when we were there and is now $1.29 today. The student tickets were all individual seats at the theatre itself- none together, but they were much less, had we not cared to sit together. There were better seats on Tues and Wed, but the same price as the weekends when i was there. I want to go back and see Bringing Up the Bodies and Wolf Hall- Tudor history might not sound entertaining to you tho...
Posted by
21 posts
@Nigel - I bet you're right that The Mousetrap hasn't changed much...for 63 years and counting. I think that's part of its charm :)
Susan