London theatre/shows

A couple of years ago we really liked "Wicked" at the Apollo Victoria theater I think. We're from KS so the "Wizard of OZ" and now "Wicked" are KS based, supposedly. Great music, great voices, and enough action to keep hubby engaged.

Not all tickets at TKTS are discounted - e.g. those for Wicked are not reduced.

Billy Elliot is good, as is the Jersey Boys. tkts.co.uk shows the availability for the next few days so you can look before you go to the booth to buy the tickets. If you don't want a musical, try the 39 Steps - fast paced.

Hi britt.erin:

Here is something that I experienced last August regarding the TKTS booth. I wanted to see the romantic musical "Once" and went to that ticket office on the morning of the performance. If you don't know already, not all of the tickets sold by TKTS are at a discount. All of the tickets for "Once" for that day were being sold at face value. Shortly thereafter I was back in my room where I did a search of discounted tickets on my laptop. The Time Out web page had tickets for that evening's performance at about 40% off. So if you have your heart set on seeing a particular show and see that TKTS is not discounting it you might go on-line to see if a reputable reseller has discounted tickets.

Also, the Rick Steves London book and many other sources say: do not be lured by other alleged discount kiosks in the area who might be pulling a bait and switch to sell you tickets at the regular price.

If it is still playing I would recommend "Once" which is based on a movie that won the Academy Award for best song a decade ago or so. It's a nice romantic film.

Geor(ge)

Here is a very useful guide to London theatre, operating for a long time. It contains valuable information about theatre seating, special offers including dinner packages, and how to get around. http://theatremonkey.com
For discount tickets, note particularly this page http://theatremonkey.com/buyingforless.htm
It warns that the Leicester Square TKTS office is actually in the park; avoid the nearby ticket offices with slippery deals. From my own experience, do not assume that the first two rows of the theatre offer the best seats. Often the stages are elevated so that you will get a great view of the actors' kneecaps.

Why choose an international musical such as the two you suggested? Even the big English musicals such as Matilda tour North America. For a better taste of England, seek out comedies, and of course there are always several classic dramas being performed at London venues.

For another view of what's playing, the magazine Time Out runs extensive coverage: http://www.timeout.com/london The big national newspapers often have theatre guides too.

The TKTS booth at Leicester Square has a website. It is updated daily, but you can get an idea as to what might be available at a discount:
http://www.tkts.co.uk/whats-on-sale/#today

The previously mentioned http://theatremonkey.com is a great resource.

I've seen most of the long running shows in London. Among my favorites are "Billy Elliot", "Wicked", and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time".

The online Official London Theatre Guide is a good resource.

Britt.erin, when in London this May, I told myself that if I went to any plays, I wanted them to be (1) British, not American, (2) lively and musical, rather than slow and depressing, (3) shows I hadn't seen before, and (4) not too ridiculously expensive. I ended up enjoying both Billy Elliott, supposedly the most popular in town these days in its 10th anniversary season (I paid £47 at TKTS), and War Horse, where I had seen the movie but not the play (I paid a discounted £25 at the theater, same price at TKTS). In addition I was a groundling one evening at Merchant of Venice at the Globe Theater on Southbank, a great experience for just £5. (Higher prices for seats higher up). The performance and costuming were really terrific!

I saw two fantastic shows last month.
Gypsy starring Imelda Staunton - absolutely amazing - Ms. Staunton can really belt out a song - who knew?
Sunny Afternoon based on the early days of the Kinks - so terrific! - the gentleman playing Dave Davies was particularly good- the actors sang and played instruments - a lot of energy

I loved both of these musicals!

The 39 Steps. We've seen it three times in London and I'd see it again. It's leaving in September. It's fast paced and funny.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and tips! We ended up seeing The 39 Steps yesterday evening and it was fantastic- very funny, fast-paced, and well done. We purchased the tickets from TKTS that morning, which was an easy and efficient process, and the tickets were discounted. We even got a pleasant surprise upon arriving at the theatre, the usher directed us to the ticket booth where they upgraded our seating area! Must not have sold all the seats for that particular showing.
Overall, a success!

For anyone else planning to see it, it's even funnier if you watch the original Hitchcock movie first.