Hi Everyone-
My husband and I spent several days in London this spring at the tail end of the Rick Steves Best of England Tour (highly recommended!) and have decided to go back for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. We had the chance to see a couple West End shows earlier in the year, and would like to see several more while we’re back in town. What’s not clear to me is whether or not there’s any sort of rhyme or reason to when, and how far in advance, forthcoming West End shows are announced. In looking at the available productions today, most everything for sale now are the perennial powerhouses (Phantom, Cats, Miss Saigon, Jersey Boys, etc.). We love big production shows, but would also love to catch a serious drama or two if we could, especially if we could see a production with a “big name” actor that we don’t get to see in touring productions in the States. We were very lucky in the spring that we were able to get great seats at the last minute from TKTS to see Tom Conti and a fabulous cast in 12 Angry Men, but we’d rather not leave tickets to chance on this trip. We'd love to buy in advance but don't want to buy now if there are going to be a dozen new shows announced in October. When is it safe to assume that most of the productions that will be playing in late December have been announced? Is there any sort of unspoken rule that London theatre insiders take as a given that we could benefit from here? Thanks in advance for your help!
Best,
Peggy
Posted by
Indiana, United States.
8 posts
Hey Peggy,
Outside of New York; London has the finest and largest amount of professional/equity theatres in the world. Big shows are what London seems to do best, this is what you will see advertised and on billboards and by the TKTS booth (Les Miz, Wicked, Miss Saigon, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, The Book of Mormon... etc.). Theatre in London (and from what I have observed.... Europe in general) is more available and affordable to the masses; even with the pound to dollar exchange being so rough. In new York full fare tickets easily cost 25% to 50% more than a West End show.
As you know, TKTS is a wonderful resource for "day of show tickets" (up to 50% OFF the full fare). However, the lines can be long and you might not get to see the first or second show you were hoping to see. That being said, I have on more than one occasion heard of people going to the box office when the house opens (30 minutes till curtain) to ticket holders and getting massively reduced fares/tickets at the box office of the theatre. No waiting in line at TKTS and quick, fast, and easy.
As for smaller plays or dramas.... those change faster than the Big Box/Juke Box Musicals. However, December is pretty much set in what is opening and closing. Most shows that make it to either Broadway or the West End have gone through what is know as "Previews" (the 3 to 6 weeks before Opening Night) and "out of town trials". This is the time that they work out the clinks and duds before Opening Night critics come to do reviews. That being said, sometimes in a blue moon a show gets such cruddy reviews (even after previews) that they close shortly after opening. There have been shows on Broadway/West End in the past few years that have done well out of town (in Manchester, England for example) and get mixed reviews during the time of previews (3 weeks before opening night) and Opening Night they receive such bad reviews that they close a few days later.
Also note that.... some shows are only open for a few weeks (limited engagement) or have actors that are only doing the show for a brief amount of time or only do the show certain performances. I have yet to be disappointed by any equity show that I have ever seen. SO, my advice is to use Playbill.com for up to date Broadway, Off Broadway and West End news and listings. They will also be able to tell you who is staring in what roles in London....: http://www.playbill.com/events/listing/london-shows
I am sure you will find something. Enjoy!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15794 posts
For everything you ever wanted to know (and even didn't know to ask) about London theater, go to theatremonkey.com
Everything that's on, that will be on, which seats are best in which theaters, if there are discounts for anything . . . and there are links to every other site that's relevant.
Posted by
Land of La
9261 posts
http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/.
This website also tells you what's opening , who starring, etc. Also as you will be there during the Christmas season do try to see a panto. So much fun. As far as smaller venues this website might be of interest. http://www.greatlittleplace.com/feature/london-best-theatres. Lastly, Timeout magazine which you can reference online, has theatre information.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5865 posts
I generally use this website to see articles about upcoming shows:
http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/
It is operated by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), the same organization that operates the TKTS booth in Leicester Square.
For information on where to buy tickets and seating, I rely on http://theatremonkey.com/
I suspect that most shows for December have already been announced, but do a bit of reading of the press releases and articles on the SOLT website. If you see a show with a "big name", book as soon as you can. In the last couple of years, I've been able to see shows with Judi Dench and Helen Mirren but I had to book well in advance and even then, I didn't have a big choice of seats.
As far as serious drama, you might also check to see what the National Theatre is offering (http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/), any Royal Shakespeare Company productions in London (http://www.rsc.org.uk/), or The Old Vic (http://www.oldvictheatre.com/)
Posted by
OP
Dallas, TX, USA
54 posts
Thanks all for your insight and suggestions; some of the resources I was familiar with, and several I'll have to check out tonight! Much appreciated.