Recommendations for the best show to see in London!

I really liked Wicked.
Enjoy London!

Friend and I really enjoyed Six two years ago. It’s still playing at the Vaudeville Theater..

IF you want something truly British, with a cool twist, try the play Witness for the Prosecution. It's in an old courthouse, tons of atmosphere. You can surprise mom by putting her in the jury box.

My husband and I loved Guys and Dolls, which we saw last year at the Bridge Theatre (near Tower Bridge). You can choose either regular seats or standing room where you mingle with the performers. Wonderful revival of a show with great music. My son saw it on a separate trip earlier this year, and also enjoyed it.

Pantomime season should be beginning - a very British thing with lots of audience participation, aimed at both kids and adults. Some of the humour might be too British for visitors, ie jokes regarding politics, British personalities etc., there is also usually some cross-dressing. The Palladium is the big panto in London.

Of those four choices, I'd see Wicked in London. If you want the full experience, have dinner at The Ivy.-West Street. It's wonderful and a classic part of a night out on the West End. They have a pre-theatre menu. Reservations are a must. Enjoy!

Like others have mentioned, we also saw Les Mis in London, but you as a first timer having never seen Broadway or London theatre, I still think of your 4 choices, you would enjoy Wicked.

Have you ever seen Les Miserables? Yes, an older production but the music is magnificent. I saw it decades ago and will be seeing it again with my 28 year old son (first time).

I saw Wicked and thought it was a good show. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie. Have you seen Mama Mia, the movie?

I’ve seen all the shows you mention. Of your four choices, I’d recommend Wicked since you have already seen both Mamma Mia and The Lion King. Wicked has great music; you will leave the theatre humming. I thought Mrs Doubtfire was entertaining, but not in the league of the other three shows that you mention. There was not a single song that was memorable.

If you haven’t seen Hamilton, it is really excellent.

Wicked is brilliant, but I agree a pantomime (aka panto) is the way to go this time of year. Our kids loved them when they were young, but they also work well for adults:

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/christmas-pantomimes-in-london

PS
We did see Hamilton in London and left in the intermission (along with a few other people) - which given the rave reviews goes to show that taste is a personal thing!

I just saw Wicked last month and really enjoyed it. Here’s what I said about it in my trip report:

The highlight of today was our 2:30 show of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theater. My sister and brother-in-law were so excited to see this. I am not a musical person, but even I really enjoyed myself. We had great seats—3rd row in the dress circle/balcony. It was really a great show and I’m glad we were able to experience it. I don’t think I’ll ever be a “show a night” person, but I would definitely see another one.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/10-days-in-london-our-first-time-a-trip-report

terynkline, we saw MacBeth with David Tennant and Cush Jumbo in October. It was incredible! It will show as sold out mostly, but if you keep checking the Harold Pinter site, especially as you get closer to your dates, return tickets can show up. That’s how we got ours. Enjoy London and any shows you are able to see! We’ve seen Wicked and The Lion King and Les Mis. They are all fantastic! The costumes and music on all are so memorable!

Edit- for example on Wed. Dec. 4 at 7:30 there are two stalls tickets for £100. Same for Sat. Dec .7 matinee for MacBeth. It’s intense, though, and possibly not what you’re looking for

The Lion King was wonderful!!! The costumes incredible.

Of the shows you mention, I've seen all except Mrs. Doubtfire. If you want to pick from those, I would recommend Wicked. That being said, I really liked Six, which isn't on your list. Since it's you and your mom, you'll likely appreciate the female perspective throughout the show. In fact, we will be in London in June. I plan to see three shows, and I am considering going to see Six again.

You really can't go wrong with any of them. I was having a conversation this summer with a fellow traveler about Broadway musicals we have seen. He asked which one was my favorite. And I couldn't pick one! I'd have to pick about ten! There have only been two that I wasn't a fan of. I hated Cats, and I didn't enjoy Hamilton as much as I was apparently supposed to.

Good heavens. How can one answer this question?

I personally wouldn't spend a nickel to see any of the musicals mentioned here, but I'd mortgage my house to see a revival of The Mousetrap. And some people love to see shows multiple times, while others want to see something new every time.

I'd suggest also considering a show at Shakespeare's Globe. You can't do that in Omaha, or indeed in New York.

If you’d like to try a more British musical which isn’t likely to show up at your local playhouse or on Broadway, I can highly recommend Operation Mincemeat. My friend and I saw Wicked our first evening in London and it was impressive but I adored Operation Mincemeat. The theatre was small but the actors were super talented and there’s one ballad that still touches me. The story is from a real life British scheme to fool Hitler into thinking the allies were invading through Spain by planting a drowned soldier off the beach there. There’s a movie by the same name. The play won multiple 2024 London theatre awards.

Just don’t try a show your first night in London. We were seated on the front row at Wicked and, as soon as they dimmed the audience lights, I started struggling to stay awake. I came so close to snoring away under the noses of the actors on stage!

Appreciate the positive reviews about SiX!. I've read so many fiction/nonfiction books about the wives of Henry VIII, I feel like I know all personally!
Divorced, Beheaded, Dead, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. Planning on booking Six just for me.
Wish Mark Rylance was performing in London next August. I'd book any play he was in.

My daughter and I were just in London 2 weeks ago and saw Wicked. It was excellent ; much better acoustics and production than when we saw it in Hartford, Ct. We purchased discounted tickets from the TKTS booth in Leicester Square at around 4 pm for the 7:30 show and had great seats.