Theater recommendation for first-timers

Although I cannot address your specific question, I have a suggestion: Buy a CD of whichever show you decide to see. Listen to it several times. If the CD comes with a little booklet containing the lyrics, read through them a couple of times before you head to London. That can make a lot of difference.

We have seen both of these musicals. Wicked is amusing and has very clever lyrics. Les Mis will grab you emotionally. After listening to "Can You Hear the People Sing," we felt ready to go out and man the barricades ourselves.

Yes, I've seen both shows and was underwhelmed by Wicked. Les Mis is wonderful.

I think knowing the plot well before seeing the musicals is a good idea. I personally did not have trouble following either of these musicals but I did with phantom of the opera. It really detracted from a long anticipated experience, even though I enjoyed the music.

Wicked is fun but Les Miz is a classic. We’ve seen it three times and probably will again. Please buy the good seats as being closer will help with your hearing issue, as it does with mine. Buy on the official site https://www.lesmis.com/london. The recommendation regarding listening to the CD is spot on.

I was in London last month and my friend and I got half-price tickets for Les Miz. (But maybe you should pre-book for a Friday night.)
I see a fair amount of theater at home and I thought that it was wonderful!
It's a modern classic and I'm so glad that I finally was able to see it on stage.

Not to sound cheap, but since your heart is not set on any particular show, peruse some of the half price ticket places and see what is typically on offer, then verify that the show is still on for your dates, and maybe try for that.

Wicked was great. It was in a theater near Victoria Station. A couple of years ago we saw Phanton (for the sixth time - first time in London). You would not guess that it is my wife's favorite.

Theatre really is personal. Agree look at the You tube videos. I love theatre and have a theatre kid. Have two subscription series in my town for two different theatres. And unlike most people I i don’t like Les Mes . I love Wicked. I was a Wizard of Oz fan as a kid and loved how the play made you look at everything differently.

When we were in London we wanted to see something with an English twist. So we saw Matilda a few years back. We were with kids. Honestly you can’t go wrong with any show. We found the shows much more reasonable than Broadway. Enjoy

Dooger54, I’ll just share my own experience, during my only visit to London in 2015. It might or might not be helpful to you. I decided I wanted to see shows that (1) were British, not American, (2) I had not seen before in the States, and (3) were upbeat and lively, either musicals or comedies. I ended up with discounted tickets to War Horse, and also Billy Elliot. Billy Elliot was very good, War Horse was wonderful and memorable. I also saw Merchant of Venice at the Globe Theater, as a groundling, which was a great experience, although exhausting as a groundling (standing up throughout).

I appreciate comments about looking for discount tickets but since this is a special occasion I want to get it booked before we get there. Since it’s a Friday night that probably limits the discounts also. I’ve been on theatermonkey and have not noticed discount tickets for these shows. And I want to get really good seats also.

dooger, I was just about to say not to wait ‘til you get there and hope for discount tickets and was glad to read your last post. We were in London for a few days and not only couldn’t get discount tickets, we couldn’t get regular priced tickets for anything. For a special occasion I would get them well ahead of time, as you said.

Our theater experience is New York, Chicago, and Denver. You will find the London experience very different. It is very casual and maybe because of so many tourist. The theaters are smaller. or at least ones we have been in London, are smaller than the the US. Most of the seats are good to very good. We have seen a number of repeated shows and they are always different from the US version. Not a fan of L Mis since it is a bit darker than other musicals. Forgot about Horse. If it is still around, grab it.

The concept of good seats is subjective as well. I’m in London frequently and most often get my theatre tickets via the 1/2 ticket booth. Most often seats are in the stalls or first row. Perfectly fine by me.

However, totally understand how special this trip is and how you want it all locked in before you arrive.
Since you’ve narrowed it down I would cast my vote for Les Miz. Memorable.

The Queens Theatre. Try for dress circle seating.

Enjoy!

I agree with the other posters to go with Les Miz. I saw it 4 times to Wicked’s one time. You can even watch the movie with Hugh Jackman beforehand.

Claudia-

What is the reason for tickets in the dress circle? I,was looking at the stalls since that is closer to the stage. Since I have never been to this theater I don’t understand the why’s of one section over the other. Thanks!

Doug

Tickets in the stalls ("orchestra" in US parlance) are closer, but tickets in the dress circle ("mezzanine" in US parlance) are higher up, so you often get a better view of the whole stage at once. Particularly for spectacles like big musicals, it can be easier to take it all in without swiveling your head constantly. If you sit too close in the stalls, you'll think you're at a tennis match, but of course, further back in the stalls is fine too.

As for what to see, I agree with everyone else that it's too personal a decision to leave to others. Read about the shows, try to get the cast albums out of the library or listen to excerpts on YouTube or Spotify. Which one interests you more?

As for your hearing problem, shows now have various devices available. For instance, on the Wicked London official website https://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/london/your-visit/access, under "Access," it says the following:

Deaf or Hard Of Hearing

The Apollo Victoria auditorium is equipped with Sennheiser MobileConnect WiFi sound amplification system. MobileConnect uses WiFi to deliver superior quality audio to a smart device such as an iPod or iPhone, either through headphones or via a necklace for hearing aid users. The sound levels can be adjusted on your device to suit your needs and our access host will be happy to assist you with this. Patrons are advised to book Stalls A-P for the best signal.

Devices can be booked via the box office in advance, borrowed on the day, or alternatively patrons can download the Sennheiser MobileConnect app using the links below to use on their own device.

On the Les Miserables London official website https://www.lesmis.com/london/tickets, it merely says the show is fully accessible, without giving details. It does say you can email [email protected] with questions. I assume they have similar provisions to Wicked, but it's worth checking.

Note that these official websites are the best place to get full price tickets. Other websites can add unnecessary markups, even though they sound official (such as, in New York, Broadway dot com, which adds a huge markup to the one already added by Telecharge or Ticketmaster). As a bonus, on the websites you can often see the view of the stage from the exact seat you are considering buying.

I have seen them both three times. If your wife enjoys great music, I would definitely go with Les Miz. I don't think it will be hard for you to follow.

Not a musical, but quintessentially British, "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie has been playing 65+ years in London.
Definitely ask about hearing assistance devices -- available at most theaters.

Go to theatremonkey.com and read everything about Les Miz as it is being performed at the Queen's Theatre. It will help you identify the best seats, which are not necessarily those in the first rows of the stalls (orchestra). It's not uncommon for the first rows of the stalls to be a lot lower than the stage, giving you a better view of the performer's lower legs than of their faces. And the floor of the stalls is often flat enough that an insufficient seat rake means poor sightlines for short people from some seats. The TheatreMonkey website will help you get your money's worth.

As noted by Harold, Dress Circle seats are higher up and provide a better view of the stage.

I do the same in US theatres, mezzanine seats. It’s a perspective I prefer.

Agree with others that Les Mis is a great choice. Wicked and Matilda were not my favorites. Book of Mormon should be at the top of the list for crude comedy--and those tickets were not cheap.

Thanks so much Harold for the great info on hearing impaired systems. I have emailed the Le Mis theater to see if they have any provisions for this.

I agree with whomever said to take a look at the half-price ticket booth if your friend is not particular. We have seen some wonderful plays and musicals. Usually, the ticket seller can recommend a play or musical if you are unsure. I've never had a bad play from the Leicester Square booth and we even saw An Inspector Calls.

I just returned from London, and an acquaintance advised me to eschew the half price booths and try for day tickets instead. These are seats made available on the day of the performance and tend to be good seats (aka 'rush tickets' in the States). I got a 2nd row dress circle seat to Company for £25, with no other fees. The show was excellent, and it was a treat to see Broadway legend Patti LuPone peform in it. When I was there, the half price booths didn't have any tix available for Company.

Thought I'd mention this because I don't recall reading about day seats on this forum. This web page collects folks' day ticket recon:
http://www.theatremonkey.com/dayseatfinder.htm#

And because I once fell asleep during Les Miz, I'll refrain on providing show recs :)

Laura B’s rec is a very good one, we loved The Mousetrap. You could do both... : )

I prefer Orchestra over Dress Circle, Orchestra from the middle to back, which allows you to see the whole stage at once (no head turning needed). I like being eye level with their faces rather than looking down on them from above.
Everyone’s different, no right or wrong.

My uncle is a theatre reviewer (he's fairly positive, not sure that I would call him a critic) for 20 yrs everywhere from NY to TX, and my Dad was very set on not attending any violent shows (and also wore a hearing aid), and they had a great time seeing 42nd Street. That could be a great place to start for one's first time in the theatre that is positive. And iconic. If you're only going to see one theatre show, that might be a must-see :) with a positive plot.

It might be great to see something similar to a movie you know she already loves. And tho sometimes surprises are good, it might be best to directly ask her what she would like the most. So many choices that are music-centered, and she may like different genres.

Might also be fun to get a daytime tour of a theatre that she likes, either in the West End or the Globe Theatre.
Have a great trip, and you're doing a great job of making your wife's birthday special :)
-Alison

I decided to discuss this with my wife and she choose Le Mis. So I have booked tickets for that week. Thanks for everyone’s help!

FYI, I’m going to post a new topic here asking for restaurant suggestions around the Queens theatre.

I realize the OP has decided on the play, but I want to second this, in case it helps anyone who comes across this discussion:

It's not uncommon for the first rows of the stalls to be a lot lower
than the stage, giving you a better view of the performer's lower legs
than of their faces.

Years ago a friend and I were in the first or second row of the stalls, right up against the stage, for a West End show. What I mainly remember is the view of the actors' legs. The setting was Paris in the 1960's. The actor playing the female protagonist had imprints on her calves that looked like she'd been wearing sweatpants with elastic around the cuffs before she changed for the performance. I couldn't remember the name of the play until I asked my buddy Google: Madame Melville. But I have always remembered the legs, lol.

Last week in London I made that mistake again. Sat in the second row of the stalls to see Switzerland at The Ambassadors. There's some stage business involving items placed on the floor - and nope, they weren't visible from my seat. To be fair, otherwise it was a perfectly good seat, and the bits I didn't see weren't critically important.

Les Mis is definitely a safe choice for someone you describe as conservative. I did have to chuckle at someone above seeming a little surprised "Book of Mormon" turned out to be 'crude' comedy. That's someone who clearly didn't do their pre-theater homework since it's no secret the creators of Book of Mormon who wrote the script and all the lyrics to the music also happen to be the guys who created the animated show "South Park" which has been on TV for years.

There's a lot of really good theater in London and although it's really nice you are booking your tickets now to secure some really good seats for her birthday, you may still want to consider looking into the half-price tickets for another theater production that you can't see in the United States and go on another night. Read the descriptions and see if anything appeals to you both. I have really enjoyed seeing shows that aren't available on Broadway in NYC that I can only see over there.