Which Musical to Choose?

I've seen all of thm except for Aladdin (although I'm familiar with the movie). It depends on what you're looking for. If you're a Disney fan then Lion King and Aladdin are obvious choices. Something hilarious but R-rated? Book of Mormon. Something sad but with wonderful music? Les Mis or Phantom. Something fun also with great music and girl power? Wicked. You didn't mention Kinky Boots which knocked Wicked off the #1 position in my favorite list. That one has great music, is funny, and has a great message of tolerance. Any of the above would be a great choice but I lean towards Wicked or Kinky Boots.

OK, so nothing new, just stuff that has already gone on tour across the U.S. Les Miserables is one of my favorites -- saw it in London in about 1993 (and in local amateur productions more recently) -- touching story, sweeping scope, great sets.

I didn't make it to a musical last year, but if I had, it would've been the Book of Mormon.

I was obsessed with seeing a play at the Globe. Here's the link in case you might be interested.

We have been to every musical we can get tickets to - it's just a passion of our family....

And each one has a distinct difference. Does your sister appreciate "music" like Phantom or Les Mis or Wicked which is a LOT of music ? Is the Book of Mormon too R rated for her ? Does she need something light and fun like Disney ?

And most important, does she love musicals ???? If she does, then ANY of them will be awesome !

Some friends of ours never go to musicals and they loved Beautiful. Another friend loved the pageantry and costuming of Lion King.

We actually saw Mary Poppins and Wicked in London - loved both.

Saw Lion King in NY-amazed at how effective the stick puppets are. Saw Wicked in NY-great message-people may not be as they seem. Daughter saw Phantom in NY and loved it. A friend who saw Kinky Boots in NY raved about it. Maybe you can't go wrong regardless of which one you pick!

Lo- we actually have tickets to see Romeo and Juliet at the Globe. Big Shakespeare fans, very excited about that. No Kinky Boots - vetoed by my sister. I included Les Mis because it is my favorite and the best musical I have ever seen anywhere. Happened to be London. But, my sister doesn't want to see it. She says it is too depressing. She would be willing to do Book of Mormon, which I have seen and warned her about but she is still willing. Soooo, perhaps have narrowed it down to The Book of Mormon, Lion King, and Wicked.

A nice dilemma to have! When I was in London in 2015, I decided I wanted to see plays that were British, not American; uppers not downers, but not necessarily musicals; and that I had not seen in the States. I ended up at Billy Elliott, War Horse and also Merchant of Venice as a groundling right by the stage at the Globe. All with inexpensive tickets, and great choices for me!

So sorry that your sister vetoed Kinky Boots ☹️ Oh well, any of the 3 musicals you're thinking about are good but maybe you can nudge her towards Wicked since you havent seen it.

I would highly recommend The Lion King, have seen it three times in London, it is an absolutely marvelous show. Have taken my granddaughter three times to see it here, she loves it. I would love to go to see it again when I'm in London in September. I already have tickets to see Kinky Boots.

Have seen all except Aladdin.

Given what you've conveyed I'd play it safe and choose either Wicked or the Lion King.

Personally I'd opt for The Lion King. "Simba!"

Enjoy!

I can't add much to this discussion, having never been to the Theatre myself... but for something different, you could look at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

http://www.openairtheatre.com/

Open air being a slight risk with the British weather, but i gather rain covers are provided if needed and in typical British fashion, everyone quite happily sits there in the rain and the show goes on. There is no guarantee it will rain of course, but that's part of the fun I'm sure.

You could "sample" each musical by watching a few songs (on YouTube) from each and then see which one interests you or appeals to you the most. Plus, it can be fun to be familiar with the songs before you attend the live performance.

I have visited London three times in the past four years, and have attended both musicals and dramas at several West End theaters, the Globe, and the National Theater. My recommendation would be to see the musical Stomp. Your brain does not have to go into overdrive to understand the Queen's English which was the case in a small number of performances that I have attended. Stomp, on the other hand, is all non-vocal musical and visual, and really enjoyable. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and Stomp, unlike some of the other productions you have listed, does not tour here very much. Whichever one you select should be great as they all are.

You can't go wrong with any of those choices. But if I had to choose, I would pick Wicked if you haven't seen it already.

I was just in London a few days ago and saw Dreamgirls. It was fabulous and I would highly recommend seeing that! Amber Riley is in it and her performance is fantastic!

Hello,
I was in London in March and saw two wonderful shows:

The Play That Goes Wrong (comedy) and Half a Sixpence (musical). Both were fun. I picked up cheap tickets at show's box offices.

Previous years, have enjoyed plays at the Globe.

Have a wonderful time!

Book of Mormon is incredibly rude so I wouldn't recommend it. Lion King, Wicked or An American in Paris are my favorites. Have fun!

Thanks everyone! We went with Wicked! Can't wait!

Hope you write about your trip, even if it is a small amount. I am going to London later in the year and will be seeing Wicked one evening along with staying at the London House Hotel. Love to hear all about your stay in June.

Safe travels, have fun.

Ann - we will be staying at the London House Hotel as well. And I will do a trip report. I love reading others and learning from them so I will do the same.

Another musical to consider is American in Paris. I saw it in NYC two years ago and was blown away by the dancing. I'll be in London in late summer, and plan to take in a number of shows. My question is whether I need to buy tickets in advance for top shows like Kinky Boots and Lion King, or can I rely on the 1/2 price ticket booth? Are the seats available at the ticket booth decent or remote? I generally feel it's worth the extra bucks for a seat in orchestra or front mezz, rather than being up in the rafters.

I will be in London in late Sept. so I am following this discussion. But Dreamgirls, which I saw in Los Angeles more than 30 years ago, has received great reviews. Tickets are selling briskly. The website for the production does list the dates that the lead actress, Amber Riley, contractually will not be performing.

Wicked, Les Mis, Lion King, Phantom - in that order.

Book of Mormon sounds great - rude? Yay! Except I can't take my daughter. Boo.

Have you considered The Girls? Based on Calendar Girls. No sadder than Les Mis but might be a bit too British for some. I think Gary Barlow is one of the most underrated songwriters in the world. Passes the Bechdel test.

I've seen Les Mis 5 times (Vancouver x2, NYC x2 and London). I also liked the film. It is worth seeing if you haven't seen it. I love it even though I cry every time - when Hugo says "miserables" he is not messing around. Music is dated. Same with Phantom. Both scream 1980s to me. I do admit to knowing most of the songs having listened to the London cast recording countless times!

Wicked blew me away. It was modern but very much a "musical", the costumes were amazing, the story is solid and moving. I might even try to read the novel again! Good female characters.

Lion King is great for the staging and songs - can't go wrong with Elton John. The African rhythms don't really appeal to me personally and I have never seen the Disney film all the way through so no personal history/nostalgia factor.

Phantom - meh. And that dude is creepy.

Enjoy Romeo and Juliet. We saw it in 2013 at the Globe and loved it. What a great experience!