![[LondonTown.com Header Image (Thames Scene)]](/LTtemplates/template_images/londontown.upper.logoheader.thamesscene.jpg) |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
  |
|
London's Top Musicals
 
Download Article (PDF)
The West End has always been the world's most exciting theatre scene and the musical is the cornerstone of its success. From long-running shows to contemporary productions, at every bend in Theatreland, hit musicals emblazon the streets. We've put together a list of our current must-sees.
 When the curtain goes up, make sure you've got the best seats in town - at cut prices - by booking online.   Avenue Q
Gielgud Theatre, W1D 6AR Until 26th September 2009 Meet Princeton, Kate Monster, Trekkie, Brian and their friends on a crummy alleyway in New York as they find out what life is really all about and learn to love it despite the ups and downs. Avenue Q took a brief hiatus from the limelight but now it's reopened in its new venue, the Gielgud Theatre, to begin its fourth year in the West End. This anarchic musical uses Sesame Street-style puppets and the forms of an old school Gershwin musical, including a setting on the West Side, but describes life in entirely different, more... adult terms. Certainly, George Gershwin never wrote a number called The Internet is for Porn, nor do we remember any Sesame Street songs with the theme Everyone's a Little Bit Racist. Avenue Q is street smart, wry and extremely well-produced. Shot through with charming optimism, crude sex jokes and an appreciation of the simple pleasures of this humdrum life it chimes brilliantly with British audiences. Venue: Gielgud Theatre Address: Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6AR Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 1st June 2009 - 26th September 2009 Time: Mon to Thu 8pm, Fri 5.30pm & 8.30pm, Sat 5pm & 8.30pm Pricing: £10-£55 (Mon to Thu and Fri mat), £10-£60 (Fri & Sat), £25 (Concs excl Fri eve & Sat) Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Avenue Q - Information  Thriller - Live
Lyric Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES Until 3rd January 2010 Michael Jackson's untimely death may have propelled this musical into orbit; Thriller - Live became a tribute show overnight with the obvious decision that the show must go on "to the memory of the man and his incredible music". The lights of the Lyric were dimmed and a minute's silence was held in the auditorium on the night of the first performance after the star's death and we're willing to bet that the applause reached ear-splitting levels in honour of the King of Pop. And with the cancelling of Jacko's 50-date tour at the O2 a sad side effect of his death, Thriller - Live might just be the next best thing to relive the glory days of his extraordinary career. Jackson's awesome videos and dance moves changed the face of music and - although no one can moonwalk like the man himself did - a cast of 80 singers, musicians and dancers do Michael's legacy justice, largely due to the fact that "the hits just keep on coming" (The Telegraph). The Lyric is equipped with a huge stage and very decent sound system, making this a pop spectacular. Venue: Lyric Shaftesbury Avenue Address: Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 2nd January 2009 - 3rd January 2010 Time: Tue to Fri 8pm, Sat 4pm & 8pm, Sun 3.30pm & 7pm Pricing: £23.50-£50.50 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Thriller - Live - Information  La Cage aux Folles
Playhouse Theatre, WC2N 5DE Until 9th January 2010 Georges and Albin are a happy couple, living above the St. Tropez nightclub La Cage aux Folles, which Georges owns and where Albin is the transvestite star turn. Then Georges' son - the product of a one-night stand - decides to introduce his fiancee's conservative parents to his unconventional family. La Cage aux Folles has so many brilliant comic set-pieces that it even survived being made into a Robin Williams film (the non-singing Birdcage), but the stage musical remains the perfect way to enjoy it, especially when the production comes from the Menier Chocolate Factory, this show at the Playhouse just the latest in a string of successful West End transfers. It's packed with fantastic tunes from Jerry Herman (the climactic song I Am What I Am was a massive chart success), the script matches Some Like it Hot for wit, there are numerous high-kicking dance numbers and, though it has lost its power to shock in the last two decades, La Cage aux Folles remains a perfect piece of feel-good comedy. Venue: Playhouse Theatre Address: Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5DE Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 20th October 2008 - 9th January 2010 Time: Mon to Sat 7.30pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm Pricing: £17.50-£58.50 Nearest Station: Embankment Tube La Cage aux Folles - Information  Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Musical
Palace Theatre, W1A 4AF Until 13th February 2010 Jason Donovan, Tony Sheldon and Oliver Thornton play two transvestites and a transsexual, heading deep into Australian redneck territory in a bus called Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, flaunting her way into the Palace Theatre. The original movie was ripe for an uber-camp stage version - in Sydney cinemas, it played in 'dragarama', with a glitter ball and dancing in the aisles - and by all accounts this production doesn't disappoint. It's been Australia's most successful musical of all time, with two years of packed houses and audiences on their feet for disco numbers including Downtown, Venus, Go West, I Will Survive, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Hot Stuff and We Belong. The dialogue is even ruder than in the movie, the costumes more extravagant and Priscilla herself a six tonne prop covered in almost a thousand LED lights. Soho's Palace Theatre should be an ideal venue for this glittering party, especially in the raucous Friday evening performances. Venue: Palace Theatre Address: Cambridge Circus, W1A 4AF Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 10th March 2009 - 13th February 2010 Time: Mon to Sat 7.30pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm Pricing: £22.25-£66.25 Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road Tube Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Musical - Information  The Lion King
The Lyceum Theatre, WC2E 7RQ Until 28th March 2010 The Lion King tells the story of Simba - the epic adventure of his battles, his friendships, his dreams and his journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the African Pridelands. It's the costumes and puppetry at the Lyceum Theatre that have made this one of the most successful musicals of all time as a whole menagerie of wild beasts are created from masks, stilts and superb dancing. The ever-changing set and the addition of Zulu chants to Elton John and Tim Rice's catchy songs all add to an extraordinary atmosphere. A triumphant, genre-defying adaptation and one of the few family plays that is genuinely as much fun for adults as children. Venue: The Lyceum Theatre Address: 21 Wellington Street, WC2E 7RQ Phone: 08448 440 005 Date: 24th September 2002 - 28th March 2010 Time: Wed & Thu 7.30pm, Sun 3pm, Mar 2010: Tue & Wed 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mats 2pm, Sun 3pm Pricing: £20-£59.50 Nearest Station: Covent Garden Tube The Lion King - Information  The Phantom of the Opera
Her Majesty's Theatre, SW1Y 4QL Until 31st March 2010 Andrew Lloyd Webber's most enduring hit has been running since 1984 and is still as popular with audiences and critics as it ever was. Phantom of the Opera tells the haunting tale of the tragic love between a beautiful singer and a scarred composer, who lives beneath the majestic Opera House in Paris. The fine Victorian auditorium of Her Majesty's Theatre sets the mood perfectly for a thoroughly sinister romance, with some great swashbuckling moments and some of the grandest musical set pieces of all time. One of the best from the master of musicals. Venue: Her Majesty's Theatre Address: Haymarket, SW1Y 4QL Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 9th January 2002 - 31st March 2010 Time: Mon to Sat 7.30pm, Tue & Sat mats 2.30pm Pricing: £28.05-£59 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube The Phantom of the Opera - Information  Billy Elliot
Victoria Palace Theatre, SW1E 5EA Until 3rd April 2010 This tale of a boy from a mining community who wants to become a dancer is even more affecting on the stage of the Victoria Palace Theatre than it was on the big screen, set to some magnificent Elton John songs and Peter Darling's thrilling choreography. The same tensions drive Billy Elliot the musical that drove the film, with Billy's successes measured against the failure of the miner's strike and the end of the traditional way of life for his family and friends. Like a modern West Side Story, the song-and-dance numbers are intimate parts of the plot, expressing character's inner feelings in a way that dialogue never could. A triumphant tale of personal achievement, a moving social study and a celebration of the sheer joy of dance, this is a rare combination of intelligence and pure pleasure. The Daily Telegraph has declared this the greatest British musical of all time and they may well be right. NOTE: Contains swear words. No children under eight years admitted Venue: Victoria Palace Theatre Address: Victoria Street, SW1E 5EA Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 22nd March 2005 - 3rd April 2010 Time: Mon to Sat 7.30pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm Pricing: £17.50-£65 Nearest Station: Victoria Tube Billy Elliot - Information  Wicked
Apollo Victoria Theatre, SW1V 1LG Until 3rd April 2010 'The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz' introduces us to some very familiar characters, years before they met Dorothy. One of them is a clever, lively lady with green skin, the other is superficial, beautiful and popular. Wicked, the tale of how they became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, has broken box office records at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. The musical is at its best in the first half, where a Hogwarts-esque school for witches forms the background for a very entertaining US High School comedy, with the usual mix of popular kids, geeks and rebels. Also familiar from the Harry Potter novels is the mixture of a serious political metaphor - the world of Oz slowly falling under the Wizard's fascist regime - and child-friendly fantasy involving thrilling, high-budget broomstick flying scenes. The second half is set during the events from The Wizard of Oz, weaving the plots together very neatly, including the backstories of The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, The Lion and those terrifying flying monkeys. Younger children will love the set and special effects, while older kids and teens will be thoroughly absorbed by the mythology and romance. For adults, the greatest pleasures come from some good jokes and the intricacies of the plotting. Though it lacks any truly memorable numbers, the score is brisk and catchy and this is a rewarding big-budget show. It's definitely worth refamiliarising yourself with the movie before you go. Venue: Apollo Victoria Theatre Address: 17 Wilton Road, SW1V 1LG Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 7th September 2006 - 3rd April 2010 Time: Mon to Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mats Sat 2.30pm Pricing: £15-£60 Nearest Station: Victoria Tube / Rail Wicked - Information  Blood Brothers
Phoenix Theatre, WC2H 0JP Until 31st July 2010 Over two decades into its West End run, Willy Russell's iconic musical Blood Brothers, showing at the Phoenix Theatre, has barely dated at all. This is particularly true of the music, whose 80s drum machines and sweeping, hum-able choruses are very much back in vogue in London's clubland. The story is classic musical fare - best friends slowly torn apart by the pressures of superstition, economics and, above all, class, all underpinned by a haunting secret - told with verve and lyrical freshness that could only have come from this marvellous writer. Its thirty-year tale sees growing prosperity before the disasters of the eighties, but these great social changes take place alongside more intimate emotion: the excitement and danger of an inner-city childhood, the blessed relief of university for a repressed middle class boy, the giggles and goose bumps of teenage love. This heart-wrenching musical has recently been given an injection of fresh blood in the form of one of 2007's X Factor stars Niki Evans, who joins Kiki Dee and Barbara Dickson in the long line of actresses to play Mrs Johnstone. She may be a novice to the West End stage but her big voice is up to the job and her lack of drama school-esque polish gives the role the raw, persuasive edge it needs. The kind of work that simply never gets made any more, Blood Brothers deserves its status as a modern classic. Venue: Phoenix Theatre Address: Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0JP Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 1st January 2002 - 31st July 2010 Time: Mon to Sat 7.45pm, Thu mats 3pm, Sat 4pm Pricing: £17.50-£52.50 Nearest Station: Leicester Square Tube Blood Brothers - Information  Oliver!
Theatre Royal Drury Lane, WC2B 5JF Until 26th February 2011 Lionel Bart's smashing Victorian musical has had two previous London productions which both ran for over 100 performances, but there's every chance that this new version will be the best Oliver! ever. It's based on the Matthew Bourne-choreographed 1990s production and there's over a hundred performers and musicians, so the big set-piece songs which everyone remembers from the film (Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two) will be great fun. Director Rupert Goold won the Olivier Award for Best Director after a string of brilliantly atmospheric shows for the RSC and is just the man to recreate Victorian London on the vast stage of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Best of all is the chance to see Rowan Atkinson returning to his villainous roots after two decades of being Mr Bean, playing the master pickpocket Fagin. Venue: Theatre Royal Drury Lane Address: Catherine Street, WC2B 5JF Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: 12th December 2008 - 26th February 2011 Time: Mon to Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm Pricing: £19.50-£67.75 Nearest Station: Covent Garden Tube Oliver! - Information
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|