I'm going to London

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 3:43pm

Any advice? Any shows I gotta see? It's my 1st time.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 3:45pm

It would be helpful to let the board know when you're going, so that people can reply based on what will be playing at the time.

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 3:46pm

'Shrek the Musical'

'Matilda the Musical'

'The Wizard of Oz'

'Ghost the Musical'

All four are some of London's newest shows.

There's also long-running shows and hits: 'Les Miserables', 'Phantom of the Opera', 'The Lion King', 'Wicked', and 'Jersey Boys'.
Updated On: 1/26/12 at 03:46 PM

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 3:52pm

^^^
I doubt he'd want to see shows he could still catch here, but I do agree with The Wizard of Oz and Matilda.

Assuming you're there for it...if you missed Master Class, that's currently playing there. Also, if you enjoyed Legally Blonde, the west end production is suppose to run miles around the North American ones.

There's also The Woman in Black.

[Owen22]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 4:31pm

I would say skip Wizard of Oz. DEFINITELY Mathilda. If you are going before the end of Feb, there is a fantastic production of Pippin at the Menier Chocolate Factory (despite what the London critic haters said). And the Legally Blonde in London was inferior in every way to the Broadway except the original Elle was so fantastic it buoyed the show for a year after she left. I didn't like the new production of Noises Off but I seem to be in the minority. If you're there in March I hear the new Sweeney Todd is terrific, with Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton. Feed your dates into the search engine of this website http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/whatson/index.htm to find what's playing while you are there.

[theatrepaul]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 4:46pm

Depends when you'll be here but productions I'd recommend include:

Musicals - Matilda, Singin in the Rain, Sweeney Todd

Plays - One Man, Two Guvnors, Noises Off

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 4:48pm

I, too, am going in April (7-13). Got my tickets to Sweeney, Matilda and Long Day's Journey Into Night. Any other recommends? Any fringe stuff? I'm considering The Mousetrap, but only cause I've played Christopher Wren twice and think it could be a hoot.

[Emmaloucbway]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 4:55pm

I might be going too. Probably in mid-March. Planning on seeing les miz, phantom, shrek, crazy for you, and singin in the rain. :)

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 4:57pm

Crazy for You closes March 17 and Legally Blonde April 7.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 4:59pm

I just got back last week and saw Lion in Winter and Matilda, both of which I highly recommend. Lion in Winter is closing end of next week though.

[MelissaF]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 6:20pm

I was there in October for the first time, and saw Ghost and Wizard of Oz (which I booked thru Sees tickets, cheaper than ticketmaster) and I caught Priscilla at the TKTS booth...I loved London so much Im going back in April, and bought tickets to Singing in the Rain and Mathilda, Im sure ill pick up one more set of tickets at the TKTS booth again!

[ArtMan]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 11:16pm

Utilize the site Theatremonkey, for ticket selection and info on rush. Each show/theatre is presented in detail with opinions on seats and their value. They sell alot more discounted tickets (than NYC) for seats they say are obstructed, but were not. Mostly for the bar/railing. I'm 6'3 and had perfect view. If you were like 5'1 then it could be a problem. You can go to the box office and ask for that specific seat. Also from my experience, they do not get up early for rush or what they call "day seats". I got to the theatre three hours early for Deathtrap and was the only one in line. The theatre staff finally had pity on me and let me sit inside. Also if you plan on using the tube, buy a pass before you leave. They are available for multiple days. London can be expensive for transportation and food. Also many London museaums are free. Do a search and see what interests you. Definately go to Westminister Abby. It is pricy but well worth the visit as is the Tower of London. Have a good time.

[kec]

Posted: 1/26/12 at 11:40pm

Sweeney Todd opens in March -- highly recommend it!!!

[mallardo]

Posted: 1/27/12 at 10:19am

The National Theatre always has five or six shows running in three theatres. Check their website.

[jetts7]

Posted: 1/27/12 at 10:45am

I'd say
Wizard of Oz
Wicked
Ghost
Matilda
Shrek

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 8:36pm

If you didn't manage to see the amazing Tyne Daly in MASTER CLASS while it was on Broadway this past fall, it is now previewing in London for a 2/7 opening, and it should be every bit as great as it was in New York.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 1/29/12 at 3:26am

I was there in September, 2010 for the first time. Even though I couldn't find anyone willing to blow a few thousand to join me on my dream trip, I had a blast.

Everything went smoothly and I can't think of anything really worth pointing out except...

-If you're going to take the tube back to the airport (Heathrow), there is a point at which you must switch trains. Maybe it's obvious to others, but I did not see any indication of this when I mapped out and planned my trip in advance. I only discovered this after seeing my directions were at odds with what the in-train map was indicating. I got off briefly at the next stop and an employee pointed me in the right direction. That probably saved me a good hour of wandering around lost, ha. Wish I could remember exactly which stop required the switch but it's been awhile since the trip. I guess the lesson learned here was advance planning of public transportation is kinda dumb since they are constantly changing due to construction and other delays and goings ons. Plan and check your routes the day before!

-I always thought it'd be fun to run into a crazed beggar woman a-la Sweeney Todd while in London until I ran into a crazed beggar woman of sorts after a performance of Blood Brothers. No kidding.

She wasn't begging though, and she was quite pretty (short, thin blonde) but the stuff drugs does to people. Another thing drugs do to people: randomly select innocent tourists to attack.

I was the random, innocent tourist that night and while I'm lighthearted about it now, it terrified me at the time and placed a huge damper on the remainder of my trip. She just, without warning, ran up to me and begin strangling me. She had this extremely furious look on her face. It happened out in a very busy street and nobody stepped in to help. We just went in circles for a minute as I tried to get the bitch off of me. Finally she let go but stood there grinding her teeth at me and seemed about ready for another round. I was mostly stunned than anything but I managed to muster some anger and called her a "f*cking c*nt* before I continued on my way. I gave the small group of people that gathered but who did nothing the death glare. The nerve!

I look on the bright side nowadays and just tell people I tangoed with a blonde on the streets of London under the light of the moon.

-A nice, cozy place to stay that I recommend is the Ridgemount Hotel. I wrote and posted a review of it over at Trip Advisor. Check it out by clicking below and have fun on your trip!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d187680-r83575953-Ridgemount_Hotel-London_England.html

[theatregeek2]

Posted: 1/29/12 at 8:41am

The Sydney Theatre Company will present Gross Und Klein at the Barbican in April with Cate Blanchett in the lead. A friend saw it in Sydney and said she was fabulous!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/29/12 at 11:10pm

Thanks, I was there this past week, sorry for not being specific.

I also made a major mistake and because of scheduling issues I had I picked We Will Rock You and it was the worst piece of crap I have ever seen.

My other 2 options were Crazy For You and Blood Brothers, I think I should have picked either of the latter ones instead, but oh well, coulda woulda shoulda. London is such fun though! I wasn't able to see shows because I had dinners and things to attend.