London- West End Help/Recommendations

I'd vote Groundhog and Guys and Dolls. Mousetrap for the nostalgia, but it'll also be on our coast pretty soon, same with Cabaret.

What I'm noticing is that the prices (even full price) are either ridiciulously cheap to reasonable ($30-$90 US) or absolutely bonkers (CABARET and A LITTLE LIFE look like mostly premium unless you want to live in the attic)

A Little Life is getting great early reports and is sure to be a hot ticket.

The new Guys and Dolls is wonderful in every way.

Groundhog Day is a fantastic show and definitely worth seeing

Choir of Man is a really fun show AND they have a 3:30pm matinee on a Friday - definitely worth considering if you can fit it into this slot.

Cabaret, Newsies and Oklahoma are all great productions in London. Cabaret in particular is very good.

The Mousetrap is... The Mousetrap and has no signs of slowing in London. They do have a matinee on a Tuesday which would allow you to see it as an additional show.

La Cage aux Folles is unknown in terms of production yet. Last year the open air did such a botched job at Legally Blonde that I can't recommend going on the basis of the venues track record anymore.

I also just saw HEATHERS is still running (suprisingly), so Idk if that will change anyone's suggestions

Also, lots of shows have matinees on Wednesdays if you are available to see a show then.

I would also recommend Operation Mincemeat which is a fun musical and I don't quite see it making it to Broadway, but you never know.

I'd also suggest "Crazy For You" - That production is fantastic! "Groundhog Day" definitely and see if you can even get tix to "A Little Life", I thought the whole run had been sold out for a while - I could be wrong, though. "Guys & Dolls" is an absolute must and I'm really looking forward to the new "La Cage", as well. And if you haven't seen "Cabaret", yes. 100% that one, too.

If you want to see "The Mousetrap", they have Thursday matinees (not a lot of shows do), so you might be able to fit that in there.

RippedMan said: "As others have said, when I was there I did a lot of day of tickets at the box office and got some great seats for like $20 or whatever."

Good to know! I’m just worried that I won’t be so lucky as a long-legged fella since most of those seats are probably older than Shakespeare himself

One thing I'd say re:Cabaret which sealed the deal for me (I'm seeing it next week) is that yes it's expensive and yes it's also very likely to come to Broadway, but it will certainly be so much more expensive on Broadway. I'm expecting as bad or maybe even worse than Music Man.

On the West End, it's expensive, but it's still cheaper than a typical musical revival would be on Broadway.

I splurged for 100 pound (about $120) second-row mezzanine seats. On Broadway, a comparable seat would be $200 at Sweeney Todd, $165 at Funny Girl, $150 at Parade, and $180 at Camelot.

Cabaret is definitely worth your time. I don't know what NYC theatre would be prepared to do the re-design that this version uses. The caveat is that I don't think they've announced who will be in the cast in July.

We will be seeing Operation Mincemeat on our June visit - but haven't booked yet. It is pricing by day of show - so Tuesday is less expensive than Wednesday and Friday/Saturday are top price.

Mark Rylance is in a new play that starts on 29 June - Dr. Semmelweis at the Harold Pinter. It's Rylance, so ....

There are seats for A Little Life when it transfers to the Savoy - where it will be when you visit. But, it is Van Hove, so ... you take your chances. It is supposed to be pretty intense.

There is a new play at the National - Dear England about football (aka soccer).

Regents Park Open Air is a fun venue to see a show.

And, yes, asking at the box office the day of the show is a good strategy. It does not always work - but we've had good luck with it over our visits.

And you could see the original two part version of Harry Potter...

100% recommend Guys and Dolls! I loved it and it’s gotten rave reviews also so don’t just need to take my word for it! I was seated, but the standing immersive section looked fun if you don’t mind standing. The Bridge Theatre is not actually in the West End though (nearest station is London Bridge) - there’s lots of places to eat around there too also. Bermondsey Street has some really good restaurants, and there’s an Ivy restaurant near the theatre too which is v handy.

If you’re Agatha Christie fans, Witness for the Prosecution is on at County Hall (near the London Eye). I couldn’t speak to the acting, but the courtroom setting is excellent.

cam5y said: "If you’re Agatha Christie fans, Witness for the Prosecution is on at County Hall (near the London Eye). I couldn’t speak to the acting, but the courtroom setting is excellent."

I saw this production in 2019, and I thought it was good. The venue is fantastic, the staging is clever and, when I attended, the acting was fine. I also came home with a fun souvenir program that has great cover art. If you like Agatha Christie, it's worth seeing both "Witness" and "Mousetrap." However, if you need to choose between them, personally I would go with "Mousetrap" because I think it's a better play (better plotting, better writing, etc.). JMO.

Updated On: 5/18/23 at 10:54 PM