London- West End Help/Recommendations

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 7:03pm

I’m planning my London trip and I’m trying to decide what shows I want to see. Here what I have already:

Tuesday 7/25: Open

Wednesday 7/26: A STRANGE LOOP

Thursday 7/27 (matinee): Open

Thursday 7/27 (evening): BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Friday 7/28: A STRANGE LOOP

Saturday 7/29 (matinee): Open

Saturday 7/29 (evening): Open

I’m deciding between the following shows: A LITTLE LIFE, CABARET, GUYS AND DOLLS, NEWSIES, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (Open Air), THE CHOIR OF MAN, (Sexy) OKLAHOMA, THE MOUSETRAP, and GROUNDHOG DAY.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Any sites for discount codes or whatnot?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 7:24pm

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. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 7:31pm

I'd vote for Guys and Dolls, Groundhog Day and A Little Life (assuming you have interest in the story/subject material).

Todays Tix is big for discounts in London and reduced day seats or rush are pretty common.  The TKTS booth in Leicester Square is still active.  Discounts for Guys and Dolls and A Little Life are likely to be more challenging to find given their popularity.

It is usually pretty easy to get discounts for Newsies and The Choir of Man right now, but summer may be a different story because of more tourists.

I'd suggest keeping an eye on what Menier Chocolate Factory announces for summer.  They do good shows and tickets are always very affordable.

https://theatreboard.co.uk/ is a good source of info about UK shows. https://www.theatremonkey.com/ is a site many turn to for discounts, but I find their info to be a mixed bag if the discounted tix have to be purchased through their site.  I always double check prices directly at the theatre and sometimes the discounts TM tix are more than what the theatre is offering.

Updated On: 3/21/23 at 07:31 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 7:37pm

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)

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 7:50pm

quizking101 said: "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)"

Yep. That's the London market right now.  Although I got my A Little Life ticket for $125 GBP which seemed reasonable compared to US prices.

Many of the theatres do dynamic pricing as well, so Hamilton (for example) pops on the weekend with most tickets 100-250 GBP whereas on some weekdays you can get most orchestra seats for under 100 GBP and as low as 37 GBP for a rear orchestra seat.

I generally find weekday tickets for the most popular shows to be cheaper and then I look to less popular shows, more offbeat locations, or National Theatre productions for the prime weekend slots as they usually are cheaper.

 

[Mark_E]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 8:07pm

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.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 8:18pm

Do we know if this is a new version of Groundhog? Like another crack at it? Or they're bringing it back?

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 8:51pm

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

[steve.sometime]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 9:23pm

Check out Punchdrunk's The Burnt City!

[itsshowtime2]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 10:29pm

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.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 10:42pm

Cabaret is a must see!  Don't miss that.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 10:57pm

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]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 11:21pm

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.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/22/23 at 5:14pm

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

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/22/23 at 5:39pm

Not a big fan of London in the summer but this revival of my favorite show is getting me there, if only for a quick weekend: The Pillowman.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/22/23 at 6:33pm

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. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 3/22/23 at 6:44pm

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."

I agree your point.  You have actually understated Funny Girl and Parade.  I paid $259 for fifth row on the side of the front mezzanine and, I think, $185 for Parade.  In the extreme opposite direction, I paid $49 for Camelot seats because I foolishly thought there would be a lot of demand and did not wait for a discount code.  The regular prices, to emphasize your point, were just too much for me to pay for some thing that I only saw once and was bored with, beautiful music and Richard Burton aside.

[ggersten]

Posted: 3/22/23 at 6:57pm

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...

 

 

[yyys]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 7:35am

There will be some deals with TodayTix for sure.

Newsies was our least favorite. Forgettable score and the venue reminds me of a Cirque du Soleil venue. The leading man is a not up to par with Jeremy Jordan. We didn't regret seeing it though. 

Cabaret is a must but we don't know who will be in the cast in July.  Wednesday matinee is cheaper than weekend tix.

The Oklahoma cast is awesome and go try to see the full cast if possible, esp Anoushka. Three of them are nominated for the Olivier. 

Updated On: 3/23/23 at 07:35 AM

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 8:33am

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. 

[sparklingtonic2]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 2:47pm

This is a really helpful thread (I'm also planning a West End trip), so thanks to everyone for the comments.

To the OP: The last time I was in London, I saw "The Mousetrap" and loved it. (Lol -- I liked it better than what I had actually traveled there to see, which was Ivo van Hove's "All About Eve.") My husband likes Agatha Christie and wasn't with me on the first trip, so I will likely see it again when I travel there in September. :)

Updated On: 5/18/23 at 02:47 PM

[cam5y]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 7:48pm

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.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 8:12pm

 Guys and Dolls! 

[sparklingtonic2]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 10:54pm

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

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 12:28am

Cabaret is excellent and highly recommend - get the dining seats if you can - it will only enhance your evening. 

I am going this weekend and just read on TheatreBoard UK that Laura Carmichael is out of Private Lives for the rest of its run - was really looking forward to seeing her in this - love that Donmar Warehouse.

Also seeing - The Motive & Cue, Guys & Dolls and A Little Life.

Not sure about Brokenback Mountain 

Updated On: 5/22/23 at 12:28 AM