Theatre Breaks in London this Winter - What's On Worth Seeing?
What to see
Winter 2007-2008 looks like a great time for theatre breaks. In London theatres there are some really fantastic shows that will make choosing just one a real challenge. I'm going to suggest a mix of old and new that I think are the most interesting choices for each of the main categories.
Comedy
- Spamalot - sort of based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, wildly comic with a very sureal edge. (Palace Theatre on now)
- The Importance of Being Earnest - Wilde's timeless classic, has to be worth seeing especially with Penelope Keith as Lady Bracknell. How will we resist joining in with the handbag line? ( Vaudeville Theatre from January)
- Fat Pig
Drama
- Glengarry, Glen Ross - Jonathan Price in this 25th aniversary revival of Mamet's '80s take on greed and the verbally violent world of sales. (The Apollo)
- King Lear - after sell out shows in Stratford, McKellen's Lear comes to the West End. Trevor Nunn directs, and if that isn't enough to tempt you Sylvester McCoy plays the Fool! ( New London Theatre January 12th)
Musicals
- Joseph - the Lloyd Webber and Rice classic back in the West End - who could resist it? (The Strand - booking now through till October 2008)
- Desperately Seeking Susan - Based on the 80s film comedy that introduced Madonna, with a period musical score provided by Blodie's greatest hits and one totally new song written by Debbie Harry for the show. This should be a real feel-good evening of 80s nostalgia. (The Aldwych)
- Rent, the musical- despite being a revival this promises to be a 're-mixed', up to the minute production with some popular names, including Denise Van Outen. (The Duke of York Theatre)
- Marguerite Just brilliant
- Zorro
- Oliver
So, that's my round up of some of the more interesting things to see during theatre breaks in London to cheer up the next few months.
Theatre Breaks in London - Hairspray
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I wasn't really thinking about theatre breaks in London when I watched Jonathan Ross on Friday night until Michael Ball came on. I thought he was surprisingly interesting and funny. I suppose I hadn't thought of him as a character actor before and I was struggling to imagine him in the Divine role but I really warmed to him and by the end of the programme I was starting to think I'd quite like to see him in Hairspray.
The original 1988 John Walters film starred Divine and Ricki Lake. Hairspray is set in Baltimore in 1962. It's the story of Tracy Turnblad, a fat but beautiful girl with really big hair . She wins a spot on a local TV dance programme becomes a teen icon. But will she be able to change the world and win the boy she loves? What do you think? :-)
It became a cult classic film, the musical version has been running on Broadway since 2002 and now it's available for theatre breaks in London. It's been a huge hit, won lots of awards and was made into another film recently (with John Travolta as Edna, the Mom - ooh I've got to see that!). Now it's showing in the West End.
Michael Ball is playing Edna and on Friday night with Jonathon Ross he said the secret would be to not play it as drag but to play Edna as a real woman. I like the sound of that so I went and had a look at the official web site. The music sounds great on the website and you can even sneak a peak of the rehearsals ! The production starts on October 11th and it looks like it should be a massive hit.
If you missed Michael he covers much of the same ground in a video on the production blog. Isn't it great that so many shows are doing this now? I love reading the ups and downs and watching cast behind the scenes footage. It's like the extras you get with DVDS :-)
I think this one would be great for a 'girls' (who are we kidding?!) weekend, a relaxing train ride down, hit the London shops, and a great, girly night out, hopefully with less of a hangover than the last one! I really prefer to book a whole package when I'm organising London theatre breaks like this because it just makes life so much easier and it's often cheaper too!
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Theatre breaks in London - How to see more than one show
I was discussing with Himself how to make the most of our theatre breaks in London when he made an excellent suggestion! He reminded me that when his parents had come up for their "150th" (lol!) wedding anniversary they'd managed to fit in an extra theatre visit.
They'd booked a hotel/tickets package so that they were sure of their seats for their first choice, Himself couldn't remember what that was, Showboat perhaps, I wondered? Anyway, then after they'd arrived at the hotel they'd toddled down to the discount ticket place on Leicester Square and grabbed some cut price tickets for a matinee. So there you go, two shows in one day!
You book your theatre trip, (train, hotel, tickets - dinner even) with someone reliable like these "Show and Stay" people and then skip off and find cheap tickets for a second show!
Here's a video that explains the process:
VideoJug: How To Buy London Theatre Tickets
I suppose the question is, do I have the stamina to sit through two shows so close to each other? I could see us ending up doing a mad dash from one to the other and just possibly risking spoiling our enjoyment of both. You'd have to choose them very carefully as well - too big a contrast could be disconcerting, too little and you risk it all merging into a mush. Oh, and when to eat might be a problem too. Himself has his own ideas about what we should do and you can read them here: theatre-breaks-in-london.
Still, if ancient parents can manage it why not fit young things like us? They've been doing this sort of thing for years so perhaps Himself can persuade them to share a few more tips about booking theatre breaks in London
Theatre Breaks in London - Make it so!
Do you need an excuse for taking theatre breaks? In London, this Autumn Patrick Stewart is Macbeth at the Gielgud. Previews start September 21st.
I can't wait to see Stewart in this role. I missed out on his Tempest, he must have made a magnificent Prospero. Still I'll settle for the Scottish play and for once the Thane of Cordor surely won't be overshadowed by his wife.This production is moving into the Gielgud after a tremendous run in Chichester where both Stewart and Kate Fleetwood (Lady Macbeth) got rave reviews.
The Telegraph went as far as to call it:
'the GREATEST PERFORMANCE of his career'
Hard to believe for a long term Trekkie like myself :-) but I love this play too so I'm in for a treat!
Now I know how good it is, the practicalities of getting to a performance need to be sorted out.
Times
The performances start at 7.30 every day with matinees on Saturdays at 2.30 and one on Wednesday Novemeber 28th also 2.30.
I'm going to try to avoid the matinees as there are bound to be school parties and their reactions can be very variable.
Seats
The Gielgud has been fairly recently refurbished and there are now good views from most seats. Seats with restricted views are of course usually slightly cheaper but if I'm making the effort to go I do like to see as much as possible! I don't mind too much being far back, I quite like being able to take in the total effect of the scenes. This means I can be pretty flexible when I'm booking seats. I might have to go for somewhere with a slighty restriced view in the Grand Circle, but that's likely to still give a good view of centre stage so should be fine.
Getting There
As the Gielgud is on Shaftsbury Avenue it makes no sense at all to try to go by car. If the hotel isn't central and they often aren't for theatre breaks, in London it's far better to rely on London Transport or even a rickshaw (!) to get there from the hotel. The nearest tube is Piccadilly Circus which serves the Piccadilly and the Bakerloo lines. Follow the sign for Shaftsbury Avenue, cross the road and turn right (away from the Prince of Wales), the Gielgud is further along beyond the Lyric and the Apollo.
Eating
Eating nearby should be a pleasure and needn't be an expensive one. I might eat early, as it's a 7.30 start and a long production. There are some nice small cafes and restuarants in the area and I think I'll have a wander round and see what takes my fancy. Italian, French, even Thai, there's something for everyone, and if I've got vegetarian friends with me it will probably be the Thai. It's a pleasant area for a gentle wander round in the early evening and a bit of a walk can be a good idea before a long evening sitting down.
Hotels
I should be able to find a Saturday night deal with a fairly central hotel (3 or 4 stars) and Grand Circle seats for between £100 and £150 each (assuming two people sharing). This sort of deal usually includes a continental breakfast and a very pleasant room.
All that's left to do now is find some sites for theatre breaks in London and get on with it!
Update : I found a great site for theatre breaks in London where I can book everything, train, hotel, tickets, even dinner! Check them out!
