Musicals in the West End
It’s a known fact I love musicals, and can’t get enough when I go to New York. Since I began traveling though, I have a new place to get my fix – London’s West End. I get calls and messages from friends all the time asking what they should see or where they should buy tickets, so I thought it might be easier if I just wrote an article about it.
The West End is actually a region of Central London which is West of the City of London and North of the Thames river. Many people use the term West End to describe the area where most of London’s theaters are housed, but the theater area is actually a little smaller and bordered by Picadilly Circus to the West, Trafalgar Square to the South, Tottenham Court Road to the North and Covent Garden to the East. There are about 40 theaters in the West End and it definitely gives Broadway a run for it’s money.
So, how do you know which show to choose? One of my favorite references is Playbill.com. Playbill has a section that lists all of the current shows on West End, Broadway, Off-Broadway, or even shows on tour. Click on the show you are interested in and it will give you a synopsis of the show, dates and times it is playing, a list of cast members, the run time, and a link to buy tickets. It will even tell you if Playbill is offering a discount on the show, and if so it will you give the code to use and the specifics. If you’re an early planner like me and won’t be going for a while, you can also check Playbill’s link to upcoming shows and see shows that aren’t playing now, but may be opening before you travel.
Traditionally West End shows are dark on Sundays, and have shows at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday with matinees on Wednesday & Saturday afternoons. There are a few shows that buck that trend though which is nice if you happen to be in London on a Sunday and want to see some theater. Some shows also start a little earlier or later than others which is also nice if you’re working with a specific time frame.
Once you’ve picked your show, how do you get a good deal? The average cost of a West End theater ticket in 2018 was 27.1£ ($33 USD) compared to a whopping $118 USD average for a Broadway show. That makes quality theater in London already a good deal compared to New York.
But how do you get the best prices? One option is the TodayTix app. This is a great app and you can often find discounts on shows both same day or in advance. Check each option to see which gives you the better discount.
The options mentioned above help you save money when you’re planning your trip in advance, but if you’re willing to play West End Roulette and you don’t have your heart set on a particular show, deeper discounts can be had the day before or day of a show at the TKTS booth is in Leicester Square. The TKTS booths sell unsold tickets the day of a performance at discounted prices. The catch is you won’t know what’s available until the day of, you have to go down and get the tickets in person, and when they’re gone they’re gone. TKTS has a website that you can view to see what’s on sale that day, but you can’t order the tickets on line. A couple of tips for TKTS. Check the website each day right before your trip to see what’s available – that will give you an idea of what will probably be available during your visit. The TKTS booth is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday’s from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Another popular options is digital lottery tickets. These are typically done the day of or the day before a performance.
Digital Lotteries: Nowadays most shows have digital lotteries where you enter online the day of or the day before and they will email you to let you know if you’re a winner. They will send you a link and you have a few hours to buy your tickets or they will be given to someone else. Harry Potter for example has a Friday Forty lottery in which 40 winners will get to see both shows for $40 ($20) each. Entry to the lottery opens Monday at midnight and winners are drawn Friday afternoon and winners have one hour to go online and claim their tickets. You can find entries for all the West End shows on the TodayTix app. Pro Tip: Enter for all the shows you can, you are not bound to buy the tickets if you win. That way you have a better chance to see a great show.
When choosing seats there are times when the seats are so far to the side that you might miss something on one side of the stage, or sometimes seats in the first row give people a crick in the neck because you have to look up the entire time. There are even times when the ticketing site will tell you that the seats you are looking at are partial view. So how do you know whether it’s worth it to buy those tickets or not? The site aviewfrommyseat.com has done the work for you. Just enter the show you are going to see, and it will bring up all the seats in that theater that people have left comments on, including pictures. This for example is seat D20 in Orchestra Right at the Richard Rodgers theater where Hamilton is playing in New York. The tickets were discounted because they said you might miss some action to the right of the stage. The site gives you a view from the seat so you can decide for yourself if it is worth it. I’ve had a couple of partial view seats that were actually pretty decent.
Theater Etiquette: There was a time when everyone dressed up to go the theater, and many people still do. But, there are plenty of people who take a more casual approach. I think for myself, I’d like to be more dressed up, but I’m usually on the way to the airport or am living out of a carry-on bag for a weekend and don’t have room for too many outfits. I generally wear pants (usually jeans) and a dressy shirt. Just don’t wear shorts and a t-shirt or you’ll stand out like a sore thumb. Make sure you arrive about a half hour before the show starts. This will give you time to use the restroom, to buy souvenirs or even just give you a little extra time in case you get lost or your cab is late. If you get there after the show starts they will close the doors and make you wait outside until there is an appropriate break in the show so you are not disturbing the other patrons. There is no filming or photography allowed, and you are asked to turn off your cell phones – there is nothing worse than a cell phone going off in the middle of a poignant moment. The great Patti Lupone even grabbed a phone from a patron who had been texting during the show – don’t let that be you! Etiquette dictates that you stay through the curtain call at the end of the show and it is considered rude to leave while it is going on. I have to admit I have broken this rule on occasion in order to make it to the stage door before the hordes if there’s someone I really want to meet.
So, which are my current favorites and what do I recommend? I’ll let you read the synopses for each show on Playbill and instead give you the reason I think you should see it. Here’s my list in no particular order:
Six: This is the United Kingdom’s version of Hamilton with the 6 wives of Henry VIII turned popstars fighting to see who had the worst time with old Henry in the form of a rock concert. This is a high energy pop-staresque soundtrack that will have you bopping along.
& Juliet: This is a brand new show based on the songs of Max Martin – you’ll tell me you don’t know who he is, but when you get there you’ll realize you know every single song in the show … just do it!
Wicked: What can I say, this is the OG of modern musical theater for me and holds a special place in my heart. It’s based on the books of Gregory Maguire and tells the tale of Glinda and the Wicked Witch who were best friends before Dorothy.
Hamilton: This is the hottest show out there right now, so if you want to be in the know this one is for you. It’s a great take on history and the life of Alexander Hamilton told mostly in rap and song with actors and actresses of color playing traditionally white parts. Who knew history could be fun!
Harry Potter: If you read the books, you need to see this. Even if you didn’t, it’s a great show with amazing sets and scene changes. This is a show in two parts so you need to go either two nights in a row or twice in one day.
Once On This Island: (opens May 10, 2023) On a Caribbean island a little girl is rescued from a disastrous storm by four gods. The story tells about her joys, sorrows and the aftermath.
Book of Mormon: If you want to laugh your ass off, see this show. However, only if you’re not easily offended as this show is an equal opportunity offender and offends everyone. There will be plenty of times that you’ll look at your seatmate and say, “did they just say that out loud?”.
Next To Normal: This shows explores death, loss and mental health. (and believe it or not it’s a musical). It’s a great show, but be aware of the subject matter and who it might be inappropriate for.
The Lion King: The scenery and animal costumes are the reason to see this show – breathtaking.
If you’re bringing younger kids some can handle the shows above (especially the Lion King), but these are great shows to start them off with:
Matilda, Frozen, Mary Poppins
One other consideration to throw at you. While we were in London we saw several shows and met numerous other people from the states. While talking to them we discovered that alot of them were there because they couldn’t get tickets to certain shows on Broadway, AND it was much cheaper in the West End. As an example, we met a couple who came to London to see Hamilton. Two tickets for Hamilton on Broadway, Orchestra Center in Row M were going for $549 each, for a total of $1151.70 WHEN you could get them. Two tickets for Hamilton in London, Stalls (Orchestra) Center Row M were going for $185 each for a total of $370 and were more readily available. They saved $781 by buying tickets in London, used that money to buy plane tickets and made a vacation out of it … these are the kind of people I need to be friends with lol! We bought two second row tickets for Six in London for a total of $102. Tickets for the Broadway show just went on sale and the closest I could get was two fourth row tickets which would have cost $500! Unless there is someone in particular in a cast that you just HAVE to see, the London casts do a great job and are just as good as the US casts. Watch the Hamilton First Burn video with Eliza’s from Broadway, the tours and West End and you’ll see they are ALL amazing.
