West End

West End Plays: The latest West End news and venues. Buy West End tickets for musicals, plays and other theatre events.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Announce 2017 Season

News, West End
Pride and Prejudice at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre 2013. Photo: David Jensen

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre have announced their 2017 Season which will see Olivier Award-winner Drew McOnie direct and choreograph On The Town, Artistic Director Timothy Sheader directs Charles Dickens’ A Tale Of Two Cities in a new adaptation by Matthew Dunster, and Caroline Byrne directed Oliver Twist Created For Everyone Aged Six And Over, adapted by Anya Reiss from the novel by Charles Dickens. Jesus Christ Superstar, winner of the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical in the Evening Standard Awards will return by popular demand for just 41 performances. On The Town (19 May – 1 July 2017), the classic musical with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green will be the biggest dance musical ever staged at the Open Air Theatre. Featuring musical theatre standards like New York, New York, I Can Cook Too, Some Other Time, and … Read more

There’s Much Ado As Shit-faced Shakespeare Returns

News, West End
Book tickets for Shit-faced Shakespeare

Celebrating their 7th Anniversary this year, Shit-Faced Shakespeare is back in London’s West End still three sheets to the wind with their new challenge – a season of Much Ado About Nothing as you’ve never seen it before. Their aim, to take one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, add one hammered actor whilst trying to reach the curtain call without a calamity, an injury or a lawsuit. Last year Shit-faced Shakespeare performed to over 30,000 people in the UK and over 35,000 in the USA. Much Ado About Nothing will be their longest run to date in the UK. Filled with mistaken identities, petty arguments and put-downs, and the course of love not running smoothly (not least of all because friends keep interfering). Sounds like a Friday night in any British boozer. But what if Hero decides she really would rather marry the chap in the second row, or if Benedick … Read more

FIRST LOOK: The Girls In Rehearsals

Features, Gallery, News, West End
Book now for The Girls at the Phoenix Theatre

We are pleased to bring you this first look at rehearsals for The Girls, a new musical based on Calendar Girls by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth by Matt Crockett. The Girls stars Debbie Chazen (Topsy-Turvy, Smoking Room, Psychoville), Sophie-Louise Dann (Bend It Like Beckham, Made in Dagenham, Lend me a Tenor in the West End), Michele Dotrice (Nell Gwynn, The Importance of Being Earnest and When We Are Married in the West End and BBC1’s Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em), Claire Machin (My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Betty Blue Eyes and Memphis), Claire Moore (Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and London Road) and Olivier Award-winner Joanna Riding (Carousel, My Fair Lady). Directed by Tim Firth, The Girls has musical staging by Lizzi Gee, comedy staging by Jos Houben, design by Robert Jones, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster … Read more

FLASH SALE: The Glass Menagerie – Save Up To 37%

News, West End
Glass Menagerie Flash Sale

Following his massive successful staging of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Parts One and Two and Let The Right One In. Director John Tiffany brings his multi Tony Award-nominated production of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams to the West End. If you book by Sunday 22 January you can save up to 37% on selected performances between 26 January and 17 February 2017. A domineering mother. A daughter lost in a world of her own. A son desperate to leave. Former Southern Belle Amanda Wingfield, played by Tony Award-winning Broadway icon Cherry Jones, enlists the help of son Tom (Michael Esper) to find a husband for her fragile daughter Laura (Kate O’Flynn). But will the long-awaited ‘gentleman caller’ (Brian J. Smith) fulfil or shatter the family’s delicate dreams? The Glass Menagerie has movement by Steven Hoggett, sets and costumes by Bob Crowley, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound … Read more

Top 100 Greatest Musicals Results: 40 – 31

Features, News, Video, West End
Top 100 Musicals of All Time Poll Results

We’re almost done with this massive project to identify the Top 100 Greatest Musicals as judged by our readers and musical theatre fans around the world. In this latest instalment Alan Menken, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kander and Ebb all make repeat appearances. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts on the results. 40. Little Shop Of Horrors Long before Alan Menken became Mr Disney, he and writer Howard Ashman wrote an Off-Broadway musical that over the years has become one of the world’s favourites. Little Shop Of Horrors was based on the 1960 low budget black comedy that starred a young Jack Nicholson. Premiering Off Off Broadway, then moving to Off Broadway, the show ran for five years before moving to London and Sydney amongst other locations. Frank Oz of The Muppets fame made a great movie adaptation of the film bowing to studio pressure … Read more

The Theatre Podcasts We Listen To – January 2017

Broadway, Events, Features, News, West End
Great theatre podcasts

Over the past six months, we’ve become an ardent fan of some great theatre podcasts. Once you get the hang of the technology there are some great podcasts out there for theatre fans, and we thought we’d list the podcasts that we now make time to listen to. Whilst some have an insider slant, appealing to actors of people within the industry these podcasts we felt would appeal to people who are members of the audience as well as backstage as well. So here goes, our favourite theatre podcasts are as follows:- THE PRODUCER’S PERSPECTIVE Broadway producer Ken Davenport recently presented his 100th episode of this podcast where he interviews some of the biggest names in both Broadway and international theatre. The great and the good of theatreland have sat down with Ken to talk about their careers and the business of show. We particularly liked podcasts with Tim Rice, … Read more