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Post by basicbroadwaybitch on Sept 29, 2021 20:24:46 GMT
Hi!
I'm thinking of doing a quick visit to London in November and am looking for show recs. I'm a big theater nerd living in NY so any shows that are on Broadway right now I don't really need to see. Looking for some smaller shows too (whatever the equivalent of off-broadway is for the west end...off-west end? lol). Also, any tips on where to get discount tickets.
Thank you!
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Post by sfsusan on Sept 30, 2021 15:28:10 GMT
If you'll be here before Nov. 6, there's Anything Goes if you want a lavish song-and-dance entertaining show. I don't know if the current leads will still be there, but read the thread for the show for more details.
For drama, I enjoyed 'The Mirror and the Light', the last in the Wolf Hall trilogy. It wasn't as striking as the first one, but was a very satisfying conclusion to the story and was very well done. I really enjoy Ben Miles' interpretation of Thomas Cromwell, far more than that of Mark Rylance in the tv version. And Nathaniel Parker is a very good Henry VIII, blending jovial charm, cruelty and self-indulgence.
The Eddie Redmayne/Jessie Buckley version of Cabaret might be of interest. Or Moulin Rouge, starring Liisi LaFontaine and Jamie Bogyo.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 30, 2021 16:28:13 GMT
Off-west end is indeed a thing.
Day tickets on the TodayTix app can be good for last-minute bargains. & Juliet is one of the greatest things the West End has produced in recent years, imo, so definitely worth a watch if you even remotely like pop music (or, to be honest, even if you don't). I'd recommend Operation Mincemeat because it's the best piece of new British theatre I've seen in at least the last five years, but sadly it's not back on until January so you're a tad early/late. Tickets to Broadway shows are usually cheaper and easier to get here, if you fancy a £5 trip to Dear Evan Hansen. Stay far away from Back to the Future, but Frozen is worth a watch if you missed it on Broadway, as is Les Mis - the new production is never going to match the original staging in my heart, but it is nicely polished.
Smaller shows that will still be open in November largely probably aren't open yet, so it's difficult to make recommendations. Check back in a few weeks to a month and see what people are saying then!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 30, 2021 16:59:14 GMT
Witness For The Prosecution at the County Hall. Classic twisty British crime thriller in a totally unique setting. Go for Jury seats and be part of the action!
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Sept 30, 2021 17:02:07 GMT
For musicals, The Drifters Girl at the Garrick is new as are Get Up Stand Up (Bob Marley musical) at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, Back To The Future at the Adelphi and Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Off West End there's Indecent Proposal at Southwark Playhouse - which has Tuesday matinees -and Little Women at The Park Theatre.
For something a bit different maybe The Choir Of Man at the Arts Theatre.
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Post by basicbroadwaybitch on Oct 1, 2021 15:43:13 GMT
If you'll be here before Nov. 6, there's Anything Goes if you want a lavish song-and-dance entertaining show. I don't know if the current leads will still be there, but read the thread for the show for more details. For drama, I enjoyed 'The Mirror and the Light', the last in the Wolf Hall trilogy. It wasn't as striking as the first one, but was a very satisfying conclusion to the story and was very well done. I really enjoy Ben Miles' interpretation of Thomas Cromwell, far more than that of Mark Rylance in the tv version. And Nathaniel Parker is a very good Henry VIII, blending jovial charm, cruelty and self-indulgence. The Eddie Redmayne/Jessie Buckley version of Cabaret might be of interest. Or Moulin Rouge, starring Liisi LaFontaine and Jamie Bogyo. Thank you! I asked this on Reddit as well and Anything Goes seems to be the consensus. Haven't heard of The Mirror and the Light but will definitely check it out. Cabaret is on my standby. Would definitely be interesting to see how it's revived. I saw Moulin Rouge here pre-pandemic. Definitely good for choreography lovers. Story is a bit a flop translated to stage. Appreciate your feedback! |
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Post by basicbroadwaybitch on Oct 1, 2021 15:47:36 GMT
Off-west end is indeed a thing. Day tickets on the TodayTix app can be good for last-minute bargains. & Juliet is one of the greatest things the West End has produced in recent years, imo, so definitely worth a watch if you even remotely like pop music (or, to be honest, even if you don't). I'd recommend Operation Mincemeat because it's the best piece of new British theatre I've seen in at least the last five years, but sadly it's not back on until January so you're a tad early/late. Tickets to Broadway shows are usually cheaper and easier to get here, if you fancy a £5 trip to Dear Evan Hansen. Stay far away from Back to the Future, but Frozen is worth a watch if you missed it on Broadway, as is Les Mis - the new production is never going to match the original staging in my heart, but it is nicely polished. Smaller shows that will still be open in November largely probably aren't open yet, so it's difficult to make recommendations. Check back in a few weeks to a month and see what people are saying then! Thanks! TodayTix here is always a bust and over-priced. But then again I have the luxury of waiting for price drops or joining 35 and under discount groups. Good to know it's different in London! &Juliet is definitely on my list! Excited for it. I have actually read the book Operation Mincemeat. Had no idea it was now a show! BTTF is on my maybe list. No rush to see it but I've heard mixed reviews. And Les Mis I saw the original production when I was there in 2018. Would be interesting to do a comparison. RIP to the revolve. Saw Frozen here and DEH many times so I'll skip! Thanks so much for all your tips! |
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Post by basicbroadwaybitch on Oct 1, 2021 15:48:17 GMT
Witness For The Prosecution at the County Hall. Classic twisty British crime thriller in a totally unique setting. Go for Jury seats and be part of the action! Ooooh sounds cool! Will definitely add it to my list. Thanks so much! |
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Post by basicbroadwaybitch on Oct 1, 2021 15:50:06 GMT
For musicals, The Drifters Girl at the Garrick is new as are Get Up Stand Up (Bob Marley musical) at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, Back To The Future at the Adelphi and Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Off West End there's Indecent Proposal at Southwark Playhouse - which has Tuesday matinees -and Little Women at The Park Theatre. For something a bit different maybe The Choir Of Man at the Arts Theatre. Thank you so much! I'll definitely look into The Drifters Girl and Get Up Stand Up. Little Women is on my list. Haven't seen it on stage yet! I'm so split on Cinderella because I am not an ALW fan but I love Carrie Hope Fletcher and I just missed her in Heathers last time I was in London. Appreciate your help! |
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Post by Forrest on Oct 1, 2021 22:17:05 GMT
basicbroadwaybitch , I'm going to add two further off-west end recommendations which I believe have a reasonable chance of being pretty good: " Love and other acts of violence" by Cordelia Lynn (whose last play, "One for Sorrow" at the Royal Court had pretty good reviews, but I didn't get to see it), i.e., new writing, at the Donmar Warehouse. I think one of the two main cast members, Tom Mothersdale, is ridiculously talented and one of the UK's young actors to watch (and see on stage before he moves onto bigger things), but that might admittedly be a bit subjective on my part. The other is Almeida's " The tragedy of Macbeth", with Saoirse Ronan (obviously very talented!), but for that you would need to get the tickets in advance, and it might be a bit of an effort because they are in high demand. Either way, many board members are likely to have seen these by mid-October, so I'd expect there to be reports if we've found them to be any good. :) In terms of other things, don't now when you are coming, but the Young Vic is currently, and until 13 November, putting on a " Hamlet" with Cush Jumbo, which might be of interest. The Old Vic will be doing its production of " A Christmas Carol", if you find yourself in need of some (early) Christmas spirit. In terms of very-much-so-off-west-end: I don't know how adventurous you'll be when it comes to venturing out of the city centre, but Hampstead Theatre will be putting on a play called " Little Scratch", directed by Katie Mitchell, whose name is a definite recommendation in my book! I also love the Bush Theatre, and have never seen a bad play there. They will be doing a production by a young Eastern European author while you are here, Old Bridge, also new writing. Soho theatre will be showing " Mum", a new play from Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, whose "Emilia" was a major hit (I didn't love it, at all, but it's fair to say it). Not sure if you're interested in these kinds of small recommendations, but if you are I might think of a few others. :)
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