Plus, you may depend on the RadioTimes.com group to pick the highest theatre exhibits to see. Our Going Out part is packed filled with thrilling issues to do in London, from escape rooms and immersive experiences, to strolling excursions and expertise items. So, if there’s one thing new occurring within the Huge Smoke, we’ll share it with you.
We even have suggestions for extra well timed actions, too. Whether or not you are within the capital for a household weekend with the youngsters, you are on the lookout for a enjoyable time out with buddies or hoping to broaden your cultural horizons, we have you coated. We have got guides on all the things from the brand new Star Wars fan exhibition which opened in London this month, to Bleak Expectations tickets for the West Finish performances.
Make sure to check out our review of Operation Mincemeat the musical comedy that’s taking London by storm. On the lookout for a showcase the overwhelmed observe? The award successful My Neighbour Totoro is again on the Barbican on the finish of this yr, with tickets on sale now.
So, with out additional ado, listed here are the very best West Finish exhibits to see in London this yr.
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Need to strive one thing out of the extraordinary? Right here’s our choose of the best immersive experiences it is best to strive in London this yr, with occasions together with the BBC Earth Experience and Squid Game, going down all all through summer time.
Like all the things in the intervening time, the worth of seeing a present goes up. Fortunately, we have written a information for how to get cheap theatre tickets to be sure to’re get the very best tickets to your cash.
Greatest West Finish exhibits in London at a look:
- The Tiger Who Came to Tea, from £12
- Six the Musical, from £13
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, from £15.75
- We Will Rock You, from £19.50
- Back to the Future: The Musical, from £19.55
- Matilda the Musical, from £20
- The Pillowman, from £20
- Shirley Valentine, from £20
- The Book of Mormon, from £22
- TINA: The Tina Turner Musical, from £22
- Hamilton, from £22
- Les Misérables, from £23
- Pretty Woman: The Musical, from £23
- A Strange Loop, from £24
- The Crown Jewels, from £24
- The Crucible, from £24
- Wicked, from £24.75
- 2:22 A Ghost Story, from £25
- Phantom of the Opera, from £27
- Heathers the Musical, from £27.50
- Frozen: The West End Musical, from £29.50
- Hamnet, from £30
- Cabaret, from £30
- Oklahoma!, from £30
- Brokeback Mountain, from £36
- The Lion King, from £39.50
Greatest West Finish exhibits to see in London in 2023
The Crucible
Following a run on the Nationwide Theatre, The Crucible shall be coming to the West Finish this summer time. The Gielgud Theatre shall be host to the play based mostly on 17th century witch trails in New England. Playwright Arthur Miller interpreted the witch trials by way of the lens of 1950s McCarthyism in the US, which noticed a authorities persecution of these accused of being communists.
The play has a restricted run beginning on Wednesday seventh June and concluding on Saturday 2nd September.
Buy tickets for The Crucible from £24 at Ticketmaster
Hamnet
Based mostly on the bestselling guide by Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet is coming to the West Finish for a restricted 14-week run this autumn. The manufacturing by the Royal Shakespeare Firm has been in Stratford-upon-Avon, and transfers to the Garrick Theatre from Saturday 30th September 2023 till Saturday sixth January 2024.
The play follows the story of playwright William Shakespeare and his spouse Agnes Hathaway as they expertise emotional turmoil within the aftermath of the demise of their solely son.
Buy tickets for Hamnet from £30 at London Theatre Direct
Cabaret
Cabaret is presently exhibiting on the Package Kat Membership on the Playhouse in London’s West Finish. An evening at Cabaret guarantees to be an expertise in addition to an evening out — company are invited to immerse themselves within the membership expertise and might even drink and dine earlier than diving into the world of inhibition-free Berlin.
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The musical, which stars Aimee Lou Wooden as Sally Bowles and John McCrea as Emcee, has gained seven Olivier Awards and is presently till December 2023.
Buy Cabaret tickets from £30 at ATG Tickets
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a brief story written by Annie Proulx, however many people most likely comprehend it greatest from the 2005 film starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Now, it is getting a stage adaptation in London’s West Finish – and with music, no much less!
The plot follows the complicated romantic relationship between two shepherds, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, and offers with themes of loss and intimacy. Brokeback Mountain is exhibiting for a restricted time solely at Soho Place, from Wednesday 10th Could to Saturday 12th August 2023, so in case you’re eager to expertise the play, we would advocate snapping up tickets quickly.
Buy Brokeback Mountain tickets from £36 at London Theatre Direct
The Crown Jewels
Al Murray stars as King Charles II on this new interval comedy. The West Finish present is predicated on the true story of an tried heist of England’s Crown Jewels and it has an all star solid, with the Nice British Bake Off’s Mel Giedroyc, Males Behaving Badly’s Neil Morrissey, and Joe Thomas of The Inbetweeners fame.
Buy The Crown Jewels tickets from £24 at London Theatre Direct
For those who’re a comedy fan — or possibly you simply want a little bit of a pick-me-up — make certain to check out the best London comedy shows.
A Unusual Loop
We’ll degree with you — we all know The Barbican does not technically qualify because the West Finish however we predict this present is simply too good to not embrace. This summer time, A Unusual Loop is coming to London for a restricted 12-week run after enormous success on Broadway, successful a bunch of awards together with a Pulitzer Prize. It will likely be at The Barbican from Friday 17th June till Saturday ninth September.
The story follows Usher, a younger black artist as he tries to interrupt free from his personal self-perception, in addition to his conflicting wishes and emotions round his personal id.
Buy A Strange Loop tickets from £24 at Ticketmaster
The Barbican options in our best London art exhibitions piece — remember to test it out for the newest time out inspiration.
The Tiger Who Got here to Tea
The Tiger Who Got here to Tea is coming to the West Finish’s Theatre Royal Haymarket this summer time. This family-friendly play follows the story of a tea-guzzling tiger who joins Sophie and her mum for an impromptu cuppa, and is predicated on Judith Kerr’s kids’s guide of the identical identify, which has been delighting youngsters (together with us!) since 1968.
Buy The Tiger Who Came to Tea tickets from £12 at London Theatre Direct
We Will Rock You
It is again! For a restricted 12-week run, We Will Rock You’ll grace the London Coliseum within the West Finish. It has been 21 years for the reason that musical, which options the band Queen’s biggest hits, has been in London – and we won’t wait.
Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor stated: “[We Will Rock You shall be] larger, higher, quicker, funnier! Right here we go once more… yeaaaaaaaah!” And if that does not put you within the rockin’ spirit, we’re undecided what is going to.
Buy We Will Rock You tickets from £19.50 at Ticketmaster
Shirley Valentine
Sheridan Smith is Shirley Valentine on this improbable theatre manufacturing. You already know the plot: Shirley is a joyous, life-affirming lady who has misplaced her method on the earth domesticity, and he or she jets off to Greece to rekindle that spark.
The fantastic one lady play has been prolonged from 12 to 15 weeks because of enormous demand, however it’ll sadly come to an finish on the third June so do not miss out on the prospect to see the Olivier Award-winning play stay.
Buy Shirley Valentine tickets from £20 at ATG Tickets
For extra time out inspiration in London and past, check out the best pottery experiences and best steam train experiences.
Six the Musical
For those who watched the Platinum Jubilee concert, you’d have caught a glimpse of this weird retelling of the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives. Within the musical, every spouse takes it in turns to share their story of how they had been wronged by the Tudor King, and why which means they need to be the lead singer of the wives’ pop group.
Buy Six the Musical West End tickets from £21 at London Theatre Direct
Initially debuting on the Edinburgh Fringe Pageant in 2017, Six is now touring the UK, with performances in Manchester, Oxford, Glasgow and extra.
Buy Six the Musical UK tour tickets from £13 at ATG Tickets
Hamilton
Because the winner of the 2016 Grammy Award for Greatest Musical Theatre Album, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and 11 Tony Awards, together with Greatest Musical, Hamilton is a superb alternative in case you’re in London this winter and wish to deal with your self to a West Finish present.
A mix of hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway is the musical backdrop to this present, which tells the true(ish) story of Alexander Hamilton, considered one of America’s founding fathers and George Washington’s right-hand man.
Buy Hamilton tickets from £22 at Ticketmaster
Need to expertise the music out of your favorite exhibits in a special mild? Try our information to the best candlelight concerts across the UK.
Matilda the Musical
Tailored from Roald Dahl’s much-loved guide of the identical identify, Matilda is taking bookings as much as December for the Cambridge Theatre in London. You understand precisely what you’re getting with this musical: healthful, family-friendly enjoyable.
Buy Matilda the Musical tickets from £20 at Ticketmaster
Heathers the Musical
Heathers the Musical is again at The Different Palace with tickets out there till February. It’s based mostly on the 1989 cult film, Heathers, which follows scholar Veronica as she’s accepted into her highschool’s well-liked clique (three women all named Heather), then will get wrapped up with the rebellious Jason ‘J.D’ Dean – an adolescent who plans to homicide everyone at their highschool. That is undoubtedly one for a extra mature viewers.
Buy Heathers the Musical tickets from £27.50 at London Theatre Direct
The Lion King
A narrative everyone knows and love. Based mostly on the 1994 Walt Disney film of the identical identify, The Lion King musical play options music from Elton John, actors in decadent animal costumes and large hole puppets. The present opened within the Lyceum Theatre over 20 years in the past in 1999, and remains to be going sturdy after greater than 7,500 performances.
It’s the top-earning title in box-office historical past, surpassing The Phantom of the Opera, and even the Royal Household have seen a efficiency of this much-loved story.
Buy The Lion King tickets from £39.50 at Ticketmaster
For those who’re a movie fan (Disney or in any other case), here is how to get cheap cinema tickets and the best London luxury cinema experiences. Plus, take a look at the highest Disney Plus offers for this month.
Depraved
Depraved is aware of a factor or two about being ‘Fashionable’! This musical is the prequel to The Wizard of Oz, and it tells the story of Elphaba (the longer term Depraved Witch of the West) and her friendship with Glinda (the Good Witch of the South). It was nominated for six Tony awards, together with Greatest Actress, and, truthfully, we went to see the musical with our households, and it’s deserving of each single nomination.
Buy Wicked tickets from £24.75 at Ticketmaster
A Wicked UK tour is coming to a metropolis close to you! Learn out article for all the things you want to know, together with tips on how to bag tickets.
Plus, have you ever heard there is a new The Wizard of Oz musical starring Jason Manford and Ashley Banjo?
Frozen: The West Finish Musical
Again in January 2019, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane launched into an formidable challenge to revive its historic theatre to its former 1812 glory. Final yr it reopened its doorways with showings of Disney’s Frozen. The jaw-dropping units and particular results actually make this musical magical because it brings to life the surroundings from the movie.
Buy Frozen the Musical tickets from £29.50 at Ticketmaster
Again to the Future: The Musical
If the massively enthusiastic description on From The Box Office is something to go by, Again to the Future: The Musical would be the most electrifying expertise of your complete life — probably extra necessary than, say, childbirth. The musical follows the plot of the blockbuster movie: teenager Marty McFly is blasted again in time to the yr 1955 by eccentric scientist Doc Brown and unwittingly modifications the course of historical past.
For those who watched Britain’s Bought Expertise final yr, you might need caught a sneak peek of Back to the Future: The Musical on Britain’s Got Talent. Since its particular look, the musical has determined to increase its West Finish run so there’s much more alternative to go and see it.
Buy Back to the Future: The Musical tickets from £19.55 at Ticketmaster
Have you ever heard there is a Back to the Future exhibition? The Again In Time Exhibition is without doubt one of the largest collections of Again to the Future artefacts.
The Guide of Mormon
From the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes this comedy musical about two Latter-Day missionaries who’re posted to a distant Ugandan village to evangelise the religion of the Church, and to transform its inhabitants to Mormonism. The locals are uninterested, nonetheless, as they face extra urgent points resembling famine, HIV/AIDS, FGM, and oppression from their warlord.
Buy Book of Mormon tickets from £22 at Ticketmaster
Harry Potter and the Cursed Little one
Harry Potter and the Cursed Little one is a two-part play written by Jack Thorne and based mostly on J.Okay. Rowling’s authentic story. It follows Harry, Ron and Hermione 19 years after they saved the wizarding world, they usually’re joined by a brand new technology of wizards and witches to cease mysterious evil forces for one more time.
Buy Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tickets from £15.75 at The Ticket Factory
For those who’re a fan of Harry Potter, we have included two strolling excursions in our top London walking tours piece, and check out The Cauldron in London and the best UK Harry Potter experiences.
Les Misérables
What makes West Finish’s longest-running musical so magical is how immersive it’s; with the backdrops of work by Victor Hugo, Les Misérables’ writer, and the highly effective performances from each single member of the solid, you’re feeling such as you’re on the coronary heart of the motion.
Buy Les Misérables tickets from £23 at The Ticket Factory
TINA: The Tina Turner Musical
Aldwych Theatre welcomes you to TINA. The musical consists of all of Tina Turner’s much-loved songs, and follows her journey to stardom, from her humble beginnings in Tennessee to the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll — together with her stay performances promoting extra tickets than another solo artist throughout the globe. It showcases all of the ups and downs alongside Tina’s method, and you will go away the theatre feeling very motivated.
Buy TINA: The Tina Turner Musical tickets from £22 at Ticketmaster
Fairly Lady: The Musical
We have got some large information. Huge! Large! The hit Broadway adaptation of the basic movie, Fairly Lady, is making its West Finish debut. Fall in love with the story and the characters another time whenever you watch the present on the iconic Savoy Theatre in London.
Plus, The Ticket Manufacturing facility has some large, enormous unique costs for the present; you may see Fairly Lady: The Musical from simply £23.
Buy Pretty Woman: The Musical tickets from £23 at The Ticket Factory
Oklahoma!
Broadway’s Oklahoma! involves London’s Wyndham’s Theatre for a limited-time-only run, and we predict it would be an excellent present to deal with a buddy or member of the family (or your self!) to to banish the winter blues.
Oklahoma! is predicated on Lynn Riggs’ 1931 play, Inexperienced Develop the Lilacs, and it tells the story of a farm woman and her courtship by two rival suitors: cowboy Curly McLain and farmhand Jud Fry.
Buy Oklahoma! tickets from £30 at London Theatre Direct
The Pillowman
It has been 20 years within the making, however Martin McDonagh’s Olivier award-winning play is lastly coming to the West Finish subsequent summer time, and it has an all-star solid, too, with Lily Allen and Steve Pemberton. The Pillowman plot is a spooky one: it is a few author who’s questioned a few string of weird murders because the murders share similarities to the author’s tales… Age steerage is 14+ for this play, unsurprisingly.
Buy The Pillowman tickets from £20 at ATG Tickets
On the lookout for one thing else a bit spooky? Listed below are the best Edinburgh ghost tours and the best UK zombie experiences.
2:22 A Ghost Story
Following Cheryl’s departure from 2:22 A Ghost Story, who will tackle the position of Jenny subsequent? A personality beforehand performed by the likes of Lily Allen and Giovanna Fletcher. It is Jaime Winstone’s flip to step into the position, and becoming a member of her on stage shall be Sophia Bush, Clifford Samuel and Ricky Champ. 2:22 A Ghost Story shall be carried out for 18 weeks season ranging from 14th Could this yr.
This spooky story follows a pair, Jenny and Sam, as they transfer into a brand new house. Each morning at 2:22am, Jenny hears the sound of somebody shifting round the home, and is satisfied it is haunted.
Buy 2:22 A Ghost Story tickets from £25 at London Theatre
Phantom of the Opera
It is one of the well-liked theatre exhibits and one of many West Finish’s most enduring love tales. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera has been performing for over 30 years now, and exhibits no signal of slowing down.
For those who aren’t already aware of the compelling plot, the present tells the story of the Phantom, who seeks to manage the Paris Opera Home. He finds a brand new scholar, a refrain woman referred to as Christine, and trains her to sing the music of the evening.
Buy Phantom of the Opera tickets from £27 at London Theatre Direct
What time do West Finish exhibits begin and end?
Like with the worth, this relies fully on the present, and whether or not you’ve got received a matinee or night efficiency. Most exhibits run for 2 hours to 2 and a half hours, with a 15-minute interval. A matinee efficiency normally begins at 2:30pm, whereas the night performances will start round 7:30pm.
West Finish present weekend breaks and resort stays
For those who’re travelling to London for a West Finish present, it is sensible to spend a number of days within the metropolis; particularly in case you’re planning on seeing a night efficiency which could have you leaving the theatre at round 10pm (that is our bedtime!).
There are a selection of internet sites, like Holiday Extras, the place you may guide your theatre tickets and resort in a single go. You’ll be able to select which theatre present you’d like to see, then choose what number of nights you may keep round your chosen date, and it will counsel accommodations only a stone’s throw away from the theatre.
Plus, as it is a package deal deal — a theatre present and resort combo — you may save a few quid, too.
Book a West End show and hotel stay at Holiday Extras
What’s the best solution to get to the West Finish?
Travelling to the West Finish whenever you stay outdoors of London can appear to be a imply feat. However we’re right here to reassure you that it may be performed with minimal faff and on a price range, too.
Prepare timetables are normally launched 12 weeks in advance, and prepare operators put low-cost prepare tickets on sale shortly afterwards. The nearer your journey date, the dearer the prepare tickets shall be, so remember to snap-up tickets as quickly as doable.
Railcards are additionally a good way to avoid wasting a few quid in your journey — 1/three of the overall ticket fare to be exact. Discover the suitable Railcard for you at Trainline.
For those who stay too distant from London to comfortably journey there and again in sooner or later, and let’s face it, numerous us do, you could wish to contemplate an in a single day keep. Airbnb presents personal rooms and full houses all throughout London, so that you’re certain to search out someplace that matches your price range.
For extra info, here is how to get cheap train tickets.
What are the very best seats in a theatre?
If cash isn’t any object, you may as nicely spend a bit extra to get nearer to the motion at a West Finish present. Nonetheless, with all of the totally different components of the auditorium, it may be tough to know the place to pick seats which assure the very best viewing expertise; so we have performed the troublesome give you the results you want.
This is the breakdown of all of the seats in a theatre, and the place to sit down for optimum viewing enhancement.
The Stalls are thought-about the very best seats in the home as they’re on the bottom flooring and closest to the stage. In numerous West Finish theatres, there shall be rows and rows of ground-floor seats, so you may select to be on the entrance row, someplace within the center, or proper on the again; the nearer you might be to the stage, the pricier your seats shall be.
The Costume Circle, typically known as the Royal Circle, is the subsequent degree up from the bottom flooring. The Costume Circle offers viewers members a bonus as they’ll see what’s taking place throughout the entire stage — one thing that individuals within the stalls won’t be capable to do, significantly for props or characters in the back of the stage.
Subsequent up is the Higher Circle, additionally referred to as the Grand Circle. That is one other degree up once more, and shall be one of many cheaper theatre tickets out there (except the theatre has a Balcony which not lots of them do). You can see all the things on the stage, nonetheless, you could miss finer particulars, resembling an actor’s facial features.
The most cost effective seats in the home are Restricted View. All theatres will promote tickets for what they deem a ‘restricted view’. Nonetheless, as we talked about earlier, considered one of our RadioTimes.com group went to see Depraved with their mum, and the supposedly ‘restricted’ view was something however. We won’t assure this would be the case in all theatres, although, and you could discover your view obstructed by a security rail or a pillar.
Sitting in a field is a wonderful solution to make your journey to the theatre much more memorable. Usually positioned on the identical degree because the Costume Circle, a field will be employed out for simply you and your social gathering, which implies you get perks like strangers not squeezing previous you to go to the toilet throughout a dramatic second.
Head to our Going Out part for the newest releases. For extra adventurous actions, take a look at our best London escape rooms, best UK driving experiences and best London VR experiences.
Author: ” — www.radiotimes.com ”
