The West End is the largest theatre district in the world, renowned for its rich history, diversity and unrivalled standards of performance. Though there are theatres all over London, those situated in the West End have a particular commercial appeal. London`s first `Theatreland` venue opened in 1663, and some 350 years later, is more magical than ever. Here are just some of the top musicals currently running in the West End.
Billy Elliot: The Musical
Billy Elliot, the motherless son of a striking miner in 1980`s North East. Though his father wants him to take up boxing, Billy discovers a passion for ballet. The stage version of the hugely popular film is given an injection of spellbinding music from Elton John.
Chicago
Based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, Chicago has become one of the best loved musicals to date. It tells the story of Roxie, a chorus girl who has murdered her lover but with the help of her sleazy lawyer, manages to get acquitted.
Grease
One of the more well-known and best loved musicals to hit the West End. Sandy is the goody-two-shoes new girl who falls for Danny, the rebel in a leather jacket. If they are ever going to make it together, someone`s going to have to change.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
A Lloyd Webber / Rice classic that retells the biblical story of Joseph, his eleven brothers, and a coat of many colours that will ultimately help Joseph become the man he was born to be.
Les Miserables
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, Les Mis has become one of the most enduring musicals of the West End, telling the story of true love, life and loss during 19th Century Revolutionary France.
The Lion King
The Lion King combines extraordinary costumes and dance routines that interpret the story of Simba, the lion prince who must lean to accept his destiny as the true king of the jungle.
Oliver
Lionel Bart`s musical is one of the most successful and best-loved musicals of all time. Following the weary journey of orphan Oliver through the dangers of Victorian London, audiences will see some of theatres most adored and most feared characters of all time.
Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart`s interpretation of the Gaston Leroux novel tells the gothic love story of a beautiful opera singer and a young composer who is so shamed by his appearance he retreats
to the shadows of the Theatre. He soon claims it as his own, and will haunt those who don`t comply with his rules.
The Sound of Music
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical has remained a triumph for almost forty years. It follows the true story of the Von Trapps, a broken family of seven unruly children and their distant military father who get much more than they bargained for when music-loving nun Maria enters their lives.
Wicked
One of the newer musicals to hit the West End after its huge success on Broadway, Steven Schwartz`s interpretation of the Gregory Maguire novel explores the unlikely friendship between the outcast `green`
wicked witch of the west and Glinda the Good Witch long before they meet Dorothy and her fellow OZ friends.
Buying Tickets for the Theatre
Although tickets for theatre can prove costly, there are a number of ways to find cheap, even half price tickets without having to be best friends with the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber! The `tkts` ticket booth
is one of the best place to snap up last minute theatre tickets half price - there are official tkt booths in Leicester Square and Brent Cross but you can also buy online; see cheap tickets London theatres for more details.