Cheap tickets for London West End theatre [theater] shows: guide to musicals/plays

	Study, work or travel in the UK. British culture and life.
Homepage	Search	A-Z index	Message Board	Contact us
Britain	Course	Life	Work	Links
English	Prepare	Personal	Travel	Ideas






< Up	Life / Entertainment / Theatre / Tickets
Guide to London shows and how to buy theatre tickets


Sections:	Introduction
	The West End: Introduction
	West End musicals
	West End plays
	West End theatres
	West End ticket discounts
	A Night Less Ordinary
	Theatres outside London
	Links

INTRODUCTION

This page provides information about going to the theatre in London and elsewhere in the UK.

Back to top

THE WEST END: INTRODUCTION

The most famous location for theatre in the UK is in London's West End (the British equivalent of New York's Broadway).

Tickets can usually be booked several months in advance (they may be on sale more than a year in advance for very popular shows which are certain to run for a long time).
A typical price range for tickets to a West End show is £25 - £60 per person. Group rates may be available, typically for 10 or more tickets to the same show.
The cheapest seats are usually sold out earliest. The highest priced tickets are sometimes sold at a discount to make sure that the theatre is full during less busy periods.
When you book tickets you can choose either to have them posted to you at a UK address (make sure that you allow enough time to receive them), or you can choose to pick them up at the theatre.

Note the names of the locations of seats in the theatre:
Stalls / Orchestra Stalls : front (the ground floor seats nearest the stage) [US English: Orchestra]
Circle / Dress Circle / Grand Circle / Royal Circle : middle [US English: Mezzanine]
Upper Circle : back [US English: Second Mezzanine]
Balcony / Gallery : back, at the top (furthest from the stage)
When you book online have a look at the seating plan in the theatre, so that you know exactly where you will be sitting (there are links to seating plans in the theatre table below).

Most evening shows start at about 7:30pm and finish before 10:30pm. Combined theatre and restaurant packages are sometimes available: these include a pre-theatre meal at a nearby restaurant. It can be difficult to get a taxi after a show, so it may be easier to walk to the nearest Tube station to go back home. Many performances have a couple of afternoon performances each week (known as matinee shows), most commonly on Wednesday or Thursday and on Saturday. Matinee performances are typically from about 2:30pm to about 5:30pm. Most theatres don't have performances on the evening of Christmas Eve (24th December) or at any time on Christmas Day (25th December), but are usually open on other UK public holidays. Friday and Saturday evening performances are usually the most popular, so you may get better or cheaper seats at other times. Currently only a few theatres put on Sunday shows (the Lion King has a Sunday matinee performance; there are some performances outside the West End, for example at the National Theatre), although this may change soon. Peak periods are the school holidays and main tourist seasons, in particular around Easter (March/April), summer (July/August) and Christmas (December). School half-term holidays are also busy.

Theatre etiquette

- There is not a strict dress code, except perhaps on a first night or special performance. If possible wear either smart casual or formal clothes. Don't wear large hats. Avoid wearing strong perfume.
- Try to arrive at the theatre 30 minutes before the start. This is especially important if you need to pick up your tickets from the theatre's box office.
- Put any large coats or bags in the cloakroom. Smaller coats or bags may fit under your seat or on your lap.
- Order your interval drinks at the bar before the show starts. This will enable you to get your drinks quickly, and will avoid delaying others.
- If you are very short or are taking a young child with you, on arrival at the theatre ask a member of staff if a booster seat is available for you (you place this on top of your seat to make it higher).
- Get to your seat on time. At the end of the interval bells announce when it is time to make your way into the auditorium.
- If you have more than one ticket, check the heights of the people sitting behind you and if possible try not to block the view of a child or short person.
- Sit in the seats shown on your tickets. Do not move to another seat even if it is empty at the start of the show - that person may arrive later.
- Do not take drinks from the bar into the auditorium unless the theatre allows this (some theatres allow drinks in plastic cups - not in glasses, for safety reasons). It should be OK to take a small plastic bottle of mineral water.
- Do not take your own food into the auditorium. If you eat sweets (for example to control a cough), unwrap them before the performance. Ice creams are often sold during the interval (the spoon is usually inside the lid).
- Note that there can be long queues for toilets (especially for the ladies), so make sure that you allow enough time for this either before the show or during the interval. Note that sometimes shows do not have an interval.
- Stand up to allow other people to go past you to get to their seats (unless the performance has already started).
- Turn off your mobile phone during the performance. Even if a phone is set to silent mode, do not check messages during the show.
- Do not talk or hum during the performance - it will annoy the people around you (even if you whisper, they will hear you).
- Sit back in your seat during the show, as you are more likely to block someone's view if you lean forward. Try to sit still.
- Do not smoke, even in the bar areas [since July 2007 it is illegal to smoke in enclosed public spaces in any part of the UK].
- Do not take any photos or video/sound recordings inside the theatre, even before the start or at the end of the show.
- Do not offer tips to the theatre ushers (it is not expected, and usually theatre staff are not allowed to accept tips).

Back to top

WEST END MUSICALS

Mamma Mia!

Billy Elliot

Below is a list of West End musicals in London (last updated: 30 March 2010). You can book tickets by clicking on the show's name. The links in the "Show guide" column will take you to pages on this website which provide further background information and photos.

Musical (click link to book)	Show guide	Theatre	Brief description
All the Fun of the Fair	-	Garrick	Singer/songwriter David Essex stars in a musical which features some of his hit songs
Avenue Q	click here	Wyndhams	Musical with humans, puppets and adult humour
Billy Elliot	-	Victoria Palace	Based on the film about an English boy who wants to become a ballet dancer
Blood Brothers	-	Phoenix	Musical drama by Willy Russell following the lives of twin boys separated at birth
Chicago	click here	Cambridge	Sexy jazz musical set in Chicago in the 1920s
Dirty Dancing	-	Aldwych	Girl discovers romance and dancing in the US in 1963 (film starred Patrick Swayze)
Flashdance	-	Shaftesbury	Female welder dreams of becoming a dancer (based on a 1980s film) (from September 2010)
Grease	-	Piccadilly	Based on the 70's film about high school lovers Sandy and Danny
Hair		Gielgud	Revival of famous 60's musical - searching for love and peace
Jersey Boys	click here	Prince Edward	Award-winning musical about the life and music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Legally Blonde The Musical	-	Savoy	Girl goes to law school to get back at her ex-boyfriend (based on a popular film)
Les Miserables	click here	Queens	Musical drama based on Victor Hugo's novel, set in post-revolutionary France
Lion King	click here	Lyceum	Imaginatively staged musical about an African lion cub (based on a Disney film)
Love Never Dies	-	Adelphi	Andrew Lloyd-Webber's sequel to Phantom of the Opera, set on Coney Island
Mamma Mia	click here	Prince of Wales	Musical set on a Greek island, featuring the songs of Abba
Oliver!	-	Theatre Royal Drury Lane	New version of Lionel Bart's musical, based on Dickens' story "Oliver Twist"
Phantom of The Opera	click here	Her Majestys	Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical: a phantom haunts an opera house in 1880's Paris
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert	-	Palace	Three friends go searching for love. Wild costumes and pop classics
Sister Act: The Musical	-	London Palladium	A lounge singer seeks protection from gangsters by joining a convent
Stomp	click here	New Ambassadors	Lively dance and percussion, creating rhythms from everyday objects
Sweet Charity	-	Theatre Royal Haymarket	Revival of a 60's musical about a woman who is unlucky in love
Thriller Live	click here	Lyric	Show celebrating the music and dancing of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5
We Will Rock You	click here	Dominion	Ben Elton musical based on the songs of the rock group Queen
Wicked	click here	Apollo Victoria	Musical about the Wicked Witch of the West (from the Wizard of Oz)
Wizard of Oz	-	London Palladium	Musical based on the 1939 film the Wizard of Oz (from April 2011)

WEST END PLAYS

To book a London West End play: click here

A selection of some of the most popular plays are shown below:

The 39 Steps	Enron	The Mousetrap	War Horse	Woman in Black

Criterion Theatre	Noel Coward Theatre	St Martins Theatre	New London Theatre	Fortune Theatre

WEST END THEATRES

The main West End theatres are listed below in alphabetical order. Click on the theatre name links to buy tickets at that theatre. Click on the "seating plan" links to find where seats are located (by row letter and number). Click on the "map" to see the location of the theatre (or see the following: West End theatre map).

Theatre Name	Seating plan	Seats	Road	Nearest Tube	Map
Adelphi	seating plan	1500	The Strand	Charing Cross	map
Aldwych	seating plan	1200	Aldwych	Covent Garden	map
Apollo	seating plan	800	Shaftesbury Avenue	Piccadilly Circus	map
Apollo Victoria	seating plan	1800	Wilton Road	Victoria	map
Cambridge	seating plan	1300	Earlham Street	Covent Garden	map
Comedy	seating plan	800	Panton Street	Piccadilly Circus	map
Criterion	seating plan	600	Piccadilly Circus	Piccadilly Circus	map
Dominion	seating plan	2100	Tottenham Court Road	Tottenham Court Road	map
Duchess	seating plan	500	Catherine Street	Covent Garden	map
Duke of York's	seating plan	600	St. Martin's Lane	Leicester Square	map
Fortune	seating plan	400	Russell Street	Covent Garden	map
Garrick	seating plan	700	Charing Cross Road	Leicester Square	map
Gielgud	seating plan	900	Shaftesbury Avenue	Piccadilly Circus	map
Her Majesty's	seating plan	1200	Haymarket	Piccadilly Circus	map
London Palladium	seating plan	2300	Argyll Street	Oxford Circus	map
Lyceum	seating plan	2100	Wellington Street	Covent Garden	map
Lyric	seating plan	900	Shaftesbury Avenue	Piccadilly Circus	map
New Ambassadors	seating plan	400	West Street	Leicester Square	map
New London	seating plan	900	Drury Lane	Covent Garden	map
Noel Coward	seating plan	900	St. Martin's Lane	Leicester Square	map
Novello	seating plan	1100	Aldwych	Covent Garden	map
Old Vic	seating plan	1100	Waterloo Road	Waterloo	map
Palace	seating plan	1400	Cambridge Circus	Leicester Square	map
Phoenix	seating plan	1000	Charing Cross Road	Tottenham Court Road	map
Piccadilly	seating plan	1200	Denman Street	Piccadilly Circus	map
Playhouse	seating plan	800	Northumberland Avenue	Embankment	map
Prince Edward	seating plan	1600	Old Compton Street	Leicester Square	map
Prince of Wales	seating plan	1100	Coventry Street	Piccadilly Circus	map
Queen's	seating plan	1000	Shaftesbury Avenue	Piccadilly Circus	map
Savoy	seating plan	1200	The Strand	Charing Cross	map
Shaftesbury	seating plan	1400	Shaftesbury Avenue	Tottenham Court Road	map
St Martin's	seating plan	500	West Street	Leicester Square	map
Theatre Royal Drury Lane	seating plan	2200	Drury Lane	Covent Garden	map
Theatre Royal Haymarket	seating plan	900	Haymarket	Piccadilly Circus	map
Vaudeville	seating plan	700	The Strand	Charing Cross	map
Victoria Palace	seating plan	1600	Victoria Street	Victoria	map
Wyndham's	seating plan	800	Charing Cross Road	Leicester Square	map

Theatremonkey: A Guide to London's West End (book)
Author: Steve Rich
Publisher: Red Squirrel Publishing
Date: Nov 2009

WEST END TICKET DISCOUNTS

Half-price ticket booth

You can buy half-price tickets for some plays or musicals in London by queuing at the TKTS building in the middle of Leicester Square (10am - 7pm, Monday to Saturday, and 11 - 4pm on Sunday; map). The tickets are only for performances on the same day. Note that half-price tickets are only available for the most expensive seats (for example £30 instead of £60), you cannot choose your seat, and you are unlikely to find tickets for the newest or most popular shows. Each day the shows for which half-price tickets are available are listed on a board or electronic display outside TKTS, and are also shown on this website: http://www.tkts.co.uk/whats-on-sale. Some tickets are available with a 25% discount, and others may be sold at full price. There may be different boards and queues for matinee (afternoon) and evening performances, so make sure you join the correct queue. There is a service charge for each ticket (in 2010: £3 per ticket). Tickets can also be bought at a second TKTS office which is located at Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

TKTS is the only official ticket shop, organised by the theatres. Be careful if you buy tickets from other ticket shops around Leicester Square which advertise half-price or discount theatre tickets or claim to be "official". Make sure that you ask about the booking fees before you buy tickets. Check the location of your seats: you may not be able to see much if the ticket is marked "restricted view". Always ask what the face value is of the tickets you are being sold. Do not buy tickets from touts (US English: scalpers) outside the theatre.

TKTS (Half-price ticket booth),
Leicester Square, London

London International Meetup

If you are living in London you may be interested in joining the London International Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/London-International
Theatre trips (usually to West End musicals) are organised regularly, and members can enjoy "best available" seats at group rates.

Box office deals

Standby concessions: Some theatres will offer unsold tickets cheaply to students shortly before a performance at the theatre's box office. You will need to show student identification, usually an ISIC or NUS card. Depending on the theatre, this offer may also be open to senior citizens or other types of "concessions".
Standing tickets: A few theatres have some very cheap tickets for people who are prepared to stand at the back of the balcony (at the top of the theatre).
Day tickets / lottery tickets: Some theatres keep back a limited number of tickets to be sold cheaply on the day of a performance (often in the front row of the stalls). These will go on sale at a certain time, usually either when the box office opens or a couple of hours before a show. There may be special conditions such as a maximum of 2 tickets per person, or payment only in cash. Usually these tickets will be provided on a first-come basis, but occasionally a theatre will issue a lottery ticket and only people who are chosen at random can buy the discounted tickets.
Returns: If all the tickets have been sold, it may be possible to buy "returns" at the theatre's box office shortly before the performance (these are tickets from people who cannot go and who have returned their tickets directly to the theatre). These may be offered either at full price or at a discount.

Kids Week

Each summer there is a special theatre promotion in London called Kids Week.
In 2010 this offer is for performances between 13 August and 27 August 2010. Booking for this offer opens in the middle of July.
For this offer an adult paying full price can take one child aged 5-16 for free to a range of participating West End shows. You can also buy tickets for up to two other children for half price.
For each show only a limited number of tickets are available at these special prices, so early booking is recommended. Some shows make more tickets available later, so if not tickets are listed it may be worth checking again later.
A number of theatres also put one some special children's events (such as dance workshops, drama activities or meet-the-cast opportunities). There are only a few places and these need to be booked separately.
See: http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/family_theatre/kids_week

Mousetrap Theatre Projects

Mousetrap Theatre Projects is a charity which organises special events to help young people in the UK to experience theatre.
If you are aged 15-18 and are studying at a UK state school/college there are opportunities to see a London theatre show for just £5 through the C145 scheme.
If you are aged 18-23 (or if you are studying performing arts) there are opportunities to see a London theatre show for just £10 through the WestEnd410 scheme.
If you are a teacher who may bring groups of students to the theatre there is a Teacher Preview Club.
See: http://www.mousetrap.org.uk

Get Into London Theatre

Each year there is a special West End theatre promotion called Get Into London Theatre. A limited number of specially priced tickets are available for a range of plays, musicals, operas and dance performances in London.
In 2010 this offer is for performances between 1 January and 12 February 2010. Tickets start to go on sale on 8 December 2009. Top price tickets are available for £15, £25 or £35 (with no booking fee).
See: http://www.getintolondontheatre.co.uk

Theatre Fix

The Theatre Fix website provides details of special offers at London theatres for people aged between 16 and 26. See: http://www.theatrefix.co.uk

Dinner and a Show

Ticket agencies often offer packages which combine both a ticket and a pre-theatre or post-theatre meal.

Back to top

A NIGHT LESS ORDINARY

From 16 February 2009 there is a government-led initiative called A Night Less Ordinary which aims to encourage more young people to experience the theatre. This scheme will last until March 2011.
Over 200 subsidised theatres in England (which receive money from the government) offer a limit number of free tickets to people who are living in the UK (not tourists) aged under 26 for certain performances.
To book tickets you may need to provide your name, a full UK home address (not a temporary address such as a hotel or hostel), your date of birth and a mobile phone number or e-mail address.
You may need to show proof of age when you pick up your tickets - this must be a document which contains both your photo and your date of birth (for example your passport, identity card, driving licence or 16-25 railcard).
If you have bought more than one ticket, each person in your group must be under 26 and will have to show his/her proof of age.

The theatres which are taking part in London are shown below. Note that West End theatres are not included in this offer. Click on the "Theatre Name" link to see details of the offer on the theatre's website. This will include practical details such as the number you need to call, which shows are available, the maximum numbers of tickets you can buy, and when bookings can be made.

Theatre Name	Address	Nearest station	Postcode	Map
Albany	Douglas Way, Deptford	Deptford	SE8 4AG	map
Almeida Theatre	Almeida Street, Islington	Angel / Essex Road	N1 1TA	map
Arcola Theatre	27 Arcola Street	Dalston Kingsland	E8 2DJ	map
artsdepot	5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner	Woodside Park	N12 0GA	map
Barbican Centre	Silk Street	Barbican	EC2Y 8DS	map
Battersea Arts Centre (BAC)	Lavender Hill, Battersea	Clapham Junction	SW11 5TN	map
Blue Elephant Theatre	59a Bethwin Road, Camberwell	Oval / Kennington	SE5 0XT	map
Bush Theatre	Shepherds Bush Green	Shepherd's Bush	W12 8QD	map
Gate Theatre	11 Pembridge Road, Notting Hill	Notting Hill Gate	W11 3HQ	map
Greenwich Theatre	Crooms Hill	Cutty Sark / Greenwich	SE10 8ES	map
Hackney Empire Theatre	291 Mare Street	Hackney Central	E8 1EJ	map
Half Moon Young People's Theatre	43 White Horse Road	Limehouse	E1 0ND	map
Hampstead Theatre	Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage	Swiss Cottage	NW3 3EU	map
Lyric Hammersmith	Lyric Square, King Street	Hammersmith	W6 0QL	map
Millfield Arts Centre	Silver Street, Edmonton	Silver Street	N18 1PJ	map
National Theatre	South Bank	Waterloo	SE1 9PX	map
Pleasance Theatre	Carpenters Mews, North Road	Caledonian Road	N7 9EF	map
Polka Theatre	240 The Broadway	South Wimbledon	SW19 1SB	map
Roundhouse	Chalk Farm Road	Chalk Farm	NW1 8EH	map
Royal Court Theatre	Sloane Square	Sloane Square	SW1W 8AS	map
Royal Shakespeare Company, London	Novello Theatre, Aldwych	Covent Garden	WC2B 4LD	map
Soho Theatre	21 Dean Street	Tottenham Court Road	W1D 3NE	map
TARA Studio	356 Garratt Lane	Earlsfield	SW18 4ES	map
Theatre Royal Stratford East	Gerry Raffles Square	Stratford	E15 1BN	map
Trafalgar Studios	14 Whitehall	Charing Cross	SW1A 2DY	map
Tricycle Theatre	269 Kilburn High Road	Brondesbury / Kilburn	NW6 7JR	map
Young Vic	66 The Cut	Southwark	SE1 8LZ	map

For full details about A Night Less Ordinary, including details of the offers outside London, see: http://www.anightlessordinary.org.uk
See also: http://www.freelondontheatre.com

Back to top

THEATRES OUTSIDE LONDON

There are many other excellent theatres throughout the UK.
Tickets for these shows are usually cheaper and the theatres are often smaller.
A wide range of styles and new works are performed, which may not attract big enough audiences to fill the larger theatres.
For a list of productions on any particular date, many of which have been reviewed, see: http://www.thestage.co.uk/listings/bydate

The main arts festivals include theatrical productions, for example:
The Edinburgh International Festival: http://www.eif.co.uk (August)
Edinburgh Festival Fringe: http://www.edfringe.com (August)
Brighton Festival Fringe: http://www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk (May)
Dublin Theatre Festival (Ireland): http://www.dublintheatrefestival.com (September/October)

Back to top

LINKS

London theatre shows: Life/Entertainment/Theatre
West End Live: Ideas/Album/West-End-Live
British films: Britain/Films

Home page: Home

Back to top

© UK Student Life 2002-2009

* Search this website (www.ukstudentlife.com) or the web: