London West End theatre offers a dizzying choice. I go to the theatre most nights and I have some tips on how to to avoid a dud.
Begin by Choosing the Right London West End Theatre
My success lies mostly in selecting the right venue…that’s right, the venue is absolutely key. Each theatre has a budget for a play which determines all critical factors like its director, cast and set design. The better known West End theatres simply have bigger budgets! And that means one thing, more razzmatazz!
Different London West End theatres are known for producing different types of plays. Here is a general guide.
The Dominion and The Palladium are the Biggest Theatres in the West End
The theatres with the highest seating capacity are more likely to produce “blockbusters” with mass appeal. Theatres like the Palladium and the Dominion need to fill thousands of seats each evening they won’t put on esoteric play that would be attractive to only a small sector of the theatre-going public. And as they have bigger stages, you are likely to find large cast musicals with elaborate stage effects…think cars, helicopters and aerial stunts.
The Savoy is one of the Smallest but Most Stylish Theatres in the London West End
The Savoy Theatre was rebuilt in 1929 as a magic miracle of Art Deco modernism, by Rupert D’Oyly Carte with the architect Frank Tugwell and decorative designer Basil Ionides.
I always think that its productions echo the values of the adjacent Savoy Hotel that shares its name; classy, stylish and with plenty of glamour. Expect music, beautiful costumes, dancing girls, clever staging. And there are some lovely bars which let you bask in its jazz age setting.
The Trafalgar Theatre is known for its Avant Garde Productions
The Trafalgar Theatre specialises in productions that are vibrant and cutting edge. The smaller of the two studios is a stage in the round where you feel that you are on set with the performers. Often portraying harrowing, or controversial subject matter, the performances are emotional and breathtaking.
Pay Attention to the Playwright and Casting at the Duke of York, the Garrick, the Noel Coward, the Wyndhams, the Vaudeville, the Adelphi, the Lyric, the Vaudeville, the Theatre Royal
Dotted around St Martins Lane, The Strand and Haymarket are a number of theatres primarily owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group, Delfont Mackintosh and Nimax. You can expect to see a wide range of plays and musicals with everything from everything from Ibsen to Meat Loaf. It’s hard to generalise about these productions so pay special attention to the playwright, reviews and casting.
Theatres Outside the London West End That Offer a Unique Experience
The National Theatre on Southbank Has a Wide Arts Remit
The National Theatre on the South Bank is state subsidised theatre with a remit to promote the arts to the widest possible and most diverse audience. Here you will find productions of high artistic merit. The NT usually push the boat out with their special effects, sounds and lighting systems. There are three stages at the NT, the largest stage is The Olivier and there is a smaller, newer theatre, The Dorfman, at the rear of the building, which I always feel is more akin to the Young Vic…showing avant garde productions appealing to a younger, Converse trainer wearing audience.
The Globe and The Sam Wanamaker Produce Memorable Shakespearean and Revival Plays
The Globe is a specialist Shakespearian Theatre which produces authentic Shakespearian drama. As far as the Board of Directors is concerned, this means mostly two things, “shared light” and “no voice amplification”.
‘Shared light’ is able to provide an atmosphere wherein the people onstage are playing ‘with’ rather than ‘to’ or ‘at’ those in the audience.
A few years ago, the Globe hired a brilliant artistic director, Emma Rice, who introduced stage lighting and microphones but this wasn’t really “Shakespeare” so she fell on her sword. You can find out more about this controversy on The Guardian website.
This is the place where men and woman “shout Shakespeare” and it all makes for a historically accurate and riveting Shakespearian experience.
If you are on a budget with a lot of stamina, you can buy standing tickets for £5 per performance. Those that do so, are called “groundlings”
However, not many groundlings can last the full duration of the play. The staff have a special mission to make sure that groundlings don’t lean on the wooden posts, or sit on the floor!
The Globe is only open during the summer months as there is an open roof. Wrap up warmly if you are attending an evening performance and hire a cushion if you don’t relish sitting for several hours on a hard bench.
Inside the Globe there is a newer theatre, The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, which is a little wooden timbered and stencilled, jewel box of a theatre, lit by candles. It specialises in small period plays. This is one of my favourite theatres – small, intimate and with a special atmosphere.
The Old Vic and the Young Vic Theatres in Waterloo Offer Unusual and Unique Plays
The Old Vic and The Young Vic are two completely different kettles of fish.
The Old Vic is a not-for-profit beautiful and slightly decaying, grand, traditional theatre with historic decor performing high quality drama and musicals. Famed for its £10 previews…I am still gutted when I think of the performances there that I have missed.
The Young Vic is an offshoot of the Old Vic aiming at a hip and cool younger audience (diverse and engaged) with cutting edge material performed in the round.
Frank Dunlop, the Young Vic director, wanted to create a new kind of theatre for a new generation – one that was unconventional, classless, open, circus-like and cheap.
The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Offers a Memorable Experience in All Weathers
The Regents Park Open Air theatre is not in the London West End…you’ll find it in the middle of Regents Park. I remember my first visit to the Regents Park Open Air Theatre and how I kept double checking the weather forecast and the night temperatures. Not least as their plays always proceed almost regardless of the weather.
A lovely, balmy sunny day where you are donning sun hats and slathering on sun scream quickly becomes a night of freezing temperatures, where you are rustling in your bag for hats, scarfs and thick coats and even blankets. Rain rarely deters this theatre either. They will stop the performance for a few minutes and the audience hurries to the bar and prays for it to stop.
This theatre epitomises “summer in the city” for me…you can get there early and walk through the confetti-like rose garden, grab a drink or a pizza in the park cafe or hire a deckchair in the park before the show.
The theatre opens two hours beforehand to enable people to eat their picnics or indulge in their legendary burgers that are barbecued in the garden.
And then there is the excitement of the show and the the thrill of the weather!
Other London West End Theatre Considerations
Playwright
Don’t sail blythely into a production if your unaware of the genre of the play. For example Samuel Beckett or Jean Paul Sartre plays usually have a small cast and a dystopian theme…think half a dozen people locked in a room, sitting on a sofa, or a woman up to her neck in rubble for the duration of the first act.
Plays by Eugene O’Neill or Tennessee Williams may be set in the American mid west and explore themes of alienation and the American Dream. Hard work for some!
Or a historical reenactment of Webster’s Duchess of Malfi will have blood, guts and madness at his heart with a rendition in Jacobean English.
Everyone has their own tastes but make sure that you choose a play that best suits your particular palate.
Cast
Famous names, like Simon Russell Beale, famed for his Shakespearian roles and Maggie Smith, of Downton Abbey fame, will only appear in top notch productions. So check the cast as this can indicate the strength of the play.
Press Reviews
I have often seen amazing performances that the critics have hated. Sometimes I think that we have been to two different plays! Therefore, I don’t pay too much attention to an isolated poor review. However, if the play is consistently poorly reviewed across a range of media, you want to consider giving it a miss or buy a cheaper seat, so that you have less invested.
Look at the Theatre Website in Advance
The play will be promoted on the London West End theatre’s website. You will doubtless find a gallery of photographs and possibly a video as well. The synopsis, costumes and cast list should give you an accurate flavour of the production.
The theatre management may have also uploaded to Youtube.
It is invariably forbidden to use your phone for video or audio recording within a theatre.
Check that Seasonal Specials are to your Taste
At Christmas, it is common for theatres in the West End to put on pantomimes and Christmas themed productions like Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. It will explain on the website if these productions are suitable for children and adults alike.
Don’t make my mistake and go to see The Snowman and find yourself surrounded by an audience of toddlers in fancy dress waving fairy wands.
General London West End Seating Tips
The most expensive seats in a London West End theatre are the front row of the stalls and the boxes. The boxes have more prestige but often have a slightly restricted view as they are usually at right angles to the stage.The front rows of the dress circle are also good seats. As you move further towards the back row the view can be slightly restricted or you feel further away from the action. In the Upper Circle, you will definitely benefit from bringing opera glasses. Some theatres have a further level knowns as the Balcony or the Ampitheatre. Seats here can be surprisingly cheap and it is a good way of trying out something that isn’t in your usual genre.
Are you also an opera fan? If so you may enjoy our tips on a night at the London opera. You can also check out our blog post on how London Theatre’s achieve their ultra realistic special effects.
With these tips you are well equipped to make the best London West End theatre choices.
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