West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in
London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of London's "Theatreland". Along with
New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of
theatre in the
English speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common
tourist activity in London.
Total attendances first surpassed 12 million in 2002, and in June 2005
The Times reported that this record might be beaten in 2005 [
1]. Factors behind high ticket sales in the first half of 2005 included new hit musicals such as
Billy Elliot,
The Producers and
Mary Poppins and the high number of film stars appearing. Since the late 1990s there has been an increase in the number of American actors on the London stage, and in 2005 these included
Brooke Shields,
Val Kilmer,
Rob Lowe and
David Schwimmer. Also in 2005,
Ewan McGregor is made his first appearance in a stage musical in
Guys and Dolls.
Kevin Spacey has been artistic director of the
Old Vic Theatre since 2004 and appears in some of his own productions.
2006 has continued this star-studded trend with
Judi Dench,
Antony Costa,
Bonnie Langford,
Jeremy Irons,
Ian Richardson,
Cheryl Baker,
Adam Cooper,
Neil Morrissey,
Anita Dobson,
Diana Rigg,
Martin Jarvis,
David Soul,
Richard Dempsey, Jane Adams, Matthew Modhine, James Fox(1), James Fox(2), Robert Bathurst,
Christian Slater,
Alex Kingston,
Megan Dodds,
Dawn French,
Alison Moyet,
Timothy West, Iain Glen, Reece Shearsmith,
Kathleen Turner, Tim Rogers and
Alun Armstrong all taking to the stage.
London's main theatre district is located in the heart of the
West End of the city centre, and is traditionally defined by
The Strand to the south,
Oxford Street to the north,
Regent Street to the west, and
Kingsway to the east although
The South Bank Complex is now considered by some to be part of it. Prominent theatre streets include
Drury Lane,
Shaftesbury Avenue, and
The Strand. This area contains approximately forty large theatres and is often referred to as
Theatreland. The works staged are predominantly
musicals,
classic or middle brow
plays, and
comedy performances.
Most of the theatres in "Theatreland" are late Victorian or Edwardian, and they are privately owned. Most of them have great character, and the largest and best maintained are splendid. On the other hand leg room is often cramped, and audience facilities such as bars and restrooms are often much smaller than in modern theatres. The protected status of the buildings and their confined urban locations, combined with financial constraints, mean that it is very difficult to make substantial improvements to the level of comfort offered. In 2004, it was estimated that an investment of £250 million was required for modernisation, and the theatre owners unsuccessfully requested tax concessions to help them meet the costs.
West End shows may run for a varying number of weeks, depending on ticket sales. Musicals tend to have longer runs than dramas. The longest running musical in West End history was
Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Cats, which closed in
2002 after running for 9,000 performances and 21 years, whilst the longest running current musical is
Les Misérables with a run of over 8,500 performances and now in its 21st year. It will overtake Cats as the longest running West End musical of all time on 8 October 2006. Other long-runners include Andrew Lloyd Webber's
The Phantom of the Opera standing at 20 years and still ongoing, and Willy Russell's
Blood Brothers, currently in its 18th year. However the non-musical
Agatha Christie play
The Mousetrap is the longest running show in the world, and has been showing since 1953.
Top 10 current long-running shows in London:*
The Mousetrap at the
St Martin's Theatre - 54th Year
*
Les Misérables at the
Queen's Theatre - 21st Year
*
The Phantom of the Opera at
Her Majesty's Theatre - 20th Year
*
Blood Brothers at the
Phoenix Theatre - 18th Year
*
The Woman in Black at the
Fortune Theatre - 18th Year
*
Chicago at the
Cambridge Theatre - 9th Year
*
Mamma Mia! at the
Prince of Wales Theatre - 8th Year
*
Disney's The Lion King at the
Lyceum Theatre - 7th Year
*
We Will Rock You at the
Dominion Theatre - 4th Year
*
The Rat Pack - Live From Las Vegas at the
Savoy Theatre - 4th Year
It should be noted that the term West End Theatre is sometimes used to refer specifically to commercial productions in "Theatreland". However the leading non-commercial (usually government subsidised) theatres in London, such as the
National Theatre, the
Royal Shakespeare Company, the
Globe Theatre, the
Old Vic, the
Young Vic, the
Royal Court Theatre, the
Almeida Theatre, and the
Open Air Theatre, most of which are not located in "Theatreland", arguably enjoy greater artistic prestige. These theatres stage a higher proportion of more demanding work, including
Shakespeare, other classic plays and premieres of new plays by leading highbrow playwrights. Hit plays from the non-commercial theatres sometimes transfer to one of the commercial "Theatreland" houses for an extended second run.
There is a great deal of theatre in London outside of the West End. Much of this is known as
fringe theatre which is the equivalent of
Off Broadway Theatre in
New York. Fringe venues range from well-equipped small theatres to rooms above
pubs, and the performances range from classic plays, to cabaret, to plays in the languages of London's
ethnic minorities. The performers range from emerging young professionals to amateurs.
Finally, there are also local theatres in the suburbs which stage a wide range of work, often including touring productions such as the
New Wimbledon Theatre.
London has several prestigious drama schools, including the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), which is by far the most famous drama school in the United Kingdom. Others include the
Central School of Speech and Drama, the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and
The Poor School.
There are a number of annual awards for outstanding achievements in London theatre:
*
Laurence Olivier Awards*
Evening Standard Awards*
London Critics' Circle Theatre Awards*
List of London theatres*
List of West End musicals*
List of notable musical theatre productions*
Musical theatre*
Map of London's West-End theatres*
London's campaign to promote theatre*
Official London Theatre website*
Really Useful Theatres - major London theatre operator*
musicOMH.com - reviews of theatre productions in London's West End
