Opera

If you are looking for a good quality trip to the theatre then the United Kingdom has a lot to offer in cities across the country. From Glasgow and Edinburgh all the way down to the West End in London, there are countless historic venues that have been putting on great entertainment for many years. Some date as far back as Victorian times and further, with facades and auditoriums that look the same as they once did when they were constructed. So a visit to the theatre can be a trip through history as well as a cultural event.

In London’s West End this is more obvious than anywhere else, with many theatres across the capital emerging in the 1800s and early 1900s, many sharing with them a small group of architects who designed these iconic buildings. From the Aldwych Theatre to the New Ambassadors, the Old Vic, St Martins Theatre, the Prince Edward Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, the Comedy Theatre, Duke of York’s Theatre and the Apollo Theatre, all of these venues plus many more make up the very fabric of London’s culture. Then there are the more modern ones such as the Trafalgar Studios or the National Theatre and its performance spaces in the forms of the Olivier Theatre, the Lyttelton Theatre and the Cottesloe Theatre. As can be seen, there is a lot to choose from.

And with a great choice of locations comes a great choice of productions ranging through musicals, plays, ballets and operas. These include Les Miserables, the Mousetrap, The Lion King, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Blood Brothers, Giselle, Oliver!, Grease, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Waiting for Godot, Rain Man, La Clique, Shout!, Stop Messing About and La Cage Aux Folles. And the list does not end there. Every year productions like these break records for the number of tickets sold, which have reached as high as 13 million a year. In Christmas 2008 the Queen musical We Will Rock You managed to attract audience figures as huge as 20,000 and that was in one week!

In London’s theatreland there are around 40 different theatres, meaning around 40 different productions and hundreds of actors plus crew. It’s no wonder that people from all around the world buy theatre tickets and head to see these shows in the West End. In this locations theatregoers can see some of the greatest talents walking on a coveted stage. It is an unforgettable experience.