What to see in London that you can't in NYC
What to see in London that you can't in NYC
rayoflight104
Stand-by Joined: 8/15/03
#1What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/3/17 at 9:16pm
Hi,
I'll be visiting London in mid-May.
I live in NYC and go to shows every weekend pretty much - so I have seen the big high dollar productions all the way to the other side of the spectrum of little black box productions.
I'm looking for recommendations on seeing something in London that 'only you can see there and it's truly British' and it wouldn't ever come to NYC. For instance - I'm not going to go see 'Aladdin' in London as it's on stage here in NYC.
Where do I go to look for the true British/English/UK plays/musicals etc?
What's being recommended for May?
ggersten
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#2What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/3/17 at 11:08pm
Half a Sixpence.
The Girls.
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (starts May 9).
The Treatment - at Almeida - could be good.
Occupational Hazards - at Hampstead - sounds interesting.
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#3What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/4/17 at 1:43am
how "Hot" of a ticket is Dreamgirls?
ggersten
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#4What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/4/17 at 12:06pm
My lovely spouse got a single ticket to Dreamgirls on her most recent visit to London in March without much trouble. it was a night when Amber Riley was not performing (website says this is normally Monday - but that is not a guarantee). The primary alternate, Marisha Wallace is reportedly sensational. There is a West End twitter account that announces standbys and understudies for most shows. It is "West End Understudies
Also, I think there is a plan to transfer the show to NYC, so Dreamgirls does not fit this thread..
ggersten
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#5What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/4/17 at 1:19pm
rayoflight104, did you get my private message?
#6What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/4/17 at 7:44pm
Do yourself a favour and don't waste time and money with The Girls. The Menier is doing Love in Idleness, which is very good and very British
#7What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/5/17 at 12:10pm
Half a Sixpence is an absolute must!
The Girls is worth seeing, especially if you're not already familiar with the Calendar Girls story.
Dreamgirls is excellent but is eyeing NYC next year.
rayoflight104
Stand-by Joined: 8/15/03
#8What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/7/17 at 9:54pm
Thanks for the recommendations everyone.
The TKTS booth - is it crowded like NYC Times Sq - would I need to stand in line for several hours if I chose to stop by and see what they had on the board?
#9What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/7/17 at 10:29pm
We just retuned from London and saw four shows, many of which you could or could have previously seen in NY. The real standout that is London-specific, however, is Twelfth Night at the National Theatre. It was an absolute delight and I highly recommmend. Locals in the crowd compared to the other shows we saw and just a terrific production. If it is still around when you go, I'd catch it!
You could also try something at Shakespeare's Globe as the season will be starting in late April.
We walked by TKTS once and it wasn't crowded, though we didn't use it. We did use the Today Tix app and it was a great experience. Unlike when you use that app for NY, it shows you the precise seats you're buying on a map. Aisle seats for the win!
ggersten
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#10What to see in London that you can't in NYC
Posted: 4/7/17 at 10:58pm
We never used the TKTS booth. You can check it online to see if there are any discounts there. People report good deals with TodayTix - but I never used it. Timeout London sometimes has some pretty good deals. We primarily used one of the LondonTheatreBooking booths - in particular the one at Picadilly Square in front of Boots, although the one on Charing Cross was also good. They did pretty well at discounts and showing you tickets and even negotiating with the box office. But, we got discounts by either doing day seats (check Theatremonkey.com for info) or simply asking at the box office. You can ask "any day seats left" and depending on the show, they may give you a day seat or a day seat price for other seats. The box office staffs, in general, in the West End were really nice and cooperative - so long as you are nice and not demanding.
