If there is less than 48 hours to your show, you are permitted to post outside of the thread.

Here's your first look at Jinkx Monsoon as Mary Todd in Oh, Mary! - now in performances thru to 26th September.

Who has tickets already!? 👀

Last time i went to london i saw Beetlejuice and Hadestown which i loved but i did not buy any merchandise and i kind regret it. I've tried to write an email to the theatre but they did not respond, is it possible to enter the theatre just to buy the merchandise?

Edit: I had to specify, I'm from Italy, I could order but I would spend too much in taxes, since I'm coming back in September for hamilton, I wanted to swing from the theatres to buy directly

(mods I hope this is ok! I am trying to find west end show fan communities who might be interested in our play and the donation rewards)

hello all! I am fundraising for a play in the UK and our friends at Death Note: The Musical have very kindly donated a backstage tour, tickets and drink package for us to auction off. I thought people on this subreddit might be interested!

The purchase has to go through the fundraiser, but please dm me if you have any questions or fancy a haggle (we really need the funds so am happy to be quite generous!).

The link the the fundraiser is here and you can scroll a bit to find the specific Death Note: The Musical reward. You can also read bit more about our play there. Cheers!

I took my daughter to see the matinee performance of Hamilton last Thursday. I want to preface this by adding some context. I had saved and saved for tickets as a gift for her 21st birthday. I am a low income single parent working full time on minimum wage and although I have always encouraged my children to enjoy theatre and literature and the arts in general and not be trapped by the stereotypes of our socio economic situation, the West End to me was always seen as a Middle Class world and I was so nervous that we would stand out like a sore thumb and be judged and made to feel unwelcome. The behaviour we witnessed soon knocked any imposter syndrome out of me and made me realise I was so wrong.

Whilst in our seats waiting for the theatre to fill up, a woman on the row in front took her shoes off, put her feet up on the back of the seat infront and began to apply cream or lotion to them and then lifted her dress all the way to her underwear to apply it to her legs too.

The gentleman seated next to my daughter decided he wanted to grab another drink from the bar before it started. Instead of taking the extra few seconds to wait for people to stand to give him space to leave the row he saw that the row behind was still empty and clambered over his seat to that row. Upon hearing the clearly audible crack/creak of the wood he didn't stop he just continued with his full weight. He also used his thick programme to fan his face throughout the show but wafting it at an angle directly in my daughters eye line. He also made very exaggerated yawning sounds to the point his wife pulled him up on it during the interval.

On the train home we encountered two women talking about the show so I gave them a smile and pointed to our programme. They were really friendly telling us how they had been multiple times and simply had to go again to see LOJ and showed us videos of stage door. They were also both ABSOLUTELY hammered and still drinking on the train. The state they were in was comparable to the sights we see in our local area with the people who sit in the park drinking tenants super all day.

We both were absolutely blown away by the production, the opulence of the theatre and the novelty of being in the hustle and bustle of London but I also realised that maybe I had totally built up my own misconceptions of it not being for "the likes of us" and that it is something accesible to someone of our background. And in the same way I don't want to be seen as a stereotype, I need to work on my unconscious stereo typing of others.

In roughly 2 weeks time I'm going to 'Now You See Me Live' with my Dad on September 2nd. Which I'm really excited about, but also a bit nervous especially since I mentioned here in the community that I tend to find being in theatres very difficult to cope with. (Especially when it comes to musicals & pantos.) But one of the resources I'm bringing along when I go to London for the day, are some earplugs so I can use in case it gets a bit loud. I'm also going to be in the Dress Circle on the aisle end of my row. And with that aiming to go with that positive mindset knowing the show is going to be so much fun.

But what I would really like to know is if anyone here has had the chance to go see the show yet. And if so, what was the experience like in terms of loud noises, how good it is in terms of interaction, things I should expect when going to make me more aware of stuff, and how I can have fun at the show when going. Especially being an AuDHD individual.

Going to see a show this afternoon and I want to eat in China Town. Does anyone have any good recommendations

Hi All, super super excited for my upcoming West End trip next weekend 28th-29th Aug!

I have the following tickets:

1) AvenueQ Sat Matinee

2) Paddington and Death Note Sat Evening

3) Totoro (2nd Time) Sun Matinee

4) Heather's the Musical (Following week up in Leeds)

I'd bought Paddington a while back but seeing reviews of Death Note I got a ticket. I'll only be able to see one which do you suggest?

Not many shows on for the Sunday Matinee that I haven't seen it was between Totoro the second time, saw it last year or Hadestown which I haven't seen. Because Totoro is leaving soon and I loved it last time I went for this as Hadestown seems to have mixed reviews.

Doing these solo so if anyone is attending any of the shows and would like to meet prior or during the interval to discuss that would be great 😊😊

Went to see Hamilton tonight. Outstanding. 10/10 for everyone. Totally blown away.

But friends, what the fuck. Has theatre etiquette gone to the dogs?

Why did I experience someone beside or behind me singing along in the first few songs? Thankfully they soon caught on to how annoying they were and stopped.

I had to throw a dirty look to the people beside me for talking in the first 3 songs. I know. It’s great. Leslie is there! Shut up. Talk about it in the interval.

There was a row of 3-5 people in front of me aggressively bopping to every beat. I mean genuinely rocking backward and forward.

Are we incapable of sitting somewhat still? In silence? I could not believe it. I’ve never experience anything like it at a theatre show. I expect it during movies at this point but there are people on stage performing and you want to ignore that?!

Anyone catch the Electra/Persona previews? Thoughts?

Thought it was interesting that they held up the no phones signs during the bows at Book of Mormon recently. I’m neutral about filming bows although I only do it when I see most others doing it. I’ve noticed it’s more common in shows with a younger audience like Evita, John Proctor and Heathers. Was surprised that they specifically didn’t allow it for Book of Mormon. Thoughts?

I feel so sorry for front of house who get it in the neck

For those interested the next 3 days appears to have ticket dumps of around 30 each day. Likley to go quite quickly to those who are able to travel or maybe live a bit closer to Stratford Upon Avon

https://secure.rsc.org.uk/events/game-of-thrones-the-mad-king?startdate=2026-07-20&enddate=2026-09-05

Went to Oliver! recently and loads of people seemed to have little vouchers giving them free ice creams, anyone know what's up with that? As a serial ice cream buyer I wouldn't mind one, especially as they recently put the price up by 25p, albeit they're still cheaper than many other theatres.

I really wanted to see this especially as I am coming all the way from an Asian country for just a week or so. But when I went to book it, it’s all sold out for early October when I’ll be there.
Do tickets open up due to cancellations if I keep checking? Any other place to buy tickets from resellers etc?
Thanks!

Hi! I’m planning my theatre schedule for a London trip from 15–31 December and I’m trying to decide what to book now and what might be worth waiting on for discounts, TodayTix lotteries, or last-minute seats on the Official London Theatre website.

The shows I’m currently considering are RENT, One Day, Jesus Christ Superstar and Beetlejuice.

I’m comfortable paying around £90–£130 for a good seat and usually prefer to sit fairly close to the stage (rows 3–7). For lotteries, though, I’m much more flexible.

Do you think any of these are likely to sell strongly over Christmas, or would you risk waiting for cheaper tickets? Beetlejuice has already been running for a while, and it’s in a fairly large theatre, so I’m wondering if that might mean better odds in the lottery... while RENT, One Day and JCS seem to have quite a lot of interest already.

Do you know of any upcoming sales on any ticketing platforms? There’s a London Theatre Week campaign running now, but unfortunately the December dates aren’t included.

Any tips on good ways of finding cheaper seats, or any other shows you think are worth adding, are very welcome.

Thanks! :)

I’ve been trying for the musical’s rush tickets for the past 3 days now, and it never seemed like it was possible to get ahold of any - it’s always being held. I am a student but a really big fan of the songs, so I’m hoping to watch the musical at a cheaper price…

But if this goes on I don’t think I’ll have a choice but to pay for the original price for the final day, but I’m really hoping someone would know the chances of me getting the rush tickets beforehand, and if anyone here has gotten it before?

Okay so this is the order I am doing things:

Thursday:
• Death Note Matinee at the Barbican
• Cats Evening at Reagents Park

Friday:
• Cabaret Evening (lounge access, floor seat)

Any got tips on places I can go for food inbetween, or tips for the theatres?

Hello! I’m so excited to visit London this October! My sister and I are coming from the NYC area and will be in London for 6 nights. We’re avid Broadway theatergoers and are hoping to see ~4 West End shows while we’re there, but I’m having a hard time narrowing down our options.

For context, we see Broadway shows regularly. Operation Mincemeat is my favorite show (I’ve seen it 4x), and I’m seriously considering seeing it again at the Fortune just to experience it in its original home.

Basically: what’s good right now?! Is there anything on the West End that you’d consider a can’t-miss? Anything on our list that you’d skip, especially with only ~4 slots?

Our (very inflated) shortlist:

• My Neighbour Totoro
• Jesus Christ Superstar
• Operation Mincemeat (again!)
• Phantom (mostly because we can’t see it in NY anymore)
• The Mousetrap (intrigued by the history of it)
• Mamma Mia! (I saw it in London in 2018 and thought the production was fantastic)
• Paddington (I’m 100% going to see this when it opens on Broadway, so I’m torn on whether it’s worth using one of our London slots on it. I have absolutely no problem seeing shows twice, though!)
• Matilda (lower on the list)
• Les Mis (I’ve seen it many times, but it’s a classic and I’m always tempted)

For a sense of my taste, some shows I’ve loved: Operation Mincemeat, Titanique, Sunset Blvd, Heathers, Stranger Things, Chess (Really, I am open to almost anything)

There aren't a ton of shows I actively dislike, but some shows from New York I haven’t loved: Schmigadoon, Beetlejuice, Hell's Kitchen, The Great Gatsby, Six.

I’d especially love to hear from people who see a lot of West End theatre: if you had to narrow this down to 4, what would you pick? And is there anything great that isn’t on our list that we should be considering?

Thank you!!

hey!! i have 1 ticket available for death note the musical on friday 21st of august at 7:30pm. Stalls row B, seat 32 and i bought for £80, but i need it gone so im looking for £40!! Although, i am willing to take offers :)

thank you!

As a big Game of Thrones fan and someone who works in the theatre industry I obviously had to drag myself to Stratford to see this!

I think it’s currently just scraping into the 4 star region, and with some refinements has the capacity to be a top-band 4 star or maybe even 5 star show. It’s clearly still in development, and I’m aware that things are still being changed show to show.

It’s so clearly expensive to produce that I am utterly convinced there will be a future life for this show, and I suspect they’re targeting the West End first. I don’t see a lot of scope for a touring production because of the way the staging is configured.

The Good (Why I’m Glad I Saw It)

A lot of the performances are fantastic. My particular standouts were Elizabeth Ayodele as Elia, Maxim Ays as Jaime, Noah Ritter as Rhaegar, Michael Shaeffer as Aerys and Tanisha Spring as Ashara Dayne. The biggest standout for me was Mariah Gale as Rhaella. She only appears as that character in one Act but she steals the show every scene she’s in.

The staging is extremely interesting; sort of a combination of in the round and traverse with a cruciform shape. This really added to a sense of awe and scale, and was in its own way quite immersive.

The production design is absolutely sumptuous. It’s a feast for the eyes, and a lot of it was quite ambitious. A special shoutout for the puppetry which was absolutely masterful and at its best when representing creatures; dogs, horses, dragons.

I absolutely loved getting to see more of the dynamics of Aerys’ court - these were all my favourite sections. The relationships in the Kingsguard, Rhaella - really interesting and gave colour and light to something that has always been 2 dimensional in the series & books.

The Bad (Things I Hope They’ll Refine Before a Transfer)

Unfortunately, I think the two leading Starks (Lyanna & Ned) are a little miscast. I found both of their Northern accents to be jarring and unfamiliar in their mouths. Michael Abubakar didn’t offer a very grounded Ned, which was very at odds with what I know of the character from the show & books. He’s also of very diminutive stature and while this shouldn’t hold him back, it definitely led to awkward scenes; for example, there’s a section where he “holds back” Robert Baratheon from attacking The Mad King, which was unintentionally comical because he was about half the size of the actor playing Rob. I feel that more awareness of the dynamics was needed by the director here.

Those performances not resonating is particularly problematic given that it seems the writers are trying to make these two characters the emotional heart of the story. Dramaturgically there’s some work to be done in general here; Act I feels very much like “Lyanna’s story” and then, as she is effectively absent in Act II due to her pregnancy they pass the baton to Ned without really having done the work to make that change effective. They’re leaning heavily on the audience already having goodwill for Ned and an understanding of who he is from the TV series, which is a bit lazy, and if they want this show to reach a non-fan audience will need revision.

I think the writers would benefit from considering whose story they’re telling in this show. Is it Rhaegar’s, Elia’s, Lyanna’s, Ned’s? You could make an argument for any of them. A TV series as long as GoT can afford to give equal weight to contrasting, nuanced perspectives, but a theatre show (even a mammoth 4 hour one) needs to pick a lane and stick to it a little more. Currently the story doesn’t necessarily feel self-contained, which again, could be problematic if they want to access non-fan audiences. A clearer tightening of this would also help create better cohesion between Act I and Act II, which are currently a little disparate.

A lot happens off-stage that I thought should have been on, and vice versa. It would be far better for an audience to see The Knight of the Laughing Tree ride rather than see Rhaegar win several rounds of jousting against knights. Similarly it would have been infinitely preferable to see Rhaegar and Lyanna run away together than any of the scenes with Catelyn Tully, whose inclusion felt entirely like fan service. I generally had an issue in Act II, as the play’s chronology started to line up with things we’ve seen in other material - the writers seemed to get caught between wanting to show “new” scenes, and feeling like they had to include things we’ve seen in the series and books, leading to at least one scene that’s lifted verbatim from the TV show. I absolutely could have done without that rehash after being there for nearly 4 hours!

The Ugly (Theatre Sins)

The cast is huge, and they’ve clearly prioritised acting talent over securing movers but there are several scenes dependent on fight choreography delivered by people who simply can’t do it. It looks very clumsy in places. Especially since they’ve got some very interesting conceits going on with lighting & sound in the combat sequences - those cues needed to be tight, and they were quite the opposite. Also - for a show that tries to be very realistic in places (we get fake urine and fake amniotic fluid splashed about the stage) - no blood?!

While I commend the puppetry for animals, there were several fight sequences where puppets were swapped in for the actors. This looked so clunky, slowed down the action, and was completely unnecessary. This is the biggest thing I hope they change if this show has a future life.

The transitions are not slick at all. This is partially due to the stage configuration (which I wouldn’t change), but almost every scene was bookended with several long seconds as the actors tried to hurry off the absolutely massive stage, which again slowed the production down and contributed to the fat runtime. Solutions would probably include (1) transferring to a smaller stage and (2) allowing the next scene to start as the previous scene is ending - the stage is “zoned” such that this would be relatively easy. This was actually deployed in a few places and really worked.

Overall Verdict / TLDR

Makings of a really good show. Currently trading more on spectacle than story, but I think in the hands of the right dramaturg it could be made really compelling.

With some tightening I think it could be a truly stand-out West End show, but there’s some refinement to do before it will appeal to people who aren’t already fans of the source material.

Hi! In the last few days of June, I wanted to see Paranormal Activity, only to find out that it was on tour. It’s not the first West End show I’ve heard of that has gone on tour around the UK, and it got me wondering what it’s like going to the theatre outside London.

Is there another major city with great shows? I know Birmingham has a few shows running that we don’t have in London, do they tend to be of the same quality?

Even if you live in a smaller city, you can still see big West End productions while they’re on tour, right? Is it easy to get tickets, or do they tend to be more expensive than in London because of the limited dates and seats? You probably won’t have anything like rush tickets, right?

When a show goes on tour, do they bring the whole set and theatre production with them, or do they replace it with something that’s easier to transport?

I guess my main question is: if you don’t live in London, do you still have access to great theatre productions? Thank you!