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London West End Shows

West End Theatre is a popular term for conventional london west end shows, 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 one of the London West End Shows is a common tourist activity in London.

Total attendances to London West end shows first surpassed 12 million in 2002, and in June 2005 The Times reported that this record might be beaten in 2005 .

Factors behind the high London West End Shows 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 one of londons west end shows when he appeared in the stage musical "Guys and Dolls". Kevin Spacey has been artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre since 2004 and appears in some of his own productions.

London west end shows productions in 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.

The main West End 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 London 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.

On the other hand leg room is often cramped (people were smaller a hundred years ago) and audience facilities such as bars and restrooms are often much smaller than in modern theatres.

The protected status of the West End Theatre 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.

Make sure you do not miss a night out at one of the  London west end shows on your visit to the City.

West End Theatre Bookings

In the unlikely event that you can't find the tickets your are looking for at london theatre direct or lastminute.com, a useful list of common internet search terms is provided below.

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London Theatre Listing

Includes links to official websites where available

Adelphi Theatre Aldwych Theatre Almeida Theatre Apollo Theatre Apollo Victoria Theatre Arcola Theatre Barbican Theatre Battersea Arts Centre Bush Theatre Cambridge Theatre Cochrane Theatre Coliseum Theatre Comedy Theatre Criterion Theatre Dominion Theatre Donmar Warehouse Theatre Royal, Drury Lane Duchess Theatre Duke of York's Theatre Fairfield Halls Fortune Theatre

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Phoenix Theatre Piccadilly Theatre Pit at The Barbican Centre Place Theatre Playhouse Theatre Prince Edward Theatre Prince of Wales Theatre Queen's Theatre Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Sadler's Wells Savoy Theatre Shaftesbury Theatre South London Theatre St Martin's Theatre The UCL Bloomsbury Vaudeville Theatre Victoria Palace Theatre Warehouse Theatre Whitehall Theatre Wyndham's Theatre Young Vic Theatre