Theatre breaks
Theatre Breaks with top show tickets and London hotel stay included plus any attractions and discount rail vouchers. ** Book a Theatre Break **
Wicked Theatre Breaks with Rachel Tucker as Elphaba
If you haven’t seen Rachel Tucker in Wicked yet then you must book Wicked theatre breaks soon, she’s fabulous.
Here’s a video from West End Live last weekend which doesn’t do justice to the full theatre performance of Wicked by any means, but gives an idea of how talented a performer Rachel Tucker is.
Before landing the part of Elphaba in Wicked, Rachel Tucker has played both Meat and Scaramouche in We Will Rock You and before that was a finalist in the I’d Do Anything TV casting show to find a Nancy for Oliver.
And here’s the backstage interview conducted by Keith Martin of Leicester Square TV with Rachel Tucker of Wicked herself:
In the interview, Rachel Tucker describes how Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Loosely based on the Wizard of Oz Wicked has a kind of twist to it. It’s the story of how the good witch and the bad witch became enemies, so Dorothy has nothing really to do with it. It’s an amazing moral story highly relevant to anybody who has ever been bullied or discriminated against just for being different.
10% OFF all Theatre Breaks
Here’s the news today, Theatre Breaks have launched their summer offer with a 10% discount off everything on the website!
Theatre Breaks site wide Summer Sale kicks off today, June 15th and lasts for the whole of June.
Every theatre break booked will be at a saving of 10%… All Shows, All Hotels, All the Extras… All at 10% Off.
Here’s the link for the 10% discount:
Theatre Breaks with 10% Off Everything
So you can tailor make your break as usual with your choice of show, hotel and dates and create yourself a bargain!
*Book today for big savings – Theatre & Hotel Packages from just £55.80 per person!
*Book today and upgrade to a 4 or 5 star hotel – with the money you save.
*Book today and plan ahead – secure your Summer Holiday, Half-term getaway, Christmas do or New Year’s bash – all at a great reduction.
The discount will run until 1700hrs GMT, June 30th – leaving you only a few days to take advantage of a great saving on your next trip to London, whenever that might be.
Theatre Breaks
Here’s the link again for the 10% discount:
Hair Theatre Breaks
Hair Theatre Breaks – time travel to a land that never was…..
Hair is back in the West End and we can travel back in time for a theatre break to that heady, hairy place that was the Summer of Love. We’ve all heard the cliche that if you remember the 60s you weren’t there, well, the new production of the 60s hit musical Hair takes us back to one version of that time of flower power, beads and illicit substances.
Hair theatre breaks
Last Tuesday night we had the chance to see the lively new Broadway production of Hair. I was really looking forward to the show as it’s been on my wish list ever since I heard it was coming (More about Hair). Of course, this cast of bright energetic young Americans weren’t even born when Hair arrived in London for the first time. (I worry that just possibly neither were some of their parents – moving swiftly on!) For them Hair is a period piece from a time as exotic and unfamiliar as the 1920s. I’m old enough to remember the 60s, or to be more precise, I was trying to re-create them for most of the early 70s.
At first tiny details that weren’t ‘quite’ right jarred slightly. A few minutes in though I suddenly realised that being ‘right’ really didn’t matter. I was watching a wonderful, energetic interpretation of a kind of fairy tale.
We weren’t in the 60s at all. We were in Neverland with a group of Lost Boys, Peter Pan (Burger) and the rest of the cast. So I stopped worrying about historical accuracy and relaxed into a most enjoyable evening of music, dance and humour.
The music of the show is wonderful, from the iconic start of The Age of Aquarius via Good Morning Starshine to the final auditorium wide singing of Let the Sun Shine in we are swept along by a succession of huge hits and tiny masterpieces like Frank Mills. If you can’t get to London to see the show buy the album on Amazon – you won’t regret it!
Who Will Enjoy Hair?
Looking round the audience, and we got a better look at them than you usually do as a huge number of people made it onstage for the final song, Hair seems to appeal to all ages. There were a few aging ex-hippies (you know who you are!) but just about every age from 14 or so up was represented. Hair does of course famously have full frontal (actually rather tasteful and touching) nudity, references to drug use and quite explicit (and not at all tasteful, but fun!) sexual references. You might think twice about taking your younger children or your aging aunt. On second thoughts aging aunts are an unpredictable bunch and can have quite interesting pasts!
Hair theatre breaks
Book Hair Theatre Breaks
Sweet Charity
If They Could See Me Now - Charity (Tamzin Outhwaite)
Sweet Charity will start previews at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket on April 23rd after a sell out run at the Mernier Chocolate Factory. At the moment the show is booking through to January 2011.
The show has been a big hit with audiences and critics alike. Tamzin Outhwaite’s outstanding performance in the title role has even been remarked on by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Sweet Charity will make a brilliant treat for theatre breaks fans. We follow Charity Hope Valentine as she travels a bumpy path in pursuit of love. Charity is a paradox, a scheming innocent, a dreamer who always gives her heart and her trust to the wrong man. She still travels hopefully and despite all her misadventures, or perhaps because of them, she still captures the audience’s heart along the way.
Sweet Charity has some favourite show stopping musical numbers that you will know the words to including If They Could See Me Now, (Hey) Big Spender! and The Rhythm of Life and some less familiar numbers that deserve to be better known.
The jazz dance style of the show is classic Fosse with those now familiar elements of bowler hatted dancers with lots of shoulder rolls, knees, elbows, and wrists bent at unlikely angles. Expect syncopated rhythms, lots of toe tapping, finger clicking and pelvic thrusts. This is the original that shows like Chicago built their dance style on. And this production really does it justice!
History of the Show
Sweet Charity is based on Federico Fellini’s screenplay for Nights of Cabiria. The show was choreographed and conceived by Bob Fosse, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and book by Neil Simon. The original production directed by Fosse opened on January 29, 1966 on Broadway at the Palace Theatre, and ran for 608 performances. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards the show only won for Fosse’s choreography.
The 1969 film version of Sweet Charity (which I love!) was also directed and choreographed by Fosse. It starred Shirley MacLaine as Charity Hope Valentine and until recently I thought hers was the definitive Charity. Tamzin Outhwaite does a brilliant job of making the part and especially If They Could See Me Now her own.
Sweet Charity Theatre Breaks
As yet (April 15th) Show and Stay do not seem to have theatre breaks to Sweet Charity available on the site. They do suggest that breaks will soon be available with prices starting from £113 per person.
TheatreBreaks.com also have the show on their site but are not showing any performances as available
Superbreaks does have availability and prices start from £109 per person.
You could also try a build your own theatre break. UKTickets have tickets from £31 per person during previews rising to £42 in May.
Book Sweet Charity Theatre Breaks
Mamma Mia! London
I went to see Mamma Mia! the London stage show last night at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Piccadilly and enjoyed the show immensely.
Jessie May as Sophie was captivating right from the opening scene and as soon as she opened her mouth the most beautiful sound came out, which then continued perfectly throughout the show. Having already seen the film version with Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosman, Julie Walters et al, the rather fanciful plot held no surprises but the London stage version portrayed the younger characters much more sympathetically than the slightly annoying americanised teenagers in the film. The set is very appealing in a rustic Mediterranean sort of way but it’s not the colours and lights that transport you to a Greek island, it’s the acting and the costumes.
Coming out of the theatre I was totally surprised to be dumped back into a somewhat chilly spring night on the dazzling streets of London Theatreland.
So I’d definitely recommend Mamma Mia for theatre breaks, and not just for single sex groups or Abba fans either. Anybody who remembers the 1970s or has dreamed of running away to a Greek Island, will have a great time at this so called “feel good show” that really lives live up to the promises.
Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks
Recommending Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks
Love Never Dies is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s not exactly sequel to Phantom of the Opera. I saw it in previews, liked it very much but was not quite ready to recommend it for theatre breaks fans. I wanted to see if the show settled down and to let ‘his Lordship’ make the inevitable changes a preview period brings. Now the show has settled and people are happily booking their Love Never Dies theatre breaks and having a great time.
** Book Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks **
The Story of Love Never Dies
Set on Coney Island, New York some 10 years after the events of Phantom, Love Never Dies is a more grown-up story of love. It has lost some of the teenage fascination with the Gothic that is such a huge part of the power of Phantom and in its place there is a much more human set of characters.
There are plenty of places online where you can find a synopsis of the story but my advice is to go to the show without any preconceptions and enjoy it for what it is, a powerful piece of theatre, full of spectacle and gorgeous music.
Love Never Dies Music
I just adored the music. Some people thought there were not enough memorable tunes but my house rang to much whistling and humming for days after we saw the show. I think the music is more interesting and I actually enjoyed it more than Phantom (gasp!). Speaking of the gorgeous music just listen to the divine voice of Sierra Boggess:
Oh and how about the utterly wonderful Ramin Karimloo:
And that’s without mentioning the great performance of Summer Strallen as Meg Girey!
Love Never Dies theatre stage set
I thought the set was mostly wonderful. There’s good use of back projection and special effects but it’s the Art Nouveau aspects that just blew me away. Some of the sets looked like exquisite pieces of Art Nouveau jewelry or spectacular Tiffany lampshades. At times I was reminded of the film set of Moulin Rouge, but then I loved that too! It made a wonderful backdrop for the passionate story.
A big question: One show or two?
I know people were worried that they haven’t seen Phantom and would find it hard to follow the story.
In our party we had someone who had never seen Phantom and she said that within the first ten minutes she had worked out enough to make sense of what was happening. She didn’t feel that not knowing the back story spoiled her enjoyment at all.
Having read all the fuss about certain bloggers and forums I think there have been more problems with the devoted ‘Phans’. They’ve had to let go of their preconceptions about what the Phantom could be like and his relationship to Christine. People were too quick to judge a show that was still being ‘tweaked’ and seem to have forgotten that Phantom had its share of problems when it opened.
I’ve seen both shows and I think the ideal solution is a double show theatre break. No one is offering one yet but there are rumblings from one or two of the agencies. Never fear as soon as they are available I’ll let you know!
Chicago London for Valentines Day Theatre Breaks
Ruthie Rocks in Chicago
Want to earn some extra brownie points with your significant other? How about a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend in London with tickets for a great show and a night in a charming hotel? It costs less than you might think!
Chicago makes a great choice for Valentine’s Day theatre breaks. It’s such a fun, sexy show with moments of real romance and just enough raunchiness to keep everyone in that special mood! I just happen to know that a couple of the theatre break agencies still have tickets so get them while you still can!
Ruthie Henshall Plays Roxy in Chicago London
One of the best reasons to see Chicago at the moment, is that West End superstar Ruthie Henshall is playing Roxy. She’s played the part when the show opened and it’s lovely to see her back on the West End stage. She’s doing a strictly limited run and it will finish on February 28th.
The performance is just stunning have a listen to this:
Chicago London Facts and Figures
- Chicago is the longest running Broadway musical on the West End. In London it has played to an audience of over 4.5 million people and more than 4,000 performances. The musical transferred from the Adelphi Theatre to the Cambridge Theatre in April last year.
- After it opened almost 10 years ago at the Adelphi Theatre the show won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Musical Production’ and the 1998 Critics Circle Drama Award for ‘Best Musical’.
- Based on a play by Maurine Dallas Watkins with a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. The music is by John Kander and the lyrics by Fred Ebb. The West End production is staged by the original Broadway creative team.
How to get there
Cambridge Theatre is on Earlham Street, London, WC2 9HU It’s in the area near Covent Garden now known as Seven Dials. Don’t try to get there via Covent Garden tube as it’s currently partially closed! Walk from Tottenham Court Rd, if you have to use the tube, or Charing Cross station if you can get a train.
Theatre Breaks - Covent Garden
Alternatively try to make sure you get a hotel within easy walking distance of the Covent Garden area. Actually that’s good advice anyway as the area is great .
There are lots of yummy shops to browse, a Sunday Market, cafes and restaurants to have a leisurely lunch, it’s one of my favourite areas of London. There is always lots going on in the area and you can just wander round or be amused by the constantly changing street performances.
That makes it the perfect romantic area for a Sunday stroll after your hotel breakfast and before you catch your train home.
Check Availability for Chicago London Theatre Breaks
** Chicago London Theatre Breaks via Show And Stay **
Theatre Breaks Agents Compared
Theatre Breaks Agents
Theatre breaks agencies come in many shapes but here at the London Theatre Breaks blog we like to work with three in particular. We get a small commission from each reader who books a theatre break through our links and that helps to fund our blog. The theatre breaks agents offer somewhat differing services and the best one for you depends on what you are looking for when you start searching for a theatre break package.
You need to decide what your priorities are first before you look at the various deals on offer because you are not really comparing like with like. (If you need help with this have a look at this post on our sister site Theatre Breaks Magazine.) The agencies specialise and offer various options, they often work with particular hotels or a particular level of ticket. Some agencies have offers on rail fares which you can bundle in with the cost of your tickets, other optional extras like meals can also be added. Often agencies offer discounts on London attractions when they are booked with your theatre break.
We only work with reputable agencies where we can be sure that not only will you get a good deal but that your tickets and hotel room will be honoured. Some of the other theatre breaks companies add lots of hidden extras, like booking fees, on to your final bill. We think this is not acceptable so we only recommend the following package deals:
Show and Stay London Theatre Breaks
Show and Stay is a long-established theatre package company. They are part of the larger Holiday Extras group and we have been working with them for the last 2-3 years. Feedback from customers has been very positive and we continue to recommend them. Show and Stay really specialise in getting you top quality tickets at a good price and combining them with a good choice of 3 or 4* hotels. They also offer a very good deal on rail tickets, with up to 40% discount as standard. Show and Stay often has the hot tickets that no one else has. For example when Jodie first appeared and Oliver! London was the hottest ticket in town, Show & Stay London was able to offer Saturday night, best seats, when there was no other way to get them and everyone else said the show was sold out.
Now despite what I’ve said about them offering top quality tickets don’t assume that Show and Stay only do expensive theatre breaks. Their breaks are very competitive. For example someone just booked a midweek evening at Oliver! and 1 night in a 3* hotel for 2 people for only £213.96.
Superbreak Theatre Breaks
Superbreak is where you go for bargains. They offer a range of ticket prices so if you don’t mind being in the Upper Circle you can get a very good price indeed. They have more limited availability sometimes, than Show and Stay but if you are looking for particular dates rather than a specific show they can be very good value. The hotels they work with are just as good as Show and Stay and are usually 3 or 4*.
Superbreak are a large company and they do all sorts of London breaks and breaks to other cities too. They are less specialised than Show and Stay but they still offer a good service. Their web site can be a bit harder to find your way around, as it is so large, but if you persevere you can definitely get some great deals.
TheatreBreaks.com
TheatreBreaks.com is a smaller company established thirty years ago. They’ve been online for over ten years. They have pretty good availability, work with good 3 and 4* hotels but where they really excel is in their personal touch. They are they people to go to if your needs are at all outside the ordinary. Maybe you want to do a large group with an odd number to see Dirty Dancing on a specific weekend. Perhaps you have limited mobility and need to know that your hotel, and your theatre seats, are fully accessible. They are the best people to help you. You just phone them up quoting your reference number from the website and they will go out of their way to make sure your problems are sorted out.
Weekend Theatre Breaks in London
Weekend theatre breaks in London
Weekend theatre breaks in London are a good way to fit in a mini holiday. You may not be able to afford the time or money for a full blown break but a weekend in London with a show can be enough to make you feel that you have actually had a holiday. It is all down to very careful planning.
Choose your travel times
You have to choose your travel times with care so that you make the most of your weekend.
If you decide to travel by rail you need to watch out for any planned engineering works that could add frustration especially to your return journey. These are often planned for Sundays so if you can take an extra day and travel back on Monday you can avoid the problem all together. Hotels often offer an extra night for a very reasonable amount and you get an extra day in London. See below for more about Sundays in the city. It would be a shame to spoil your relaxed mood with a disrupted homeward journey.
Luckily you can easily check using the trainline.com and find out if there is any work planned for your chosen dates. If there is then it might be best to re-think your dates or travel to London by car.
How many days are there in a weekend?
Friday
If you travel on Friday and return on Monday you can have 3 nights and 2 full days in London. This is ideal if you can manage it as for just 1 extra day off work you can turn a weekend into a mini-break. Travel on Friday afternoon and you can arrive at your hotel, freshen up and go out for a nice meal, or an evening’s entertainment.
Saturday
Then you have all day Saturday for shopping, galleries or what ever takes your fancy. After an early (5:30-6:30 ish) pre-theatre meal you can get to the theatre in plenty of time, pick up your tickets from the box office, have a relaxing drink and be settled ready for the performance.
Most shows finish around 10 – 10:30pm so after the show you will have time for a stroll round the West End, a light supper, a nightcap somewhere or even a club if that’s what takes your fancy. Then make your way back to your hotel, which, if you were wise when you were booking, will be only a short walk away.
Sunday
London is a different place on a Sunday. The tourist ‘traps’ are less busy, especially in the morning. London isn’t a city that wakes up early on Sundays so if you are an early bird you can see the sights before most people are even awake. London is famous for its street markets and these are great fun on a Sunday morning. Try Covent Garden’s Jubilee Market or, if you are feeling adventurous, try Brick Lane or Columbia Rd Flower Market. There’s lots of street food available and most of it is very good, so lunch won’t be a problem.
After lunch you’ve got the luxury of a relaxing afternoon ahead of you. If you are into art you might try having a look at Tate Modern and if you are really energetic why not take the Tate to Tate ferry that runs between that and Tate Britain? Or just have a stroll along the Southbank. There’s usually something going on and it’s a great spot for people watching. If the weather is not so good there is lots of indoor entertainment too, maybe even visit the TKTS booth in Leicester Square and fit in an extra show! More shows are doing matinees on Sundays so it is definitely worth checking. You could even just find a good pub and settle in. Fullers pubs are quite traditional, have very nice real ale and are famous for their pies. If you are near Covent Garden you could try a real Cornish pub, complete with pasties and Cornish beer.
Monday morning
After the rush hour, and a good breakfast, you check out of your hotel for a leisurely journey home.
So you can see how weekend theatre breaks in London really can work for you as a mini holiday if you plan them carefully.
Theatre Breaks 2009 Roundup
Theatre Breaks Roundup for 2009
Winter 2009 is here and I’m just wondering what sort of a year this has been for theatre breaks. There’s been a recent survey that assures us reality TV has actually boosted ticket sales. The box offices are claiming the credit crunch has had little effect on bookings with theatre usually full. So what’s been the reality?
Theatre Breaks Shows
In terms of shows one or two have closed early but the old favourites like We Will Rock You carry on. Avenue Q was saved from oblivion by popular demand and has moved to a new theatre. The Lion King is as popular as ever and proudly boasts that it is so well booked that it has NEVER released tickets to the reduced ticket agencies.
Some good shows reached the end of their natural life and wonderful though Spamalot was it really was time for it to say goodbye. It’s been replaced by Priscilla and that has been a fair swap. Carousel never really quite hit the spot and its closure wasn’t any great surprise. It was sad to see the end of Cabaret and a shame they couldn’t take a leaf out of Chicago’s book and find a constant stream of new familiar faces to keep us going back. Joseph went too and no doubt was mourned by thousands of Lee Mead fans but it was another one that seemed ready to go. No doubt it will be back someday.
One show I thought should have done better was Spring Awakening, which I just loved. All that energy and a theatre full of young people the night we went. I felt positively ancient, and that’s a good thing! (honest!)
Oliver has of course been a total triumph with Jodie Prenger making a real name for herself. Who would have thought she’d still be there doing 8 shows a week nearly a year later? What a star. I saw her at West End live this year and she has a super voice and a lovely stage presence. She managed to upstage Christopher Biggins, to great comic effect and that takes some talent for comedy! I think we’ll see more of Jodie once she moves on but for now she seems happy where she is. She’s on her 3rd Fagin and this is the one I’d really like to see. I think Griff Reese Jones will make a great Fagin and be well worth seeing.
Hairspray has seen some major changes with the departure of Micheal Ball. Still Phil Jupitus is doing a grand job and Brain Connely was very well received in the part. I wonder how long Micheal will stay away, I’m sure I heard somewhere that he’s thinking of coming back to Edna. We hope!
Wicked is going from strength to strength and is the most popular musical at this witchy time of year. Kerry Ellis is just a distant memory now and Alexia Kadhim has made her own interpretation of Elphaba. I think she has a lovely voice, quite different to Kerry’s but wonderful all the same:
New shows coming in include Legally Blonde which I was less than keen on when first announced. Since then I’ve had a good look at the videos on youtube and listened to the cast recordings and I might just change my mind. It might be fun and has the sort of casting that makes me want to see it.
What to say about Love Never Dies (apart from “I can’t wait!!”)? Well it’s definitely going to be a huge event and it should be a spectacular in the best Lloyd Webber tradition. The Coney Island setting should give it a great atmosphere, you know how creepy fairgrounds can be. We’ve all seen Scoobydoo 
It’s got two fabulous stars in Sarah Boggess and Ramin Karimloo (I’ve been doing this so long I can now spell these names without flinching!)
In the next part of this series of posts I’ll look at the travel aspects and prospects for theatre breaks in London 2010.
Thanks for reading Theatre Breaks articles about Theatre breaks on the London Theatre Breaks Blog
