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 **

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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.

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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.

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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:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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.

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Dylan Moran “What It Is” Theatre Breaks

Dylan Moran, star of TV’s Black Books, Shaun Of The Dead and Run Fat Boy Run is back in London with his show, What It Is.

At The Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue London until December 5th, Dylan Moran “What It Is” tickets are also available as Comedy Theatre Breaks in London, with tickets and hotel room included.

I saw him head the bill at the Hackney Empire’s New Act of The Year show many years ago and very much enjoyed his surrealist monologues.

Since then, Dylan Moran’s legendary stand up rants have sold out across the world cementing this unkempt wordsmith’s reputation as one of the foremost comics of his generation. Likened to Dave Allen and labelled ‘The Oscar Wilde of Comedy’ Dylan is unpredictable, bizarre, elegiac, often cruel but above all painfully funny.

Dylan Moran sees through the joys and disappointments of human existence with the sensibility and intense perception of a man teetering on the edge. He chews life up and coughs it out, he’s a one of a kind.

Booking Until: Saturday, 05 December 2009
Evenings: Monday to Saturday 8pm
Running Time: 2 hours
Suitable for ages 14+

Dylan Moran on Germany

** Book Dylan Moran Theatre Breaks **

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Lion King Anniversary theatre breaks

As you may well know by now, the Lion King musical is celebrating a tenth anniversary in London’s West End. It’s a great family show and we’d like to offer this special theatre break package from Superbreak of Lion King theatre tickets and a three star hotel for only £60 per person:

The Lion King Celebrates its 10th Anniversary, ticket & 3*, £60.00pp

Show Available until August 2010

The Lion King Theatre Breaks

Disney’s marvellous musical about the young Prince Simba, his father King Musafa and evil Uncle Scar. An award-winning score with fantastic choreography continue to make The Lion King one of London’s favourite shows.

Lion King London Video

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In our first Theatre Breaks video story production two theatre fans are having a discussion about what to do for the weekend.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you fancy going away somewhere next weekend?

Yes that’s a really good idea

Where shall we go?

How about going  to London. That’d be nice

That’d be brilliant

Yea  I could get some shopping done as well

We could go roller skating

I don’t want to go roller skating!

We could go skateboarding

Don’t be ridiculous!

We could hire a boat and go rowing on the Thames

I’d rather go and see a show.

As long as it doesn’t have….

We could go and see Mamma Mia

Mamma Mia Mamma Mia Mamma Mia – you mean We Will Rock you?

No, Mamma Mia you like the film  Meryl streep was in it.

What’s wrong with We Will ROck You?

Nothing. I’ve always liked Queen

So we go up to London and we go and see a show?

Yeah

And stay in a hotel as well?

Well, yes!

Do we book them separately or together?

It’s going to be a real faff to book them seperately!

So we book them together

Yes

I don’t fancy taking the car into London

So we go by train?

Yes, why not?

So we go by train, drop the bags off at the hotel and go out and see the show.

So long as the hotel’s not too far from the West End

I’d want it near the shops too

But there are shops everywhere

No, there aren’t!

Laughter

No we need to be near the shops as well. I like Covent Garden

RIght then, let’s book it. Shall we phone up one of the theatres or what.

No you know what, if you go online you can get really good deals, I’ve seen

Ah go on the internet?

Yes

What deals, like theatre and hotel deals?

Yes, sometimes you can get them with the rail fare included as well

So Theatre breaks and trains?

Or theatre breaks and rail?

Get google up and stick theatre breaks and train in. Let’s see what we can get.

OK I’m sure we’ll have a lovely time!

If you go online you can get really good theatre breaks deals.

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Lion King

Disney’s THE LION KING has a 10th birthday party at London’s Lyceum Theatre on Sunday 18th October 2009. Over 250 cast members new and old will celebrate along with famous faces from the world of theatre, music, film and fashion.

Since its opening in1999 THE LION KING has been seen by over 8 million people in London at over 4200 performances. This is an average attendance of 93%!
The show ranks among the top ten longest-running shows in West End history and is still of the most sought-after tickets in the West End. Tickets are almost never reduced in price and it can be tricky to get weekend tickets, especially during the run up to Christmas. One of the best ways to get the dates you want for Lion King is to book a Lion King Theatre Break.

THE LION KING – Times

Evenings – Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm

Matinees – Wednesday and Saturday 2.00pm and Sunday at 3.00pm.

THE LION KING and Children

Did you know?

• 400,000 school children have seen the show as part of THE LION KING education programme
• Lion King has a great education website with free resources
  

• 64 children have played the roles of Young Simba and Young Nala and many of them have gone on to successful musical or theatrical careers

• THE LION KING ‘Cub School’ was started this year (2009) to train young performers for the show. The first graduates from the programme joined the production in September 2009

Lion King Theatre Breaks with the Family

All of this makes The Lion King an ideal choice for a family theatre break.

Your children should be over 5 and need to be old enough to sit comfortably for the length of the show (running time is 2 hours 40 minutes with only a 15 minute interval) . Surprisingly this is often not a problem as the spectacular staging entrances children and pins them to their seats.

London hotels are in the main very family friendly and some offer family rooms at quite reasonable prices. Try to choose a fairly central hotel and then it’s easy to do a bit of sightseeing during the day.

Lots of attractions can be booked at the same time as your theatre break and usually with good discounts. It’s worth having a look at what’s on offer when you book.

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Wicked Theatre Breaks Winter Offer

Wicked theatre breaks - Land of Oz

Wicked is always a popular choice for theatre breaks but it’s extra special at this witchy time of year. Why not book a Halloween special treat with a difference this year and try a Wicked theatre break?

The Story of Wicked

The story of Wicked isn’t as straightforward as you might suppose. The tale of the two witches and how one came to be evil and the other good has a few surprises for you along the way. I’m really not going to say more than that as I don’t want to give too much away!

Full of spectacular special effects Wicked is a great introduction to musicals for younger fans. Some of it is quite dark and scary but then most children enjoy that anyway.

Staying in London with Children

It’s a bit of a nightmare trying to travel home with tired children after a long show. This is where booking a whole package really pays off but don’t fall into the trap of booking a hotel miles away from the theatre.

If you look closely at the hotel listing you will usually see a distance from theatre. Go for the one nearest if at all possible. Taking tired children on the underground late at night is no fun at all and should be avoided at all costs!If you are staying further out then a black cab is the best, safest and easiest option.

Special Offer on Wicked Theatre Breaks

There’s a special offer on Wicked theatre breaks this winter with Show and Stay. There is £20 off  Wicked theatre breaks to be taken in October and November 2009 if you book between now and November 2nd.

**  book Wicked Theatre Breaks Online **

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Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks

October 8th was the press launch for Love Never Dies which meant that tickets were released to agencies and so now we can show you how to get top seats at the Adelphi Theatre for performances of the new musical from as early as February 2010.

Theatre breaks to see Love Never Dies include top tickets for the date of your choice with a central London hotel for the same night. There’s a wide choice of hotels and you can add extra nights hotel stay at the time of booking, as well as taking advantage of optional discount rail travel. This always works out to be the best way to get good seats and be reassured that you’ll have a fantastic night out in London without having to worry about getting back after the show.

** Book Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks **

Love Never Dies is the first West End musical sequel, following characters from The Phantom of The Opea from Paris to New York. More details emerging from the build up to the opening of Love Never Dies in the West End are being covered on the Love Never Dies blog.

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