by Today marks the start of London Theater Week, an annual event that offers tickets to some of the West End’s biggest stage shows for as little as £15.
More than 50 productions are taking part in the campaign from The Lion King to Stranger Things: the First Shadow, giving theater fans the chance to get a premium ticket at extraordinary prices.
And the good news is that London Theater Week isn’t just one week – it’s actually running until March 3rd, so there’s plenty of time to land tickets without breaking the bank. Whether it’s a long runner you’ve been meaning to see for a long time or an exciting new opening, now is the time to book
Here are our picks of the new shows to book for:
1) Stranger Things: The First Shadow
If there was any fear of a stage adaptation of the hit Netflix show, it was the first scene of this inventive prequel, set in 1958 and featuring younger versions of some of the main characters. With tickets from £35, this is a great chance to go to the small town of Hawkins before the world was turned upside down and experience a play that wowed critics when it opened just before Christmas.
Book tickets here
2) Guys and Dolls
When director Sir Nicholas Hytner accepted the Evening Standard Theater Award for Best Musical this year, he sympathized with the other shows in the category saying that Guys and Dolls was the best musical since 1950, unfortunately for them. Bridge shows the joy of Frank Loesser’s toe-tapper in all his glory, putting audiences right in the middle of Thirties Broadway with his hucksters and con artists, evangelists and showgirls. Super fun and well worth going on a fixed ticket for those who are happy with it.
Book tickets here
3) The Lion King
For those with young children, this adaptation of the famous Disney cartoon is a must-see, while adults will be enchanted by Julie Taymor’s glorious staging. Set among the Serengeti plains, it follows the hero Simba’s journey from young lion cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands. And with tickets from £35 it is Hakuna Matata indeed!
Book tickets here
4) Hello Dolly!
Imelda Staunton returns to her role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown as she takes up her mantle as queen on the London stage. After a great turn in Stephen Sondheim’s musicals, Gypsy and Follies, she takes the lead role as Dolly Levi, the socialite who realizes that her next match is for herself. Jenna Russell and Andy Nyman also star in the revival of the 1964 musical which comes to London this summer. Book from £24.
Book tickets here
5) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
This two-part stage show follows the audience appeal of the books and films about the teenage wizard. This show is almost two decades on from JK Rowling’s last installment, featuring Harry, Ron and Hermione alongside a brave new generation who have just arrived at Hogwarts. Fantastic and magical, now is the time to treat the Potter fans in your life, as tickets are available for all parts for £15.
Book tickets here
6) Two Strangers (Carrying a cake across New York)
A surprise when it opened at the Kiln Theater in December, this throwback to the rom-coms of the Eighties and Nineties fully deserved its transfer from the West End. The wide-eyed Dougal follows his first trip to the Big Apple, in search of adventure and the unknown father, where he meets Robin from the cynical New Yorker, who is late for work and adrift but not unable to help herself melt towards this incredible mutant. British. This new British musical is a masterpiece, and tickets from £15 are a real steal.
Book tickets here
7) Opening Night
Just a few months after selling out every show as Shirley Valentine, the great Sheridan Smith is back in the West End in an exciting new Opening Night musical. This adaptation of John Cassavetes’ film follows a theater company’s preparation for a major new play on Broadway – but everything is thrown into chaos when tragedy strikes the leading lady. This highly anticipated show, directed by Ivo van Hove with music by Rufus Wainwright, arrives in March.
Book tickets here
8) Red Park
After two runs at the Bush Theater in west London, the story of friendship, community, nobility and dreams of making it in football is transferred to the West End. Critics and Sex Education stars Kedar Williams-Stirling, Emeka Sesay (The Power) and Francis Lovehall (Small Lives) praised this brilliant debut by Tyrell Williams, who won the Evening Standard Theater Award for the play. A real winner.
Book tickets here
9) Mean Girls
The hit Broadway musical adaptation of the 2004 film (which was recently confused with its own movie) lands on this side of the Atlantic. Home-schooled Cady arrives at North Shore High and the high school is a wild place – especially when she comes face-to-face with the Plastics: Regina, Gretchen and Karen. Deciding to end Regina’s reign, Cady quickly discovers that those who capture a queen bee often get stung. If you want to join the mean girls, book now, and on Wednesday, wear pink!
Book tickets here
10) Tina Turner of Music
There was no one like Tina. Relive the singer’s life story and her greatest hits in a show that celebrates a music icon. Written by Olivier and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall, this show takes viewers from Tina’s humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee all the way to becoming the queen of rock and roll. Only the best.
Book tickets here
For more information on London Theater Week click here
