West End theatre Totally Explained

Everything about West End Theatre totally explained

West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, England, United Kingdom, 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 commercial theatre in the English speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London. - 55th Year. It is also the longest running show in Canada; starting on 19 August 1977 it closed on 18 January 2004 after running for 26 years.

Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre - opened 8 October 1985 originally at the Barbican Theatre - 23rd Year

The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre - opened 9 October 1986 - 22nd Year

Cats - opened 11 May 1981 at the New London Theatre and closed 11 May 2002 on its 21st anniversary

Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre - opened 28 July 1988 originally at the Albery Theatre - 20th Year

The Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre opened 15 February 1989 originally at the Strand Theatre - 19th Year

Starlight Express - opened 27 March 1984 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and closed 12 January 2002 - 17 years

No Sex Please, We're British - opened 3 June 1971 at the Strand Theatre and closed 16 January 1987 - 16 years

Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story - opened 6 October 1995 at the Victoria Palace Theatre and closed 19 May 2002 - 13 years

Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre - opened 18 November 1997 originally at the Adelphi Theatre- 11th Year

The Black and White Minstrel Show - opened in 1962 at the Victoria Palace Theatre and closed about 1972 - 10 years

Miss Saigon - opened 20 September 1989 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and closed 30 October 1999 - 10 years

Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales Theatre - opened 6 April 1999 originally at the Prince Edward Theatre - 9th Year

Disney's The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre - opened 19 October 1999 - 9th Year

Jesus Christ Superstar - opened 9 August 1972 at the Palace Theatre and closed about 1980 - 8 years

Me and My Girl (revival) - opened 12 February 1985 at the Adelphi Theatre and closed 16 January 1993 - 8 years

Aldwych Farces (revue) - opened in 1925 at the Aldwych Theatre and closed in 1933 - 8 years

Evita - opened 21 January 1978 at the Prince Edward Theatre and closed on 8 February 1986 - 7 years

There's A Girl In My Soup - opened June 1966 at the Globe Theatre and transferred to The Comedy in 1970. It closed in 1972/3 after over a thousand performances - 6 1/2 years

Oliver! - opened in 1960 at the New Theatre and closed about 1966 - 6 years

We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre - 14 May 2002 - 6th Year

Stomp at the Ambassadors Theatre opened 25 September 2002 - 6th Year

London's non-commercial theatres

It should be noted that the term West End Theatre is sometimes used to refer specifically to commercial productions in "Theatreland". However the leading non-commercial (usually government subsidised) theatres in London, such as the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Globe Theatre, the Old Vic, the Young Vic, the Royal Court Theatre, the Almeida Theatre, and the Open Air Theatre, most of which are not located in "Theatreland", arguably enjoy greater artistic prestige. These theatres stage a higher proportion of more demanding work, including Shakespeare, other classic plays and premieres of new plays by leading highbrow playwrights. Hit plays from the non-commercial theatres sometimes transfer to one of the commercial "Theatreland" houses for an extended second run.

Other London theatre

There is a great deal of theatre in London outside of the West End. Much of this is known as fringe theatre which is the equivalent of Off Broadway Theatre in New York. Fringe venues range from well-equipped small theatres to rooms above pubs, and the performances range from classic plays, to cabaret, to plays in the languages of London's ethnic minorities. The performers range from emerging young professionals to amateurs.
Finally, there are also local theatres in the suburbs which stage a wide range of work, often including touring productions such as the New Wimbledon Theatre or the Churchill Theatre in Bromley.

Theatrical schools

A number of the UK's most prestigious theatrical schools are based within the central and greater London areas. Many of these schools specialise in Drama, Dance and Musical Theatre and have an impressive number of notable and famous alumni working in West End theatre. Many of these London theatrical schools are internationally renowned and attract large number of students from around the World.

Academy of Live and Recorded Arts

ArtsEd London

Bird College of Dance, Music & Theatre Performance

Brit School for Performing Arts

Central School of Speech and Drama

English National Ballet School

Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Italia Conti Academy

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art

London Contemporary Dance School

London School of Dramatic Art

London School of Musical Theatre

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

Rose Bruford College

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Royal Academy of Music

Royal Ballet School

Sylvia Young Theatre School

The Drama Centre

The Poor School

Awards

There are a number of annual awards for outstanding achievements in London theatre:

Laurence Olivier Awards

Evening Standard Awards

London Critics' Circle Theatre Awards

West End Cares Awards

Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards

Notable recent performers

2006

Martin Shaw, Kevin Spacey, Eve Best, Derek Jacobi, Bob Hoskins, Alan Cumming, Janie Dee, Jodhi May, Ashlee Simpson, David Haig, Samantha Bond, David Bedella, Suzanne Shaw, Steve Pemberton, Danny Baker, Christopher Biggins, Roger Lloyd Pack, Summer Strallen, Michael Gambon, Jeremy Irons, Patrick Malahide, Cheryl Baker, Stephen McGann, Johnny Shentall, Lorna Want, Anita Dobson, Judi Dench, Diana Rigg, Martin Jarvis, Tom Conti, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, David Soul, Megan Dodds, James Fox, Christian Slater, Faye Tozer, Tim Piggott-Smith, Dave Willetts, Dawn French, Linda Robson, Jenny Eclair, Alison Moyet, Daniel Evans, Jenna Russell, Ian Richardson, Anna Maxwell Martin, Iain Glen, Ian McKellen, Timothy West, Kathleen Turner, Antony Costa, Bonnie Langford, Alex Ferns, Patrick Swayze. Claire Sweeney, Amy Nuttall, Neil Morrissey, Sally Ann Triplett, Adam Cooper, Richard Dempsey, Neve Campbell, Matthew Modine, Lesley Garrett, Connie Fisher, Aoife Mulholland, Reece Shearsmith, Tim Rogers, Alun Armstrong, Adam Garcia, Helen Dallimore, Idina Menzel, Nigel Planer, Miriam Margolyes, Michelle Collins, Javine Hylton, Camilla Beeput, Tim Curry, Emma Wilson, Lee Griffiths, Mozza, Jim Adam Smith and Lisa O'Hare.

2007

Absurd Person Singular: Jane Horrocks, Jenny Seagrove, John Gordon Sinclair, David Bamber, David Horovitch

Alex: Robert Bathurst

All About My Mother: Diana Rigg, Lesley Manville, Colin Morgan, Joanne Frogatt, Charlotte Randle

A Night in November: Patrick Kielty

: David Burt, Camilla Beeput, Helen Fraser, Sally Dexter

Billy Elliot The Musical: Sally Dexter, James Gaddas, Jackie Clune

Blood Brothers: Helen Hobson, Steven Houghton

Boeing Boeing: Frances de la Tour, Rhea Perlman, Tamzin Outhwaite, Adrian Dunbar, Amy Nuttall, Roger Allam, Daisy Beaumont, Elena Roger, Patricia Hodge, Neil Stuke, Kevin McNally, Tracey-Ann Oberman, Jennifer Ellison, Jean Marsh

Cabaret: Kim Medcalf, Honor Blackman, James Dreyfus, Amy Nuttall, Julian Clary

Chicago: Tony Hadley, Maxwell Caulfield, Aoife Mulholland, Duncan James, Kelly Osbourne, Clive Rowe, Josefina Gabrielle, Amra-Faye Wright, Bonnie Langford

Dealer's Choice: Roger Lloyd Pack, Samuel Barnett, Malcolm Sinclair

Desperately Seeking Susan: Emma Williams, Kelly Price, Steven Houghton

Elling: John Simm

Equus: Daniel Radcliffe, Jenny Agutter, Richard Griffiths

Fame: Natalie Casey, Ian Watkins

Fiddler on the Roof: Henry Goodman

Gaslight: Rosamund Pike, Kenneth Cranham

Glengarry Glen Ross: Jonathan Pryce, Aidan Gillen, Matthew Marsh

Grease: Danny Bayne, Susan McFadden, Siobhan Dillon

Guys and Dolls: Don Johnson, Ben Richards, Samantha Janus, Amy Nuttall

Hairspray: Michael Ball, Mel Smith, Tracie Bennett, Ben James-Ellis, Rachael Wooding, Leanne Jones

In Celebration: Orlando Bloom, Tim Healy, Lynda Baron, Dearblah Malloy

Joseph: Lee Mead, Preeya Kalidas

Kean: Anthony Sher

King Lear: Ian McKellen, Frances Barber, Sylvester McCoy

Kismet: Michael Ball, Faith Prince

Little Shop of Horrors: Sheridan Smith, Alistair McGowan, Mike McShane

Macbeth: Peter Duncan

Macbeth: Patrick Stewart

Mamma Mia!: Linzi Hateley

Mary Poppins: Scarlett Strallen, Gavin Creel

Menopause the Musical: Su Pollard

Monty Python's Spamalot: Simon Russell Beale, Hannah Waddingham, Peter Davison, Bill Ward

Much Ado About Nothing: Zoe Wanamaker, Simon Russell Beale

Othello: Ewan McGregor, Chitewel Ejifor

Pinter's People: Bill Bailey, Geraldine McNulty

Rafta Rafta: Meera Syal

Rent: Denise van Outen, Siobhan Donaghy, Leon Lopez

Shadowlands: Charles Dance, Janie Dee

Side by Side by Sondheim: Les Dennis, Christopher Cazenove, Angela Rippon, Barry Cryer

Swimming with Sharks: Christian Slater, Helen Baxendale, Matt Smith

The Country Wife: David Haig, Patricia Hodge, Toby Stephens

The Drowsy Chaperone: Elaine Paige, Bob Martin, Steve Pemberton

The Dumb Waiter: Lee Evans, Jason Issacs

The Entertainer: Robert Lindsay

The Glass Menagerie: Jessica Lange, Ed Stoppard, Amanda Hale, Mark Umbers

The History Boys: Desmond Barritt, Stephen Campbell Moore

The Icons in London: Greg London

The Last Confession: David Suchet

The Letter: Jenny Seagrove, Anthony Andrews

The Lord of the Rings: Laura Michelle Kelly, Malcolm Storry, Jerome Pradon

The Rocky Horror Show: Richard O'Brien, Danny Baker, Suzanne Shaw

The Rose Tattoo: Zoe Wanamaker

The New Statesman: Rik Mayall

The Seagull: Ian McKellen, Frances Barber, William Gaunt

The Sound Of Music: Connie Fisher, Aoife Mulholland

The Vegemite Tales: Blair McDonough, Jonathan Dutton

Treats: Billie Piper, Kris Marshall, Laurence Fox

War Horse: Paul Chequer

Whipping It Up: Richard Wilson, Robert Bathurst

Wicked: Kerry Ellis, Dianne Pilkington, Helen Dallimore, Susie Blake, Nigel Planer, Adam Garcia

2008

Absurd Person Singular: Jane Horrocks, Jenny Seagrove, John Gordon Sinclair, David Bamber, David Horovitch

Billy Elliot The Musical: Jackie Clune, James Gaddas

Blood Brothers: Helen Hobson, Lyn Paul

Cabaret: Amy Nuttall, Julian Clary, Alistair McGowan

Chicago: Duncan James, Clive Rowe, Bonnie Langford, Brenda Edwards, Zee Asha, Suzanne Shaw

Dealer's Choice: Roger Lloyd Pack, Samuel Barnett, Malcolm Sinclair

Fat Pig: Kris Marshall, Robert Webb, Joanna Page

Fiddler on the Roof: Henry Goodman

Grease: Danny Bayne, Susan McFadden, Siobhan Dillon

Hairspray: Michael Ball, Mel Smith, Tracie Bennett, Ben James-Ellis, Rachael Wooding, Leanne Jones, Ian Talbot

Ivanov: Kenneth Brannagh

Jersey Boys: Glenn Carter, Ryan Molloy, Amy Pemberton

Joseph: Lee Mead, Lewis Bradley

Marguerite: Ruthie Henshall, Alexander Hanson

Mamma Mia!: Linzi Hateley

Mary Poppins: Scarlett Strallen, Gavin Creel

Mind Reader: Derren Brown

Monty Python's Spamalot: Hannah Waddingham, Peter Davison, Bill Ward, Marin Mazzie, Alan Dale

Much Ado About Nothing: Zoe Wanamaker, Simon Russell Beale

Never Forget: Teddy Kempner, Dean Chisnall

Oedipus: Ralph Fiennes

Oliver!: Rowan Atkinson, Burn Gorman, Harry Stott, Gwion Jones, Laurence Jeffcoate

Othello: Ewan McGregor, Chitewel Ejifor, Kelly Reilly

Pygmalion: Tim Pigott-Smith

Rent: Jessie Wallace, Siobhan Donaghy, Leon Lopez

Shadowlands: Charles Dance, Janie Dee, John Standing

Speed-the-Plow: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Michelle Kelly

That Face: Lindsay Duncan, Matt Smith, Hannah Murray

The 39 Steps: Josefina Gabrielle

The God of Carnage: Ralph Fiennes, Janet McTeer, Ken Stott, Tamsin Greig

The History Boys: Desmond Barritt

The Importance of Being Earnest: Penelope Keith

The Lord of the Rings: Laura Michelle Kelly, Malcolm Storry, Jerome Pradon

The Mikado: Alistair McGowan

The Pirates of Penzance: Jo Brand

The Sea: David Haig, Eileen Atkins, Marcia Warren, Russell Tovey

The Sound of Music: Connie Fisher, Aoife Mulholland, Summer Strallen

The Vortex: Felicity Kendal, Dan Stevens, Annette Badland

The Year of Magical Thinking: Vanessa Redgrave

Twelfth Night: Derek Jacobi

Under the Blue Sky: Catherine Tate

War Horse: Paul Chequer

Wicked: Kerry Ellis, Dianne Pilkington, Susie Blake, Nigel Planer, Harriet Thorpe, Desmond Barrit, Alexia Khadime,

2009

Hamlet: Jude Law

Madame de Sade: Dame Judi DenchFurther Information

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