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Fancy a trip to London to see a show?

blog — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:34:25 +0000

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Visiting London to see a live stage play is one of the most exciting ways to spend an afternoon or evening. But if you are unfamiliar with London or have never attended a live stage play before, you may have some questions. Here are some of the questions that we are frequently asked by our customers:

What’s the best way of travelling around London? Where can I park?

London’s Theatreland is a relatively small area and most theatres are within a short walking distance of each other. We always recommend travelling by licensed taxi or public transport in and around London. Car parking in the capital can be very expensive. The London Underground is easy to follow and will connect you to all places of interest, however we caution against using it late at night. For your utmost safety and convenience, use a licensed London taxi by getting a taxi off the street, at a taxi rank, or by using a pre-booking service such as ours (see our details below).

How can I book tickets?

We recommend that you use an established and reliable ticket booking service, such as London Theatre Direct.

London Theatre Direct have been providing theatre tickets, hotel accommodation and restaurant bookings online since January 2000. By combining the very best of London theatre with top restaurants and hotel accommodation, they can help you book a unique visit to one of the most famous and exciting cities in the world. They offer a simple, friendly and informative service. They have excellent seats for all the great shows in London and their service is second to none. You can purchase tickets safely and securely through their secure booking system.

What are Stalls and Dress Circle?

Stalls are otherwise knows as Orchestra Stalls or Orchestra Seats. They are the lowest seating section of the theatre and closest to the stage. Dress Circle or Royal Circle is the next tier of seating above the Stalls, this is sometimes known as the first balcony or mezzanine.

Is there a dress code for London theatres?

There is no dress code for most theatres, however we would advise that you dress smart-casual. As a general guide, we would recommend that you make an effort to look smart, but be comfortable.

What time should I arrive at the theatre?

It is best to arrive at the theatre at least 30 minutes prior to the performance.

What about dinner before or after the theatre?

London Theatre Direct offer a Theatre-Dinner package.

You might also take a look at this Theatre Land Restaurant Guide, but booking both your theatre tickets and dinner through London Theatre Direct is most convenient, and they often offer special deals such as free meals, drinks, and desserts!

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To Book one of our Licensed London Taxis:

by phone – +44 (0)7779 336 612
online – use our booking form
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Priscilla, Queen of the Desert-The Musical

blog — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 10:19:11 +0000

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“Makes Mamma Mia! look like Chekhov. Insanely euphoric… wildly contagious”

“Puts the Glory into Gloria and the Gay into Gaynor.”

“Takes you out of yourself and into daring places your wildest fantasies might never have dreamed of visiting.”

What are these critics talking about? It’s “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert-The Musical” at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was and is one of the most successful Australian movies of all time. The potential for Priscilla to be adapted as a stage musical may now seem obvious – the costumes, the music, the ‘numbers’ were all there – but it took a UK screenwriter and producer, Allan Scott, to set the wheels in motion.

The show is based on the 1994 film, starring Terence Stamp, which was written and directed by Stephan Elliot. The film attacked the mythology of the heterosexual outback male.

“Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical” brings the same basic story to the West End stage. The staging of the show evokes the Australian desert by brilliant and creative use of atmospheric lighting.

When embarking on the project to adapt the film to a stage musical, the first creative issue was “Who should do the music?” There are more than 60 composers and lyricists responsible for the musical elements in the show.

In the stage production (as in the film) Adam, Tick, and Bernadette travel to Alice Springs in a beat up, old VW bus, christened Priscilla. Along the way, they meet a variety of Australian characters and eventually reach Alice Springs where Tick is reconciled with his 8-year-old son Benjamin. Some find love, others understanding and all emerge stronger and better able to cope.

So what about Priscilla? Athough Priscilla is a VW bus, she definitely becomes a character in the stage show. She is, in fact, a purpose-built VW bus. But this is a VW like no other you’ve ever seen before! LED lighting, an on-board computer, and hydraulic lifts make Priscilla a highly technical piece of set design.

Then there are the Divas. The Divas are 3 first class singers who have been added to the stage show to get over the problem of miming. At several points in the show, the three drag artistes mime as part of their stage shows, just like real drag acts would. To keep the atmosphere of a live stage show, the 3 divas sing and their songs are lip-synched simultaneously by the leads. The divas deliver these show-stopping songs whilst while suspended high above the stage, supported by harnesses. The divas in London are currently played by Zoe Birkett, Kate Gillespie and Emma Lindars.

So there you have it: Priscilla, queens, and desert. At the end of the day, what matters most seems to be the celebration of the human spirit, love, energy and excitement of disco rather than anything too deep.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert arrived in London in March 2009 and looks to be the highlight of the 2011 theatre season.

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To Book one of our Licensed London Taxis:

by phone – +44 (0)7779 336 612
online – use our booking form
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New Productions at The National

blog — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:35:49 +0000

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London’s National Theatre has announced 4 new productions to open between January and March 2010.

London Assurance

Included are the return of Simon Russell Beale, Richard Briers and Fiona Shaw to the venue in a new production of Dion Boucicault’s classic play London Assurance.

Boucicault was the Irish genius of London theatre in the age of Dickens, and in London Assurance, written in 1841, he created two of the great comic roles for the English stage in Lord Harcourt and Lady Spanker, played here by Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw.

The cast will also include Richard Briers (in his first London stage appearance since 2002), Paul Ready, and Michelle Terry. The production will be designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting by Neil Austin, music by Rachel Portman and sound by John Leonard.

Really Old, Like Forty-Five

Tamsin Oglesby’s “Really Old, Like Forty-Five” will begin performances in the Cottesloe Theatre Jan. 27, prior to an official opening Feb. 3. A furious comedy that confronts head-on our embarrassment and fear about old age, it will be directed by Anna Mackmin (designed by Lez Brotherston, with lighting by Mark Henderson, video design by Mark Grimmer with Lysander Ashton, choreography by Scarlett Mackmin and sound by Christopher Shutt).

The cast: Lucy May Barker, Paul Bazely, Amelia Bullmore, Tanya Franks, Gawn Grainger, Thomas Jordan, Michela Meazza, Judy Parfitt, Paul Ritter and Marcia Warren.

The White Guard

Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The White Guard”, a play set in Kiev during the Russian civil war, will be revived in a new version by Andrew Upton, beginning performances in the Lyttelton Theatre March 15, prior to an official opening March 23.

Howard Davies will direct a cast that will include Pip Carter, Paul Higgins, Conleth Hill, and Justine Mitchell. The production will be designed by Bunny Christie, with lighting by Neil Austin and sound by Christopher Shutt.

The 14th Tale

The 14th Tale, described as a free-flowing narrative that tells the hilarious exploits of a natural born mischief growing from the clay streets of Nigeria to rooftops in Dublin, and finally to London, is written and performed by Nigerian-born Inua Ellams.

It will visit the Cottesloe Theatre for ten performances only, beginning Feb. 9 and running in rep to March 13. It is directed by Thierry Lawson, with lighting by Michael Nabarro.

Public phone/online booking for these new productions opens from Dec. 2. To book tickets, contact the box office on 020 7452 3000, or visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

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To Book a Licensed London Taxi:

by phone – +44 (0)7779 336 612
online – use our booking form
or send us a message with any questions you might have

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+44 (0)7779 336 612

Keira Knightley makes West End debut

blog — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:59:34 +0000

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Keira Knightley has cancelled her close-ups in front of movie cameras for a while so she can make her stage debut in the West End in December.

Last night, the Oscar-nominated actress was said to be ‘terrified but excited’ about appearing in a modern-day version of Moliere’s 17th century masterpiece The Misanthrope, in which she will play a flirtatious Hollywood film star, joining an ensemble cast led by Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre actor Damian Lewis, who plays the title role.

Tara Fitzgerald and Dominic Rowan will also star. Rehearsals start the middle of next month, with preview performances at the Comedy Theatre from December 7 and an official opening night on December 17.

Debuting in December: Keira Knightley hits the West End stage for the first time in The Misanthrope

However, Keira’s preparations have already begun. She has been working with a voice coach and having singing lessons to help with voice projection.

The actress is a child of the theatre and, in a sense, has been preparing for this her whole life. ‘It’s in my blood,’ she told me once, reminding me that the first time we met it was backstage when she was a baby.

She was, indeed, ‘born in a trunk’, and would often accompany her parents - mother Sharman Macdonald is a playwright and father Will Knightley an actor (he’s currently about the only actor in Calendar Girls to keep his clothes on) – on theatre tours.

As Damian, her future leading man, noted: ‘She’s been surrounded by theatre all her life. ‘She also knows of the importance of being part of a company of actors.

‘It’s not the bloody Keira Knightley show,’ she joked to one friend. That point was underscored by director Thea Sharrock who, interestingly, directed Daniel Radcliffe in his revealing stage debut in Equus.

‘Keira’s right – it’s not the Keira Knightley show. She’s the leading lady because she has the biggest female role, but she’s not the lead part. This is Damian’s show.

It’s not the Keira show!’, says the actress, who has a small role

‘I signed up to work with Damian Lewis because it’s brilliant to get him back on stage. And along the way we happened to get Keira Knightley, which is fantastic and I’m very excited but, you know, it’s in that order.’

However, both Damian and Sharrock were clearly thrilled to be working with Keira because, however small her name is on the marquee, her star power will bring in punters.

When Sharrock met Keira, the director said she knew the actress was ready for the theatre.

‘It’s not a whim on her part,’ she told me. ‘She’s absolutely ready to come into this vulnerable position – and I’m interested in working with her, to push her in a way that I don’t think she has been pushed before because although she has worked with amazing directors, film doesn’t work like that.’

Sharrock pointed to Radcliffe’s growth as an actor after runs in Equus in London and New York, and how that richness is starting to show in his screen work.

The actors will work from a version of The Misanthrope shaped by Martin Crimp 15 years ago and first performed at the Young Vic with Ken Stott. Damian explained that it’s an entirely updated version of the play, originally written in 1666, where Moliere was venting his anger at the ‘insincerity and vacuousness and shallowness of society around him’. ‘

These are people who live to be seen at the latest play, to be wearing the latest fashion, to be generally complimenting and flattering anyone they see in order to further their way up the greasy social pole,’ he said.

Crimp has taken Moliere’s characters and turned them into a playwright (Damian’s character, Alceste), a critic, an agent, a journalist and others on the social whirl, plus an actress, known as Celimene in Moliere’s original but now called Jennifer (the role Keira will play).

‘Jennifer’s a young American starlet and everyone within the play is going: “Why on earth are you in love with her? She’s sh**ging everything that moves. ..”‘ Damian explained.

The actor observed that there has always been a need for ‘what’s current, what’s fashionable’. ‘It was true in 1666. It was true when Martin Crimp’s version was written 15 years ago and it’s true now,’ said Damian, who was speaking from the set of the movie Your Highness, which is shooting in Belfast.

Crimp is working with Sharrock on bringing his 1994 version bang up to date. Keira’s character, Jennifer, is a piece of work; a type I meet time and time again. But very different from Keira herself who, away from the limelight, is not a party girl at all and who, away from the red carpet, couldn’t give a fig about fashion.

‘She’s as normal as they come,’ Sharrock agreed. However, I’m fascinated by the fact that this is the second role Keira has taken that essays aspects of movie stardom.

In London Boulevard, a film she shot for director William Monahan opposite Colin Farrell, she plays a reclusive screen star, besieged by paparazzi, who gets involved with an ex-con. And now she opts to play a spoilt American starlet in The Misanthrope.

‘I love the fact that she’s attracted to the role and that she gets the humour of it. She gets that she’s a massive star about to play a massive star, and that’s ironic, that’s hilarious and she’s big enough to rise above that,’ Sharrock told me.

Keira and her partner Rupert Friend can rehearse at home together. As has been mentioned here before, Mr Friend makes his own stage debut in The Little Dog Laughed, which is opening at the Garrick in January.

Along with London Boulevard, Keira has two other movies due out next year. They are Never Let Me Go, based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, and an American picture she shot in New York called Last Night.

She has also been in talks about starring in a new film version of the musical My Fair Lady, which Danny Boyle had hoped to direct, but he has withdrawn from the project. It won’t shoot now until 2011.

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The Phantom Of The Opera

blog — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:48:08 +0000

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Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber confirmed that he has greenlit pre-production on a sequel to the show, Phantom: Love Never Dies.

Based on the classic novel by Gaston Leroux, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing all of the devious methods at his command.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince. Lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has production design by the late Maria Bjornson, lighting by Andrew Bridge and sound design by Mick Potterwith original sound by Martin Levan. Musical staging and choreography is by Gillian Lynne. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

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Extra dates added for Calendar Girls

blog — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:07:09 +0000

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The current star cast of Calendar Girls has extended its run by two weeks, with the actresses, including Jerry Hall and June Brown, continuing to cover their modesty with a variety of WI-friendly props until 31 October.

The cast, which had originally been scheduled to play until 17 October, consists of Gemma Atkinson, Jill Baker, Brown, Richenda Carey, Sara Crowe, Anita Dobson, Jill Halfpenny, Hall and Jack Ryder.

Since opening in April of this year, Calendar Girls has reportedly broken all box office records for the Noël Coward theatre. With the £1.50 booking fee and a percentage of the merchandise sales and royalties also being donated to Leukaemia Research, the production has raised over £150,000 and has committed to continue to raise money for the charity as long as the show runs in the West End.

Calendar Girls was adapted by Tim Firth from his screenplay for the 2003 hit film starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. Based on true events, the story centres on a group of WI members who, after the death of one of the group’s husbands, decide to raise money for Leukaemia Research by posing naked for their annual calendar. After the media hear of their story, the women are taken on an incredible journey from the Yorkshire peaks to the Hollywood hills as their friendships and loyalty are put to the test.

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The Shawshank Redemption taking to the West End Stage

blog — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:31:47 +0000

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There are a few classic films we have come to expect to be amid the top five of many men’s favourite features, among which often sit the usual array of titles – the merits of The Godfather, Scarface, Star Wars and The Matrix having often been discussed over pints and the flipping of burgers on BBQs (we don’t wish to gender-stereotype you understand!) But there is one movie, that isn’t in the vein of these ball-busting action flicks, yet still holds a special place in the hearts of fellas (and plenty of women) the world over, and that’s the weepy tale of brotherhood-bonding The Shawshank Redemption. And we here at Boxwish HQ are very excited to let you know of the stage version’s move from Dublin to our nation’s capital this month. Yes, the Wyndam Theatre in London’s West End premieres its five month run of the popular prison story beginning on September 13th, with limited previews from this Friday, September 4th.

The tale of justice and friendship was adapted from Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption for the big screen in 1994 and starred the prolific portrayer of down-trodden martyrs Tim Robbins as wrongly convicted Andy Dufrense, alongside honey-voiced veteran Morgan Freeman as fellow-lifer Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding. The movie was a flop when it hit cinemas, but by the time it had reached our video shelves was winning critical acclaim and loyal fans everywhere. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the film favourite has moved to the footlights.

Written by die-hard lovers of the film, Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns and directed by Peter Sheridan, the story is definitely adhering to the recent trend of hit films-turned-shows such as One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the promised adaptation of Sleepless in Seattle and even Shrek and Spiderman. It seems as though film-fans these days are hungry to see their beloved movie plots played out on the boards.

The stars of the play, film and stage actor Kevin Anderson in the part of Andy and The Wire actor Reg E. Cathey portraying Red, are even lookalikes of the film’s stars and it seems writer-director Sheridan was careful to keep it that way. Referring to the film’s tweeking of the book’s original white-Irish Red, he explains: “It was an inspired piece of casting to make him black in the film – so why buck with the trend?” Even Stephen King has claimed the filmic adaptation of his tale has more “heart” than the literature.

So, will you be heading over to the bright lights of London to see the upcoming play? And what other movie milestones would you like to see at the theatre? After an overwhelming response of standing ovations since it started at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre in May, we’re hoping for something pretty special.

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Victoria Wood to direct a new version of her comedy Talent

blog — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:50:26 +0000

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Comedian, writer and actress Victoria Wood is to direct a new version of her comedy talent at the Menier Chocolate Factory this autumn.

Co-produced with the Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness, it will run at the London Bridge venue from 17 September to 14 November (press night 23 September).

Originally premiered in 1978, Talent, a comedy with songs, is set on talent night at Bunter’s niteclub, where Julie and Maureen are waiting backstage. As they are plunged into a world of ukulele-wielding pensioners, crotch-grabbing compères and some long-buried personal history, the two friends have to decide how lucky they really want to be.

After its debut in Sheffield, Talent received a London transfer in 1979 when it was also adapted for television, the screen version bringing long-time collaborators Wood and Julie Walters together on TV for the first time.

Wood, who was launched on her entertainment career by winning New Faces in 1974, has won more BAFTAs for her writing and performing than anyone else in BAFTA history. Among her television work are programmes including Pat And Margaret, Dinnerladies and Housewife, 49. Her comic creation, Acorn Antiques, was adapted for the stage as a musical in 2005, when it played at the Theatre Roayl Haymarket directed by Trevor Nunn.

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