West End Live

West End Live is an annual event usually held in Leicester Square towards the end of June. Most of the big musicals take part and extracts are performed live on a stage in the Square. The whole event is free and, although it can get very busy, well worth a visit. If you are in London for a theatre break anyway it’s a great way to add even more excitement to your trip.

WEST END LIVE 2009

When- Sat 20th June, 11am to 6pm and Sunday 21st June 12 noon to 6pm

Where – Leicester Square

This summer as usual some of the biggest shows on in the West End and Off will be taking part in the free entertainment.

You can expect to see performances from all these shows, plus some surprises.

• Wicked,
• We Will Rock You,
• Thriller LIVE,
• Stomp,
• Sister Act,
• Priscilla Queen Of The Desert,
• Oliver!,
• La Cage Aux Folles,
• Jersey Boys,
• Hairspray,
• Dirty Dancing,
• Carousel
• Avenue Q.

Now in its 5th year West End LIVE offers world class free entertainment. There will be lots of cool activities, stalls and freebies. The event is expected to be attended by 150,000 people.

I’ll add a running order as soon as it’s available.

Some people worry about eating out in London’s West End, and perhaps with good reason. Food in central London can be a bit expensive, some places are overcrowded at certain times of day, restaurants may be pretentious and not very good. But it really doesn’t have to be that way.

A weekend theatre break for example, should be a thoroughly enjoyable experience all the way through and dining out should be one of the high points, a part of the treat.

West End Guide to Pre Theatre Dining

Suppose you arrive at Kings Cross Station or Euston at about 4pm on a Friday afternoon and make your way by taxi cab to your four star West End hotel.

Pre-booked Pre-theatre Dinner in the West End

When you book a theatre break with hotel stay and show tickets included, it’s easy to add a pre-show dinner, either at the hotel where you will be staying or at a suggested nearby quality restaurant. These meal deals or add-ons are all set up to make sure you have an relaxed restaurant dinner and can still arrive at the theatre in plenty of time to take you seats well before the show starts. The restaurant bill is then included in the total cost of your break and it’s usually very good value.

Choosing a West End Restaurant by  walking  in off  the street

Alternatively many of the cafes and restaurants in the West End offer fixed price pre-theatre menus. These are usually two course and cost vary wildly between £15 – £40 per person, without wine.

Here are some tips to consider before walking in off the street:

• First have a good look at the menu before you go in. Is is the kind of you food you fancy? Is there a special pre-theatre menu deal and if so what exactly is included
• Decide if you are happy with the price and check there are no hidden’extras’(VAT, Service etc)
• Now look in through the windows and see who is already eating. If nobody at all, that’s not always a bad sign if it’s still very early evening but some places are crowded from late afternoon with people coming straight out from work.
• If there are diners eating within sight, or waiters carrying food to table then have a nosy glance at the food itself. In just a second you can often get an impression if it looks appetising, artistic, not quite right, too big or too small.
• I think it’s also important to look at the tables and chairs offered to see if you think you will be comfortable and not too squashed together.

Now, once you do go in through the door of your selected restaurant you are most likely to end up eating there, but you are still really in the next stage of the evaluation process.

• You may well be able to enjoy smells coming from the kitchen and the food at tables. If anything is wrong, just turn around and walk out.
• You’ll be greeted and asked if you have a reservation, and the size of your party. Even in a busy restaurant though, an extra table for two at pre-theatre times is rarely a problem.
• When offered a table according to the size of your party, check the location before accepting. A window table is nice but not right next to the front door. Beware of the table the waiters normally keep clear because it’s right by the kitchen exit or worse. Even in an empty restaurant with no reservations, they will try to tell you where you have to sit. I don’t know why they do this, but I do know that you can certainly say “no thanks, I’d rather sit over there” and negotiate. And you can still walk out at this stage, when there are plenty of other places just two minutes walk away.

Popular Restaurants Booked with Theatre Breaks

I hesitate before providing a list because for some people there may be simply too many things to do in London sot the problem is more one of working out how to fit them all in if you’re only there for a short theatre break or weekend break. I guess the knack is to pick one or two top quality activities or visits for each day or part day, and then allow plenty of time in between for getting about and relaxation. If you must try and visit a museum, busy London shopping street, out of the way restaurant, art gallery, river trip and theatre show all in one day then the best thing to do is to make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes with soft soles because otherwise your feet are going to get mighty tired! But if you are looking for inspiration then here is a starter list of popular attractions and things to do which I think you’ll find worth considering.

Popular Things to do List

London Eye

Way out ahead is the simple pleasure of getting up high above the skyline for a spectacular view over central London courtesy of a London Eye flight. Its simply something that everybody has to do when they come to London, and if you’ve done it before, you might want to try a night flight or taking someone along who hasn’t had the pleasure yet.
As a bolt-on booking for theatre breaks there are a few options. The champagne flight sounds luxurious and of course that makes a difference as to who else is likely to be sharing your capsule, in other words quiet couples like yourselves rather than noisy families.

The London Eye Fast Track is also popular, cutting the waiting time down to just 15 minutes from checking in to boarding your capsule. When you book your theatre break and add on a London Eye Fast Track you get a booking confirmation number and will end up pre-booked for your day and time. Present this to the London Eye box office and you can walk onto the next free capsule. Without this you would have to queue up once to buy the tickets, then join an average forty minute queue for the flight.

Tate Modern

The enormous Bankside power station turned into one of the world’s premier modern art exhibition spaces at Tate Modern has become another of London’s iconic landmarks, situated right on the South bank of the river Thames. The building itself is worthy of a visit and if you like modern art that’s a bonus. Admission is free to the huge turbine hall and also the themed collections of twentieth century art genres but if there’s a visiting exhibition on one of the floors you can buy tickets there and then. True art buffs can then catch the Tate to Tate fast catamaran ferry upstream to Tate Britain.

Madame Tussauds

The old waxworks at Madame Tussauds has seen millions and millions of people through their doors since they first opened over 200 years ago, and now the modern experience there has also become just as popular as it ever was. It’s an emotion charged journey up close and personal with A-list celebrities, sporting legends, political heavyweights and notorious historical icons, reliving the times, events and moments that made the world talk about them. Gone are the museum-style ropes and poles so you really can get up close and personal with the mind bending lifelike sculptures.

Dim Sum

When you’re on a theatre break in London, eating times can become slightly out of synch from the normal routine, and you can end up feeling a bit peckish when it’s too late for lunch but also too early for dinner. Of course there are plenty of  restaurants, cafes and pubs serving food all afternoon but to make the most of London why not try going to Chinatown for Dim Sum?  Dim Sum are tasty little dishes such as fried dumplings, grilled pork buns or vegetable rolls which you can order as few or as many as you please to share between you. Chinatown or Soho is situated right next to or perhaps overlapping with London’s Theatreland and you will easily find plenty of Dim Sum restaurants to choose from. Best after 2.00pm and before 7.00pm

The Apple Store, Regent Street

Whether you are principally a Mac or a PC person, the famous Apple Store in Regent STreet is always worth a visit. The UK flagship Applestore is spacious and impressive with enormous high ceilings and a glass staircase leading to the showroom and genious bar section. Here you can get hands on advice about all the Apple products from ipods to Macs, software and professional music and video editing suites. Research your next laptop, buy a gift for your teenager back home or just check your email on one of the hundreds of demo machines without any hassle.

More things to do in London

I’m going to stop right there with this little list before I get carried away. For more things to do in London stay subscribed to our new Theatre Breaks Magazine