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 ** a

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A Very Happy New Year for 2010 from Andy and Linda at the London Theatre Breaks blog. We’re looking forward to another year of West End ins and outs, hits and flops, make or breaks and helping thousands of people to choose how best to have happy time in London by taking in a classic musical or play and staying in our fabulous capital city where there’s always something for everyone. To wrap up the year, here’s a repost of most of Linda’s 2009 review as published earlier on the Theatre Breaks magazine blog: The West End 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’s fans but it was another how 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 the trip. Hairspray has seen some major changes with the departure of Micheal Ball. Still Phil Jupitous is doing a grand job and Brain Connely was very well recieved 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 interpreation of Elphaba. I think she has a lovely voice, quite different to Kerry’s but wonderful all the same:

New year shows coming into the West End and available for theatre breaks 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 Andrew 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 faboulous stars in Sarah Boggess and Ramin Karimaloo (I’ve been doing this so long I can now spell these names without flinching!) Have a wonderful 2010 everybody! a

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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 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 and Stay 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. a

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According to the Times Online review of Yusuf Islam’s current tour all is not going well. The bad vibes began when Islam paused the performance for a 40-minute preview of his forthcoming musical, Moonshadow. A cast led by the former Hear’say singer Noel Sullivan trooped on to act, dance and deliver a mix of new material as well as the Cat Stevens classics Father and Son and Wild World. By the latter, streams of people were walking out, dismayed at Islam for handing over his hits. In truth, the musical segment lasted far too long and was confusingly introduced. In the West End of London, where it is expected to open next year, Moonshadow could go down a storm. In front of an audience who had come to hear Islam trawl his back catalogue, it was never going to work. However, the bulk of the audience remained for a final segment of the show that began on shaky ground — they groaned as Islam introduced more new songs and pulled a plucky Sullivan back on to duet — but ended on a high with a lengthy, rocky rendition of Peace Train. (read more) Oh dear, that doesn’t seem to bode well for the musical. The people who want to be nostalgic about the songs may not be the right audience for the new show yet nostalgia would seem to be its main appeal. a

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London Theatre Breaks London Theatre breaks involve short breaks to London to see a top West End show and stay in a smart hotel close to London theatreland. Top tickets to the most popular shows are hard to get hold of, especially for a Saturday night or close to holidays but the hotel and theatre packages hold block tickets in reserve so it’s often the best way to secure the dates you want and also make sure you don’t have to worry about getting back home again after a great theatre night out. Theatre breaks can also be extended to include discount rail fare from any UK railway station, and arriving in London by train is a very sensible plan by the way, and also London attractions such as the London Eye, Thames river trips, Madame Tussaud’s etc. If you’re one of those people who always like to know where you are going to be eating you can get a good deal booking pre-theatre restaurant meal at the same time too. Here is a selection of 7 from the current top musicals on offer: Les Miserables Theatre Breaks Les Miserables (or Les Miz) has remained one of the most popular London theatre breaks after becoming the longest running musical with a 25 years unbroken run. This spectacular musical show with a highly emotional score tells of the epic story of Jean Val Jean, an ex-convict who could not escape his past, all against the background of turmoil sweeping through 19th century France. Sales of tickets for Les Miserables went up by 46 per cent after Susan Boyle sang I Dreamed a Dream in the first round of Britain’s Got Talent. Grease West End Theatre Breaks

“Grease is the word” Come on, haven’t you always wanted to get up and sing like Sandy or Danny? The songs are so familiar that with a Grease theatre break in London, you know exactly what kind of fun you’re going to get. The super line up for the West End staging makes sure this is the most professionally stunning production of Grease you’ve ever seen. Oliver! “Can I have some more please?” Oliver the musical is the famous Lionel Bart staging from the Oliver Twist story by Dickens. Jodie Prenger the leading lady confounded sceptics by holding down the part she won in a TV competion and will continue to delight audiences with her powerful voice and dedication to the hard West End lifestyle well into 2010. The part of Fagin has been played by big names Rowan Atkinson and Omid Djali and after December 14th is taken over by Griff Rhys Jones. Legendry classic musical songs such as “Food glorious food”, “Consider yourself” and “You’ve got to pick a pocket or two” are all part of the timeless Oliver theatre breaks experience. Mamma Mia! Did you see the movie with Meryl Streep? I loved it. This is the stage musical the film was based on and they do turn the inside of the theatre into a fabulous sunny Greek island. It’s both funny and fun. Mamma Mia theatre breaks with the enormous feel good factor are great for parties, groups, couples young and old and if you do drag somebody along who thinks they dislike Abba songs they still end up having a brilliant time. Priscilla Queen of the Desert Another musical that has its origins in a film of the same name, Priscilla Queen of the Desert on stage has taken on a life of its own. After years of success in Australia, Priscilla finally arrived on the London West End scene in spring 2009 with Jason Donavon and Tony Sheldon. The costumes and sets are completely mad and Stephen Fry said “It’s one of the most fantastic evenings I’ve ever had in a theatre. It’s just simply infectious.” Phantom of The Opera

The Phantom of The Opera is another very long running musical which relates more towards the classical side of musical theatre, having superbly visual gothic scenes and a big soaring orchestral musical score. Worth seeing more than once, Phantom of the Opera theatre breaks are appreciated for anniversaries and smart city breaks. With the impending launch of an unusual sequel musical, called “Love Never Dies“, there is likely to be more interest in the Phantom than ever. Dirty Dancing Nobody seems to be able to explain quite why Dirty Dancing theatre breaks attract such enthusiastic devotees, but Saturday night tickets are always scarce and the glitzy young people who do turn up are usually all set for a big night out. You have to be impressed by spectacular dancing and expect to get caught up in the music and romance. Other Theatre breaks in London Of course there are plenty of other choices for theatre breaks in London if none of these top musicals are exactly your cup of tea. How could I leave out “We Will Rock You” for example, the only British rock musical currently in the West End ( but not for long we hope ). And if it’s a good play that does more for you than musicals then there’s an opportunity to see Lenny Henry’s powerful Othello, The Shawshank Redemption and of course long term favourites such as The Mousetrap and Woman in Black. For information about the logistics of planning London theatre breaks you can also browse the theatre breaks magazine or join the theatre breaks facebook page.

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Les Miserables on Tour If you’ve ever been on a London Theatre Break to see Les Miserables then here’s a chance to see the world’s longest running musical at a venue closer to home perhaps. Of course if you haven’t ever seen it properly in London then what are you waiting for? ** Book Les Miserables London Theatre Breaks ** Cameron Mackintosh announced recently that John Owen Jones will star as ‘Jean Valjean’, Earl Carpenter as ‘Javert’ and Gareth Gates as ‘Marius’ in the exciting new 25th anniversary production of “LES MISÉRABLES,”. This new production has spectacular new designs inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo and embarks on a major international tour starting in Wales. Les Miserables Stars John Owen Jones has been hailed as the best Jean Valjean since Colm Wilkinson. As well as starring in “Les Misérables” in both the West End and on Broadway he has also appeared as ‘The Phantom’ in “The Phantom of the Opera” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London. Earl Carpenter who is currently playing ‘Javert’ in the West End production of “Les Misérables” has also starred as ‘The Phantom’ in West End.

Gareth Gates of course, is the multi million selling popstar who had the 2nd best selling single this decade. He played the title role of ‘Joseph’ in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the West End’s Adelphi Theatre and was a semi finalist in ‘Dancing on Ice’ 2008. Les Miserables Score The score of “LES MISÉRABLES” includes the songs, ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ (currently the world’s most popular song thanks to Susan Boyle), ‘On My Own’, ‘Stars’, ‘Bring Him Home’, ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’, ‘One Day More’, ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’, ‘Master Of The House’ and many more. Les Miserables Amazing History Les Miserables “LES MISÉRABLES” originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on 8 October 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on 4 December 1985 and moved to its current home at the Queen’s Theatre on 3 April 2004 where it continues to play to packed houses. When “LES MISÉRABLES” celebrated its 21st London birthday on 8 October 2006, it became the World’s Longest Running Musical, surpassing the record previously held by “Cats” in London’s West End.

Seen by over 56 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages 34 cast recordings of Les Miz, Multi-platinum London cast recording Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast album. 10th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert album sold nearly two million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK. There are over 2,000 productions of the Les Misérables School’s Edition scheduled or being performed by over 100,000 school children in the UK, US and Australia, making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools.

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les Miserables is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel and additional material by James Fenton. The original London production of “LES MISÉRABLES” was adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. This new production will be directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell and designed by Matt Kinley inspired by the works of Victor Hugo and John Napier. Original costumes by Andreane Neofitou, lighting by Paule Constable and sound by Mick Potter. Les Miserables International Tour Dates LES MISÉRABLES International Tour 2009/2010 11 December 2009 – 16 January 2010 WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE CARDIFF 19 January – 13 February 2010 MANCHESTER PALACE THEATRE 16 February – 20 March 2010 NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL 23 March – 17 April 2010 BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME 20 April – 15 May 2010 EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE 26 May – 4 July 2010 PARIS – THE CHATELET ** Book Les Miserables LONDON Theatre Breaks **

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London Theatre Breaks to see Arcadia by Tom Stoppard ** book London Theatre Breaks to see Arcadia by Tom Stoppard ** Arcadia has been described as Tom Stoppard`s richest and most ravishing comedy. It’s a truly dazzling and also witty masterpiece of a play, full of human misunderstandings and a genuine quest for knowledge which resonates down through the centuries. David Leveaux directs Arcadia at the Duke of York’s Theatre , and his other recent West End and Broadway collaborations with Tom Stoppard include The Real Thing and Jumpers. Arcadia is the first major revival of this brilliant play since its premiere at the National Theatre in 1993. The cast includes Samantha Bond, Nancy Carroll, Jessie Cave, Neil Pearson, Dan Stevens and Ed Stoppard – yes, some relation.

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard – the setting The setting takes us immediately away from St Martin’s Lane in London where we enter the theatre, way back to April 1809 at a stately home in Derbyshire, the heart of the English East Midlands. Thomasina is a gifted pupil who proposes a startling new theory, way beyond her comprehension. All around her the adults, including her tutor Septimus, are preoccupied with secret desires, illicit passions and professional rivalries. In a parallel universe two hundred years later, academic rivals Hannah and Bernard are piecing together the clues and puzzling over those events of 1809 in their search for the baffling truth about the matter as the relationship between past and present provides some unique conclusions and further questions. London Theatre Breaks for Summer 2009 Two writers whose plays can be relied on in the testing West End are Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter so don’t miss the chance to catch Arcadia, a remarkable and wonderfully funny play by one of the world’s greatest writers, only available for London theatre breaks during the short summer season. ** book London Theatre Breaks to see Arcadia by Tom Stoppard **

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Wicked at West End Live 2009 theatre breaks

Wicked at West End Live 2009 theatre breaks

London Theatre Breaks in Summer Do you head for the beach in the summer or enjoy the city life at its best? Are you a Sun lizard or a culture vulture? Newquay rave parties or London theatre breaks? Well I like both really, always have done. Wide open skies, summer breezes and casual attire are not only to be found at the coast though. Modern London is full of outdoor seating, cafe terraces and the numerous parks and green spaces are appreciated by people of all ages just enjoying the warm sunshine, with city workers on their lunch breaks joining the tourists, families and digital nomads. ** book London Theatre Breaks **

Riverside Theatre Breaks I know I tend to bang on about the riverside quite a lot but that’s because it’s such a cool place to be and nearly everything happens within a half mile or so or the Thames in London. The Thames is big, and it’s tidal and salty.

The National Theatre is on the Southbank for example, next to the Royal Festival Hall within a short riverside stroll of London’s Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Maritime Greenwich is always worth a visit and so is the London Bridge, Borough Market, County Hall and Tower Bridge area. You’re in a huge metropolis but Ice-creams, picnics and sitting on the sea wall are the things to do, as well as people watching and Pimms. Theatreland in Summer In the theatreland area of London, around Soho, you can have a restaurant meal or drinks served at a little pavement table, just like in Paris or Barcelona and the choice of cuisine is actually wider. For the real night birds there’s at least one street where the bars and clubs stay open all night. You can easily get away from all the fuss if you want though, just dive down a side street and walk ten minutes and you will often find yourself in a quiet mews area with with a leafy square and shady benches. Top Shows for Summer Theatre Breaks

Musical Theatre Breaks London theatre break deals combine top tickets to one of the big West end musicals or a play, with at least one night’s hotel stay plus any optional extras such as discount rail fare, London Eye reservation etc. So the first question is which show to choose. The chances are, you already have something in mind that you’ve always wanted to see on the London stage such as Les Miserables, Grease, Chicago or Phantom of The Opera. Perhaps the new Oliver or Wicked. There are a couple of less well known show you could also pick, such as Sister Act ready for the sumer season, and Spring Awakening which has been throughly recommended. For something that’s already been proven elsewhere you might go for Priscilla the musical, if you like that sort of thing - and who doesn’t? Favourite musicals are probably going to be Hairspray, We Will Rock You, Dirty Dancing and Jersey Boys. West End Plays

Musicals dominate the West End but there are a few more plays to choose from this year, although usually for shorter runs so it depends more on your possible dates for drama theatre breaks. Look out for short runs of Alan Bennet plays, Harold Pinter, Shakespeare’s Othello with Lenny Henry and Samual Becket’s Godot. Calendar Girls runs until September 19th 2009 while Woman in Black, The 39 Steps and The Mousetrap seem to run and run forever. Check Theatre Breaks Availability Select the show and choose a date first, then enter the hotel details and rail travel.

When you press “check availability” you’ll be taken to the results on the Show and Stay site, from which you can make further searches if necessary until the perfect package is made up for you. Or use the following link to begin a new search from London Theatre Breaks: ** book London Theatre Breaks **

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A new magazine website for theatre breaks has been launched.

categories of articles about theatre breaks include Hotel Deals London Breakss News Theatre Breaks Things To Do in London West End Guide Plenty of news, views and articles about London theatre breaks.

Springtime London Theatre Breaks I love London in the springtime when I can spend more time outdoors, like along the river banks or in the parks. You would love it here also if you came for a London theatre break in April May or June.

It’s true that many activities in the great city of London generally transcends seasonality but not everything. A river trip on one of the pleasure boats on a day when you can sit out on deck without wrapping up in weatherpoof coats and hats for example is a quite different experience to the wintertime. Inside the London theatres it’s nice because people aren’t at all encumbered with heavy coats and can walk straight past the cloakroom. This makes interval easier too. Then when the show has reached its grand climax and the cast have taken their last bows, when you exit onto the London streets it’s still nice enough for a stroll around around theatreland and there may even be a tiny bit of dusky daylight left before night breaks. London Theatre Breaks in High Summer In the high summer months of July and August, London Theatre Breaks are all about escapism. Some of the local Londoners will have escaped too, but the city is far from deserted. Be prepared to meet crocodiles of Italian teenagers on English language breaks, and people from the far north of the UK for whom anywhere further south of England would be simply too hot at this time of year. London has become very much more of an outdoor city in recent years, with continental style pavement terraces outside nearly every restaurant, cafe or pub that can find the tiniest bit of space on the street. The coolest place though, is always by the river and if you are in the West End vicinity near the theatres you can always nip down by the embankment to catch the maritime atmosphere and refreshing breezes. Walk over the pedestrian bridges to see what the Thames looks like from right n the middle - that’s always a romantic thing to do when the banks are lit up at night.

Top Shows for London Theatre Breaks in Spring and Summer These are just suggestions of course, you’ll want to go and see whichever show you’ve been hankering after but for couples there is always an element of negotiation involved when deciding which musical or play is to be the centrepiece of a long awaited London theatre break.

Priscilla Queen of The Desert - This is the new show in the prestigious Palace Theatre where Spamalot and Les Miserables used to be. It’s not a new production though, it’s been running for years in Australia and the music is full of 1970’s dance hits We Will Rock You - still great and still turning theatre audiences into a rock concert crowd each night and packing them in. But there are persistent rumours of the show reaching the end of its natural run so definitely worth seeing now or also worth seeing again. Hairspray - As Billy Conley takes over from Michael Ball as Edna, Hairspray demonstrates this is a great musical whose popularity has legs. Dirty Dancing and Grease -  Two shows that are both about the summer with all that means for youthful love.

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Too much news to digest? If you missed out on a great post from last month, here’s a quick summary of the top posts that you may want to read again:

London Breaks - Chelsea Flower Show Posted on Sunday, March 1st, 2009 in london breaks - Comments: (0) London Breaks** Book London Breaks to the Chelsea Flower Show **The Chelsea Flower Show, that’s not a London theatre break. Sh, don’t tell my partner but not all the London breaks you take have to be about going to the theatre! I’m going to do an occasional series suggesting other fun reasons to take London breaks.rhs-chelsea-flower-show[/caption]The Chelsea Flower ShowThursday 21 May – Saturday 23 - (open till 8 pm Thursday 21st & Friday 22nd 5:30 Saturday 23rd)The Chelsea Flower Show - what does that make you think of?

War Horse in London Posted on Friday, March 6th, 2009 in War Horse - Comments: (0) War HorseThe National Theatre’s smash hit arrives in the West End, playing at the New London Theatre from 28 March 2009.FIVE STARSSunday Times, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Express, Time Out, The Times, Daily Mail’Exhilarating It makes you rejoice to be alive.’The TimesWar Horse is based on the celebrated novel by Michael Morpurgo. The First World War is the backdrop for this exciting tale of bravery, and the extraordinary bond between a young recruit and his horse.

Sister Act The Musical - Video Preview Posted on Sunday, March 8th, 2009 in press - Comments: (0) Sister Act the Musical is building up momentum for the opening in May this year and here’s a preview in the form of a press release video with Alan Menken performing a medley of fabulous songs from the new Sister Act stage show. Patina Miller who plays Delores shows off her amazing R&B voice. Who else can’t wait until May?

2009 Olivier Awards Winners Posted on Sunday, March 8th, 2009 in awards - Comments: (0)

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Wicked is Spellbinding

Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Wicked Theatre Breaks in London can be planned right up until April 2010 now since the global hit musical has just announced an extension to the WIcked booking period at the Apollo Victoria theatre in the West End.

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London Theatre Breaks and Yorkshire People certainly do travel from all over the UK to visit London, and I’m writing today particularly about London theatre breaks from Yorkshire. Now wherever you come from, the main attractions of London theatre breaks are

both to see the biggest and best productions on stage and to enjoy everything else London has to offer. The enormous choice of hotels, restaurants, clubs and bars, galleries, shops and museums for example, and the sights, bright lights and skyline are all there to be discovered. Some of these can be enjoyed individually just as much so in other major UK cities perhaps like Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham or Cardiff but London has absolutely everything, all in one city. Of course there are some people who avoid the capital at all costs, for fear that a London break could wind up more expensive than expected and for the unwary there well may be one or two situations best steered well clear of, but people from Yorkshire know how to avoid the traps and have a good time! They book everything beforehand so its all paid for fair and square in advance. 1 hour 44 mins from YORK, 2 hours 08 minutes from LEEDS Yorkshire people are the envy of many further South and West who live geographically closer but further away from London in terms of journey times. The region enjoys excellent rail links. Leeds is linked to London twice an hour on weekdays with best journey times of only 2hrs 8mins, while the fastest journeys from York take only 1hr 44mins thanks to the fast electric East Coast line from Edinburgh. Where do Yorkshire people on London Theatre Breaks come from? All the Yorkshire people, where do they all come from? - to misquote Lennon and McCartney Well the reason why there are so many Yorkshire folk out and about is because it’s a huge place with so many large population centres, all of which have railway stations. No other county, well it’s more like a region or three counties really, has a list of towns and cities like Yorkshire: Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, York, Hull, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Halifax, Scarborough, Grimsby, Whitby, Saltaire, Wakefield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley to name but a few. The smaller towns and villages are also well represented, and often connect up conveniently for travel out to other places. Why travel to London for great theatre Yorkshire is a grand cultural centre itself, with a great theatrical tradition so the appreciation of musical theatre and plays is widespread through the generations. The opportunity to see something live on stage is never far away with famous theatres in Yorkshire including the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, Bradford Alhambra, Leeds Grand Theatre, York Theatre Royal, Hull Truck Theatre, Theatre Royal Wakefield and the Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond. So there is always something on nearby, but this only whets the appetite for more! The thing that’s special about London theatre is that there’s always a great selection of shows on at any time with several of your very best favourites to choose from, or the latest new hit. The top names will be in them too, and the old theatre buildings in the West End are historical monuments in their own right, which only adds to the magic. Favourite Musicals for Yorkshire Theatre Breaks to London This list of shows that people from Yorkshire have enjoyed is just for fun really, it takes all sorts and anybody can choose whatever they’d like to see most, but certain musicals do turn out to be even more popular than others:

From Doncaster and Scunthorpe Dirty Dancing is top of the pops, but Leeds trains are carrying more Joseph and Jersey Boys fans.

Oliver and Mamma Mia are frequent destinations from York

along with Grease from Wakefield, Les Miserables from Sheffield and Chicago from Harrogate.

Interestingly, London Theatre Breaks passengers already on the train passing through Yorkshire from Darlington are more likely to be bound for Billy Elliot, but I’ve no idea what that means! Travel from Yorkshire to London for theatre breaks One of Yorkshire’s undoubted selling points is its excellent public transport infrastructure. If you take a coach then you have to take your chance with the traffic jams and roadworks on the motorways, the M1 and M62. But the region also enjoys excellent rail links. Leeds is linked to London twice an hour on weekdays with best journey times of only 2hrs 8mins, while the fastest journeys from York take only 1hr 44mins. Faster Timetable to London A new train timetable for this year means that Sheffield has two new ‘named’ London services: The Sheffield Continental & The South Yorkshireman. These are new, faster services to London.

And there’s even more coming this summer. New trains will soon run between London and Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Brighouse, Wakefield Kirkgate and Pontefract since a decision made in January that made Grand Northern the big winners from a four-way fight to run new services on the East Coast main line. This is great news for West Yorkshire. Passengers travelling to London from West Yorkshire will be able to make a direct journey from Brighouse, no longer having to go via Leeds, thanks to the new direct rail service. Three Grand Northern trains a day will be running directly to London King’s Cross from Bradford, Halifax and Brighouse via Wakefield Kirkgate by the same company which runs Grand Central trains from Sunderland to London. There are also plans to extend the main line services on to Harrogate, Lincoln and Bradford Foster Square. Frequent rail services from Yorkshire to London Theatre Breaks

The half-hourly service from Leeds to London is currently very important for travel from Yorkshire, but all major towns are served by relatively fast and frequent train services . From Hull, York or Leeds you arrive at Kings Cross Station and from Sheffield at St Pancras Station. All major Yorkshire towns are connected to London in between just under 2 hours to about and 2 hours and 20 minutes into central London. National Express East Coast runs trains to London Kings Cross station from Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford, York and Northallerton. Trains run frequently from all of the above stations, a bit less often from Bradford. Further east, Hull Trains run 6 trains a day, Monday to Friday to London Kings Cross from Doncaster, Selby, Hoden, Brough and Hull. East Midlands Trains run an hourly service to London St Pancras, the new international Eurostar Station, from Sheffield. But wherever you’re coming from try not to arrange a train back from London leaving between 4.00pm and 7.00pm on a weekday because these are busy commuter trains usually very full which can make the journey less comfortable unless you upgrade to first class, which can be surprisingly good value by the way, as part of a push-the boat-out-a-bit luxury theatre break to London. Unfortunately for those in Kirklees , the new West Yorkshire service wont be stopping in Mirfield or Dewsbury which would have helped ease the congestion of passengers at Leeds station, but some people from Kirklees can get to Brighouse easily rather than travel to Leeds or Wakefield where parking can be trickier, and the last thing you want to worry about when you’re down in London is whether the car is OK where you left it. Future plans for Yorkshire transport to London In the slightly more distant future, brand new faster trains, not built yet, will be running on the East Coast Line through Doncaster replacing the Intercity 125 diesel and Intercity 225 electric fleets that British Rail bought in the 1970s and 1980s. These will be three times more reliable than the existing stock, will be 15% more fuel-efficient and have up to 100 extra seats per set, reducing overcrowding. They are due to be introduced on the East Coast Main Line, between London and Scotland via Doncaster, in 2013. The rest will be rolled out over the next five years.The electrification of the Midland Mainline between Sheffield and London, which will bring faster trains, is also still on the agenda with a proposed 200mph line between Heathrow Airport and the West Midlands to the north. Options include splitting the line at Rugby, sending one branch through the heart of Yorkshire and the other to Manchester. Just as French railways have seriously connected their centres of population together, so might Sheffield and Leeds eventually get organised in conjunction with Nottingham and Derby. Theatre Breaks Well I seem to have got slightly engrossed in the topic of Yorkshire railways present and future, if you’re still reading all the way down to here, but it’s all of direct relevance when planning a theatre break. Arriving in a mental state of pleasant expectation is always going to get the London theatre experience off to a good start and it’s clear that from Yorkshire, the fast rail services are the way to go. You know which show you want to see, and where you’ll be staying, all booked up in advance so it’s great to know exactly when you’ll arrive and depart as well. Did you know you can also save up to 40% off the rail fares when booking in advance with London Theatre Breaks? This could leave some funds left over for a posh pre-theatre restaurant meal or a sightseeing tour in London as well.

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Visiting the capital for London Theatre Breaks is pretty much a default activity for certain regions of the UK. Why else would you take a trip to London? And if you do have another good reason then why not take in a great musical show at the same time? Or indeed a play.

The old theatres in London’s West End seem to hold a special place in the heart of people all over the country. Maybe our parents or even grandparents went on London Theatre Breaks, I know mine did. So it’s 2009 and some people are having a bit of a gloomy time of it, but trips abroad are getting a bit steep what with the high cost of Euros and Dollars. Short breaks in the UK seem like a sensible way to cheer up by comparison, and  musical theatre  is cheering, uplifting, sad, poignant, funny all at the same time. The new production of Oliver  has made quite a splash, hasn’t it. Whether it’s because of the fuss over Jodie Prenger or the logstanding fame of Rowan Atkinson as Fagin Oliver London Theatre Breaks are the hit of the year already, and there’s more to come. Priscilla Queen of the desert opens later in the spring and Sister Act the musical after that. Both of these  will ensure the continued  migration of  weekend trippers for London theatre breaks I’m sure.

I know it’s early days yet, but I just have a feeling that Sister Act Theatre Breaks in London are going to become one of the staples in 2009/2010. What is it about singing Nuns? Sister Act The Musical Sister Act the musical isn’t going to have Whoopi Goldeberg in it acting as Deloris though, she’ll be taking a producing role, so the stage version of Sister Act The Musical will be adapted quite a bit from the famous film and its sequel Sister Act II. The music is going to be less Motown and more musical theatre with an original score by by 8 time Oscar winner Alan Menken whose credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and most recently the hit movie Enchanted. Sister Act Theatre Breaks London Theatre Breaks

The Orange Tree Theatre is a 172-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond upon Thames in south west London, built specifically as a theatre in the round. People taking theatre breaks in central London might venture out here for a spot of fringe type theatre production and to enjoy the riverside at Richmond. Pic by JL2003

Tags: orangetree, theatre breaks, richmond, london

Madame Tussauds waxworks are a favourite old London attraction, and some of us can remember when there used to be a planetarium there as well. Madame Tussauds is also an optional extra for London Theatre Breaks

I am planning a theatre break for my parents, and would like to book a hotel central to the victoria palace theatre - it should be nice, as it is for their 40th anniversary. Any help would be appreciated. The whole area is nothing BUT hotels, so you should have no trouble finding one ! ! !

Theatre breaks in London for those who can get away midweek For theatre lovers and those who enjoy short theatre breaks in London there are some seriously amazing bargains to be had in the New Year, summer and autumn seasons for people like myself who are not tied to regular 9 to 5 weekday working hours. Even if you have to book one day’s annual leave on a Wednesday in February, a Friday afternoon during the schools summer term or something like that it will be well worth it, because one of the best online theatre breaks booking sites is often offering special cheap deals for hotel theatre breaks with the show on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday or Friday. You won’t believe it….. sometimes one night in a three star *** London hotel is free with a range of top theatre show tickets! ** Book Theatre Breaks in London with Hotel in  2009 ** I know it seems strange. It’s well known that city hotels are mostly used by the business community travelling on expenses, and therefore have over capacity at weekends. So you would think that the bargains would be for weekend theatre breaks, but apparently not. London is not quite the same as Norwich or Basingstoke, people come here from all over the world and also from the UK for a variety of reasons. Intercity trains are packed on Friday evenings as weekly commuters migrate to and from the capital. Office workers, teachers and civil servants are required to work weekdays with precious annual leave saved up mostly for a couple of weeks in the sun, and restricted logistically by school holidays.

So if there’s any way you can possibly slip away on a Tuesday afternoon with the next morning off, take a flexi-day, or if you are one of the growing band of self-employed perhaps, choosing your own hours and working from home for instance, then you are in a position to save hundreds yes hundreds of pounds by booking a midweek theatre break in London with hotel and show. There were eleven great musical shows and two plays which qualified for the summer 2008 offer.

Blood Brothers Chicago Monty Python’s Spamalot The Sound of Music We Will Rock You Billy Elliot Never Forget Female of the Species The 39 Steps Buddy Holly Zorro Stomp

All you had to do to get the free London hotel deals was to keep within the 13 qualifying shows, choose a weekday before September 7th 2008 and then pick one of the first hotels that comes up, with the golden “offer hotel” badge.