How to Have the Stagiest Day in London’s West End
- therevueuk
- Aug 17, 2024
- 4 min read
You've had your Les Mis tickets for months, perhaps given to you as a birthday present, and the big day has finally arrived. You've caught the first train down to London, you're excited and ready to spend a day in the big smoke. The only problem, you've got 10 hours to kill before curtain up.
Or perhaps you've got a day off work. You've booked rush tickets for a show tonight and you're feeling stagey but blasting the Mamma Mia soundtrack for the 30th time just isn't cutting it.
Well, below we’ve listed some of the best ways that you can fill your stagey day in London's West End, before the band strike their first chord.
Take a Backstage Tour
Interested in what happens offstage whilst Elsa sings 'Let It Go'? Want to get up close and personal with poor Yorick's skull? Many of London's top theatres offer backstage tours where you can learn all about the inner workings of some of your favourite shows. These tours, lasting usually an hour, give you a hidden insight into the backstage world of different productions, with knowledgable tour guides who may often bring you into the orchestra pit and on stage. Who knows, you might even get to meet one of London's famous theatre ghosts.
Some tours available include:
The National Theatre: £18 Mon-Fri
Theatre Royal Drury Lane: £18.50 Daily
Shakespeare's Globe: £27 Daily
London Palladium: £24.50 Select Dates
Have Brunch with your Stagey Faves
At West End Musical Brunch, you're invited (no, expected) to be singing along with some of your favourite West End stars. Hosted at a secret location, West End Musical Brunch offers you a 2-course meal and an hour of bottomless drinks during this 5 hour musical extravaganza.
With some guest West End stars including Courtney Bowman, Ryan Kopel, and Lucie Jones, along with their own resident dance troupe, West End Musical Brunch guarantees an afternoon of glitz and glamour galore.
Brunching on most Saturdays and Sunday, with tickets starting from £69.95, West End Musical Brunch is a sure-fire stagey hit.
Have Afternoon Tea at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The newly refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane, current home to Frozen the Musical, serves no longer as just a theatre but a social hotspot. As well as offering bars and restaurants for your pre and post-show needs, Theatre Royal Drury Lane also offers a theatrical afternoon tea to delight your appetite.
Served daily, this decadent afternoon tea offers a variety of menus, with seven different teas to try and a variety of sweet treats to indulge on.
With prices starting at £59 per adult, and £20 for a child (with free ice cream thrown in for each young one) you too can feel like Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle. Book directly through the theatre's website.
Explore Theatre and Performance History at the V&A
Although their exhibition 'Re:Imagining Musicals' has now sadly ended, London's Victoria and Albert Museum still features a large slice of theatre history within its walls.
The Theatre & Performance collections are an incredible resource that document current practice and the history of all areas of performing arts in the UK, including drama, dance, opera, circus, puppetry, comedy, musical theatre, costume, set design, pantomime, popular music and much more...
Free to explore, the museum houses famous costumes, dating from Shakespeare to Star Wars, as well as set pieces and even an original Oscar.
Take a Walking Tour around London's West End
We actually have two different styles of walking tours to recommend, because we just can't get enough of either:
West End Musical Tour is a silent disco walking tour that will take you through the heart of Theatreland, singing, dancing, and learning all about the history of London's West End with a professional tour guide. During the tour, you will listen to the best musical tracks from each of the musicals you visit via a Silent Disco headset. You will also be able to hear your host who will provide commentary, fun facts, and anecdotes relating to the theme of the tour along the way. Starting from £15, West End Musical Tour is a fun and communal way to get yourself into that stagey spirit.
Who Pushed Molly May is a different way to explore Theatreland, this time as your very own detective. The streets of London become the plot of an Agatha Christie play as you follow the maps, unlock the clues, and unravel the epic tale to discover who killed our Leading Lady on her opening night. No tour guide necessary, simply grab yourself a Mystery Guides book, head to the starting point and solve the mystery, taking in the sights, sounds and rich history of Theatreland as you do so.
London's West End is arguably one of the stagiest places in the world. With a rich tapestry of history to explore, jazz and cocktail bars galore, and a theatre on every corner, there's so much to sink your stagey teeth into. Whether you want to take a class at Pineapple Dance Studios, grab a bite at The Theatre Cafe Diner before it closes, or watch one of London's famous street performers in Covent Garden, London has something for everyone. So, how will you make your day as stagey as can be?
