World of Shows

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The West End of London is an exciting place to live and work on account of its lively atmosphere and buzzing community. Packed with historical buildings and architectural marvels, this is a great place to come to experience the theatre and the night life to follow. Numerous theatres in this area make it a hot spot for the performing arts and millions flood to this region to be a part of it and see all there is on offer. Most of the theatres in the West End were built in Victorian and Edwardian times and yet they are still popular, with over 13 million people taking a trip to see a show in 2007, a record breaking figure, demonstrating how the region has grown and developed in the modern age. It is a vital part of the tourism industry in London and has been bringing people to the area since the early 1800's. Theatre got started in 1806 and with changes in the law making plays easier to set up, even more theatres opened. The history of this area and the popularity of the performing arts have been attracting the crowds for more than 200 years.

With the opening of the Aldwych Theatre in Aldwych in 1905 musicals such as Fame and Dirty Dancing were brought to London and shown for years. This famous theatre was also the home of the musical Top Hat.

Apollo Victoria Theatre was built near the Victoria rail and tube station starting life as a cinema when it opened in 1930. It became one of the West Ends top theatres. Starlight Express and Wicked were both shown here, and they are immensely popular.

The Cambridge Theatre was built in 1930 in Covent Garden and famously shows the ever popular musical Matilda, with previous shows that were on here including Chicago.

Dominion Theatre started its business in 1929 in Tottenham and is the place to go to see We Will Rock You. This and other highly successful shows have been on offer here over the years, including The Judy Garland Show in 1957.

Her Majesty's Theatre took form in 1897, it was placed on a site that previously had numerous theatres on it before. Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most famous shows in the world, seen here.

Disney's The Lion King musical is now the top show on offer at the Lyceum Theatre, which has been around since 1834 and used to be used as a circus.

New London Theatre hosts The War Horse, a top show with many visitors.

The Phoenix Theatre started life in 1930 and is most famous for its showing of Private Lives starring the renowned Lawrence Olivier, early in his career.

Playhouse Theatre was created in 1882 and was bought by the BBC in 1951 in order to host live performances from top bands until 1976.

Opening in 1930, Prince Edward Theatre was the home of the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! for a very successful five years. Nowadays, Jersey Boys by Four Seasons is the main show.