attractions


THE SHOW MUST GO ON, AND ON, IN LONDON’S WEST END


n London’s iconic Theatreland is home to some of the longest- running shows in the world. From classics such as LES MISÉRABLES and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, to MAMMA MIA! and the record breaking THE MOUSETRAP, they never fail to entertain and delight each and every year.


The top of the bill will always be Boublil & Schönberg’s LES MISÉRABLES, now the longest-running musical in the world. The show opened over 31 years ago at London’s Barbican Theatre in 1985 to disappointing reviews, but audiences adored the epic drama so much so that it quickly became a global stage sensation. Today, LES MISÉRABLES has been seen by over 70 million people in 44 countries and translated into 22 different languages.


Set against the backdrop in 19th-century France, LES MISÉRABLES’ enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption has kept audiences on the edge of their seats for over three decades. Night after night, audiences flock to the Queen’s Theatre to experience this timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.


Featuring the songs I Dreamed A Dream, Bring Him Home, One Day More and On My Own – Cameron Mackintosh’s legendary production of LES MISÉRABLES is the show of shows.


Hot on the heels of LES MISÉRABLES is another of Cameron Mackintosh’s exemplary creations, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Seen by over 100 million people worldwide, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s timeless


musical snatches the record for the second-highest grossing musical of all time. Now in its 30th record-breaking year, this multi-award-winning musical continues to captivate audiences at Her Majesty’s Theatre.


Set far beneath the majesty and splendour of the Paris Opera House, where the dark and tragic figure of the Phantom lives a shadowy existence. The grand tale follows his obession with the beautiful singer Christine Daaé. The original production opened in 1986 and starred Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine. Crawford went on to win an Olivier and Tony®


Award for


the role. Today, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mesmerising score still magically combines with jaw-dropping scenery and breath-taking special effects to bring this tragic love story to life each night.


Third place goes to the multi award-winning musical MAMMA MIA! Dancing Queen, Super Trouper and The Winner Takes It All, each iconic song just scratching the surface of ABBA’s smash-hit back catalogue, nearly all of which appear in the show. MAMMA MIA! is now in its 19th year in London’s West End.


The original production opened in 1999. Since then, this ultimate feel-good musical has been seen by over 8 million


MAMMA MIA! The Mousetrap


people in London, where it continues to break box office records at the Novello Theatre, its third West End home.


Set on a Greek island paradise, a story of love, friendship and identity is cleverly told through the timeless songs of ABBA. Sophie’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings her mother face-to-face with three men from her distant romantic past on the eve of a wedding they’ll never forget!


Since premiering in London, this irresistible, sunny, funny comedy has thrilled over 60 million people all around the world. There’s never been a better time to see this unforgettable musical in the West End, where it all began.


The grand prize for staying power has to to go to THE MOUSETRAP. ‘It won’t run that long, eight months perhaps,’ said Agatha Christie on the play’s opening night. Now 65 years later, it has become the longest-running show in the world – a fact that is celebrated with a blue plaque outside St Martin’s Theatre. During the six-decade run there have been no fewer than 382 actors appearing in the play, 116 miles of shirts ironed and over 415 tons of ice cream sold.


The scene is set when a group of people are gathered at a country guest house in the converted Monkswell Manor. Cut off by the snow, they discover, to their horror, that there is a murderer in their midst. Who can it be? One by one the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts until at the last, nerve-shredding moment the identity and the motive are finally revealed!


THE MOUSETRAP was originally written in the form of a radio play as a birthday gift for Queen Mary entitled Three Blind Mice. When it was transferred to the stage, premiering in 1952, the original cast included Richard Attenborough as Detective Sergeant Trotter. At its opening, legend has it that Christie was upset the reviewers spoiled the ending and gave away the whodunit conclusion of her brilliantly constructed murder mystery. To ensure this did not continue to happen, she asked the audience to be sworn to secrecy, a tradition that still continues to this very day!


The West End really is the orginal home of the long- running show. Practically national institutions in their own right, these classics have come far, but there is still a hungry audience that will see them run and run!


582 | ASTA | Worldwide Destination Guide 2017/18


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