When it comes to activities to do in London I always recommend going to the theatre while in the city. Honestly, seeing a show in London is seeing it like never before. Here, going to the theatre is sort of a ritual: the appropriate way of doing it is by having dinner out in a restaurant nearby and then head to the show where you can have drinks and ice cream during the interval. If you are a tourist or your first language is other than English I’d recommend to start your immersion into theatre through musicals as they are much easier to understand, there’s less dialogues and even if you miss on a few words you will still be able to understand the show. This is what I had in mind when I booked my first show (in 2012 maybe?) and it was no other than Mamma Mia! I was so fascinated by the performance and the whole experience that on the same week I got tickets for another show, and haven’t stopped since. So if you are living in London or planning to visit in 2020 here you can find our list of the top 5 musicals not to miss!
Number 5: School of Rock
Being honest here it is a shock for me as well to find this show on the list. Really school of rock? well.. we went to see it last summer as someone got the tickets as a present for Giuseppe and we couldn’t have had more fun. It will not ‘rock’ your world but it is a good option for having a relaxed afternoon in the theatre, particularly this show will be easy to understand for those who do not speak an advanced level of english. What is it about? Much like as in the movie the lazy main character of the show picks up the phone one day and accepts a job offer as a school teacher that was intended to be for his flatmate. Having no experience in teaching he arrives to this fancy school and meets a bunch of kids who are facing their own issues and insecurities. He defies the schools strict structure by teaching the students how to Rock & Roll and then is when all the mess starts to happen – no worries, I won’t spoil just in case-. There’s romance, break ups, good performances and great choreography. Overall we remember that we laughed a lot, we left energized and with a positive feeling, and regarding the songs .. it took us quite a few days to stop humming them!
Number 4: 9 to 5, the show by Dolly Parton! I have to say this was a big surprise for us. We just got the tickets without knowing what to expect really.. we didn’t even know what it was about, and it turned out to be a great play that for some reason remains sort of unpopular. Set in the late 70s’, this story deals with friendship and revenge in a provoking manner. Three co-workers come up with a plan to to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical misogynist they have to call their boss. The situation gets heated and they end up kidnapping him for a brief time where they take over the office and implement all the changes they have been demanding for so long. A feminist approach to the still actual problem of listening to the female voices and valuing their perspective in the working environment. Way to go girls! The play was highly entertaining, hilarious at times and the songs were definitely something to remember. This said, the Savoy theatre is probably the most uncomfortable one we’ve been to. Even if the critique is not directed to the play, it’s worth mentioning we left with our legs and backs hurting, worse than flying with Ryanair.
Number 3: Mary Poppins.
When Disney does it, it does it big. So two out of the five shows in our list are Disney shows. I guess we wouldn’t have it any other way. Mary Poppins is relatively new – they just started last November and they count with the best cast I’ve seen on a theatre show, simply amazing. They bring our all time favourite nanny back to life with all the original songs of the movie plus some new additions that you’ll definitely enjoy. In this play they have re-write some of the scenes so you should not expect it to be another version of the 60’s animated film. It remains faithful to the basics but there will be a lot of changes to the classic script so be prepared to be open minded about it. They put on some amazing choreographies and scenography all while magic seems to be happening right in front of you. Little trick, every Tuesday at midday they have a lottery going on so if you are one of the first people logging in at that time you’ll get the best seats available for a price of around 20-25 pounds pp. This way we managed to see the performance in seats that usually cost more than 170pounds each for just 25pp. How does that sound? If you’d like some more tricks and tips on how to get cheap theatre tickets let us know!
Number 2: Mamma Mia. Let me warn you before you read this.. This is not an impartial opinion and I can not be objective when it comes to this show. I am diagnosed with mamma mia obsession and it has been going on for quite a couple of years now. I am a proud owner of the DVD, Blue Ray and CD -which my father has banned in the car for overexposure- , and have seen this show at least 3 times in the London theatre. But isn’t it just simply the best? I’d say it is. For those of you who are not familiar with the play Sophie invites to her wedding -in a greek paradisiac island no less- her three possible fathers without they knowing about her existence, thinking it was her mother Donna (played in the movie by Maryl Streep) who invited them. They’ll have to face the past and overcome the issues that arise all while singing ABBA songs. And it’s fabulous. It will make you laugh, sing and be happy for longer than it lasts. The choice of actors is a tiny bit disappointing in the London show, however I think there’s no much one can do when being compared to the original movie cast.. so I’ll leave that apart. The scene turns into a greek island making you daydream of sunny days and happy moments, and I simply can not recommend it enough. In the end, it is a classic for a reason. As a plus, it will be very easy to understand for those speaking medium level of english. If you go see it just please leave a comment or slide in our DMs to let me know your favourite song.
Number 1: Lion King.
I know what you are probably thinking now.. what a cliché, is it really that good? Let me tell you that was my exact same feeling. Is all the fuss around lion king justified? Well.. absolutely yes. We know the story already, it has taken our hearts many times when we were younger and if you are any like us you’ve probably cried over Mufasa’s death not so long ago in the cinema in the real-life version of Lion King. But this is a way of re-discovering the classic story. The minute the play started we were already in awe of what we were seeing. At times the combination of costumes with the lights and shadows hide the actors in a way you can really see a bird or a monkey on stage. It is absolutely amazing what they have managed to create in terms of costumes, the whole stage is constantly filled with colour and music and the scenes of the film are represented almost entirely. You’ll manage to see life the introduction of Timon and Pumba (by far my favourite moment) and sing along – but only in your mind- Hakuna Matata with them. You’ll feel the emotion of the sad parts and share tears with the rest of the public, which could be heard sobbing in the moments of tension. The girl next to us was fully prepared with tissues on her hand ready to jump in, that’s the kind of excitement I’m talking about. So basically, it will be an investment to go and see it but try to get the nicest tickets possible as you’ll want to be able to fully see the stage and it will be completely worth it. Lion King remains number 1 in our list and in our hearts.
In addition to these amazing shows we can totally recommend Pretty Woman which will come to London this February right behind Picadilly Circus. Of course we didn’t get to sneak and see the London’s performance but early last year we got the chance to see it in Broadway, NYC and it was an incredible experience. Totally worth checking it out here as well, plus for what I could see in their official web site London prices will be much more affordable.
If you are looking for something fun to see without people constantly singing about feelings – let’s face it, we can all have one of these days- you should totally check The play that goes wrong. Absolutely hilarious, had us both in tears for most of the play. We had an amazing time and loved the show. Also a plus, it was easy for non native english speakers to understand.
So that’s it for our London Top 5 Musicals for 2020. We hope this information was helpful and that you’ll enjoy them as much as we have. If you have different suggestions, thoughts to add or any further recommendations we are all ears. After all, sharing is caring, so just leave them in the comment section below!
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