There are just days to go until the return of our annual free musical theatre festival West End LIVE with MasterCard on 20 and 21 June. So, naturally, we’re pretty excited about another two days of watching all our favourite West End shows performing live in Trafalgar Square.
Unfortunately excitement tends to make us as flustered as a Chorus Line-r without a gold top hat, and panic is the enemy of successful theatrical festival-going.
So, to combat this flusterment, and to make sure we are indeed capable of spelling the name of the incredible theatrical event, we’ve compiled a very handy list of all the things you, and we, might need to know in order to make the most of the West End LIVE experience.
W – Weather. Watch it like a hawk in the run-up to the event. And prepare for every precipitation and heatwave-related eventuality. We’re talking plastic ponchos, sun cream, umbrellas, sunglasses… Wellies probably won’t be necessary but we do recommend sporting comfortable footwear for all that inevitable dancing you’ll be doing.
E – (Pop-up theatre) Experience. Back in Leicester Square for a second year running, our incredible 1920s Spiegeltent will be full of free fun for all the family. Pet a dinosaur, walk the red carpet, take a selfie with an Olivier Award, become the star of your very own West End poster AND be in with the chance of winning loads of prizes. All in one place.
S – Sparkles. Yes, that’s right, this is a festival after all. Why should Glastonbury and Reading have all the shimmer-tastic sparkly fun? Cover yourself in glitter or don West End show-inspired fancy dress. Go on! As an extra incentive we’ll be there capturing the event on camera, so you never know, you might even spot yourself in one of our galleries!
T – The Play That Goes Wrong. Ok, so technically maybe this should be a P, but stay with us, it’ll be worth it. The incredible cast of this Olivier Award-winning comedy will be at the aforementioned E on Sunday at 11:00 to lead a free improv workshop. With this amazing news comes some (slightly) bad news; it’s currently sold out. But don’t worry, more tickets will be released shortly with even more available on the day.
E – Engage with us on Twitter. As always, we’ll be backstage bringing you all the behind-the-scenes action that you can’t see. From energetic warm-ups and make-up touch-ups to Matilda rocking out with the cast of Rock Of Ages (No kidding, that actually happened), we’ll be prepped and ready to provide you with an incredible insider’s view of West End LIVE.
N – Nab a ticket to a show. So, day one at West End LIVE has been amazing. You can’t wait for day two. How do you make the time go faster? Catch a show on Saturday evening, of course. No need to book in advance, there’s an amazing array of productions to choose from at TKTS. AND, to make your lives even easier, the Official London Theatre ticket booth will come to you with a pop-up booth in Trafalgar Square that means you don’t have to move far from the stage to get your tickets.
D – Dance your heart out. Whether you’re proving yourself to be quite the dancing queen in front of Mamma Mia!, twisting and shouting to Let It Be or boogying all day and all of the night with Sunny Afternoon, there’s nothing better than letting go and cutting some classic shapes to the tunes of the West End’s finest.
L – Look out for surprises. West End LIVE wouldn’t be complete without its fair share of ‘Ooh I wasn’t expecting that’ moments. Past years have seen guest signings with Glee stars, world record attempts and much more so keep those eyes peeled (and #WestEndLIVE permanently programmed into your Twitter feeds) so you’re sure not to miss out on any of this year’s West End LIVE wonders.
I – Information, information, information. We love West End LIVE. You can probably tell. And we want anyone who comes to love it as much as we do. That’s why we do this and give you a handy list of top tips. And this, providing a useful page of who’ll be on stage and when over the two-day festival. And this, giving you a few little show-specific treats to whet your West End LIVE appetite in the run-up. And we haven’t finished yet, so keep an eye on this over the next 10 days.
V – Vary your theatrical tastes. So you’re a Wicked fan, Elphaba is your idol and all you want is to hear Defying Gravity and you’ll be one happy West End LIVE bunny. Or, you’re a Les Mis super fan, you love Carrie Hope Fletcher and One Day More will absolutely make your West End LIVE weekend complete. We don’t blame you, we’re in the habit of enjoying watching green-skinned witches flouting physics and Boublil and Schönberg songs sung sensationally ourselves. BUT we’re also open to discovering a whole lot more. Treat your West End LIVE weekend like a free taster session and, as we’ve already mentioned, if you like the sound of any of the shows you can pick up a ticket to the full shebang at TKTS.
E – Early risers. The early bird catches the West End LIVE worm. And by West End LIVE worm we mean securing the best spot in front of the stage. Being free and AWESOME, West End LIVE is… well… pretty popular (More than 500,000 of you attended last year) so to ensure you’re not disappointed set those alarm clocks and head down early! We’ll see you there!