Happy New Year! 2021’s been a weird one, and we know we’re lining up our resolutions for 2022 to try and make it a better year! More theatre is always on our bucket list, so we’ve gathered together some of the best theatre productions around London to inspire you to stick to yours.
And what’s more, they’re all in the New Year Sale!
Learn something new
There are a bunch of plays and musicals alike on in the West End at the moment which are based on real people and true stories! The Shark Is Broken not only follows what happened behind the scenes of blockbuster hit Jaws – where technical problems kept the actors stuck on boats out at sea with nothing to do – but is also written by and stars Ian Shaw as his Dad; real life Jaws actor, Robert Shaw.
If you’re looking for something a little more musically inclined, you could check out The Drifters Girl, which tells the tale of Faye Treadwell, The Drifters’ manager who spent three decades getting The Drifters to the top. With a cast of only five, playing a whole host of characters, it’s definitely worth a watch!
To keep your toes tapping there’s also Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, which – you guessed it – is the story of the Jamaican legend himself. Featuring all of your favourite songs and some you might not have heard, you can learn more about the icon’s journey to fame.
And if you’ve got little ones, Operation Ouch will keep them entertained and who knows, you might learn a thing or two. with crazy on-stage experiments and weird an wonderful facts, Dr Chris and Dr Xand are Oxford University trained doctors who will take you on a whirlwind tour of the amazing things the human body can do.
Seek more thrills
Maybe 2022 is the year you’ve decided to push yourself; to do more things that scare you. Well have we got some shows for you.
Even if you’ve seen the film, nothing can prepare you for quite how scary The Woman In Black is in the flesh in the theatre. You’d be surprised how spooky things can get with only a couple of actors and minimal props but this story is not for the faint of heart.
2:22 A Ghost Story tells the story of new mum Jenny’s obsession with the noise she hears at the same time every night and what happens when she convinces her husband and their dinner guests to stay up and listen for it.
And of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the other kind of thrill you can find in the heart of the West End… Magic Mike Live, need we say more?
Meet new people
Welcome To The Jungle… well, the Arts Theatre which has been temporarily transformed into on-stage pub The Jungle for The Choir Of Man. A tale of friendship, masculinity and the good old British pub, this new jukebox musical is all about all the different people you’ll find hanging around the bar.
The Great Gatsby is a great show for meeting new people, in that you actually get to meet the characters! In this fully immersive theatre experience, you’ll get whisked back to the 1920s and engulfed in flappers, feathers and fabulousness.
So we’re not necessarily recommending doing a Sophie Sheridan, but it works out fine for her! And if Mamma Mia, the Abba-scored tale of reconnecting with past flames and searching for lost relatives, doesn’t get you on the phone to your old school friends or that aunt you never see, we don’t know what will.
Be More Independent
If you don’t know the full story of Tina Turner’s life, then you need to. Tina – The Tina Turner Musical is the tale of a daring woman who dared to defy the bounds of her age, gender and race has been wowing audiences on the West End for the last few years, and if that doesn’t inspire you, nothing will.
The six queens of Henry VIII are back to tell their side of the story. Eschewing that badly-behaved monarch once and for all, Six sees the ex-wives reviving their own her-stories and finally telling the world how it really went down. Ad with six new queens, even if you’ve already seen it, you’ve never seen it like this before!
A wild ride around the cult-level conformity of high-school cliques, Heathers The Musical brings the 80s classic to the stage. If you ever needed a morality lesson on the dangers of peer pressure and why it’s always better to be yourself, this is surely it.
…now we’re not saying you should start a revolution, but the rousing songs of Les Miserables will definitely get youin the mood to fight for what you believe in.
Find all of these and more in our New Year Sale.