Free theatre festival West End LIVE, which was staged in London’s Leicester Square last weekend, was an audience-pleasing hit, with around 250,000 theatre fans flocking to London to get a taste of the best entertainment the theatre capital of the world has to offer.
The annual celebration of London entertainment, which featured performances from many of the most popular shows in Theatreland, is expected to give theatres a £2 million boost in ticket sales, a boost which will have a knock on effect for West End bars, restaurants and shops.
Councillor Robert Davis of Westminster Council commented: “Without doubt, this has been our biggest and best West End LIVE. We’ve seen spectacular performances from some of the nation’s favourite shows.”
The two day event was hosted by Heart FM DJ and former Grease star Toby Anstis, and Any Dream Will Do runner up Daniel Boys, who is to return to the West End stage in Wolfboy later this summer.
More shows than ever performed on the Sunday, reflecting the growing number of productions offering Sunday performances for theatregoers eager to take in a show at the weekend.
Nica Burns, President of the Society of London Theatre said: “London has the best theatre in the world and West End LIVE is a fantastic opportunity for people to sample some of the West End’s most popular shows for free.” The success of the past weekend suggests that a quarter of a million satisfied theatre fans agree.
MA