Things to do in London, England: The Best Concerts & Shows

Although there have been various earlier entertainment buildings on the site the reconstructed Adelphi Theatre, with its art deco interiors, opened to the public in December 1930 with Jessie Matthews starring in Ever Green.The front-of-house areas of the Adelphi Theatre were restored to their original lustre and extravagance in 1993 when Andrew Lloyd Webber became co-owner and opened his musical production of Sunset Boulevard. Other famous productions at the Adelphi Theatre include Gertrude Lawrence in Cole Porter’s Nymph Errant, Ivor Novello’s The Dancing Years, Bless The Bride, Beatrice Lillie as Auntie Mame, Van Johnson in The Music Man, Lionel Bart’s Blitz! and Maggie May, Charlie Girl with Anna Neagle, a revival of Me and My Girl originally starring Robert Lindsay and Emma Thompson and in the Adelphi Theatre’s longest run (over nine years), the new Broadway production of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago. Revivals of Evita and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat have proved enormously popular. More recently, the theatre played host to the worldwide premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Love Never Dies.

Experience all the Royal Opera House has to offer – stunning performances from The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera, delicious food and drink, inspiring interactive events and a perfect place to relax in the heart of Covent Garden.

Since 1663 the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has provided entertainment for the masses and has been visited by every monarch since the Restoration.The theatre has not one, but two, royal boxes and it was here that the public first heard both the National Anthem and Rule Britannia. Previous buildings were managed by the great actor David Garrick and the famous playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan and he current, fourth, building was opened in 1812.The theatre was renowned for its spectacular Victorian melodramas and pantomimes but since the 1920s its history has mirrored the development of the modern musical. From the original London productions of American musicals Rose Marie, The Desert Song and Show Boat, through Ivor Novello’s romantic operettas and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s groundbreaking post-war shows to The Producers and The Lord of the Rings. My Fair Lady held the record as the theatres longest run for many years but Cameron Mackintosh’s record breaking production of Miss Saigon, at ten years, is the current record holder.

You will never forget the theatrical event that is Disney's THE LION KING. Brilliantly re-imagined by acclaimed director Julie Taymor, Disney's beloved film has been transformed into a spectacular stage production that explodes with glorious colours, stunning effects and enchanting music. At its heart is the powerful and moving story of Simba - the epic adventure of his journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands. 'There is simply nothing else like it.' The New York Times

There can be no other theatre in the world which has two such distinct and diverse claims to fame as the Aldwych.During the period from 1925 until 1933 the theatre housed a series of farces by Ben Travers which have gone down in history as 'The Aldwych Farces'. They included such familiar titles as A Cuckoo in the Nest, Rookery Nook, Thark, Plunder and A Cup of Kindness. Nearly 30 years later, on 15 December 1960, the Royal Shakespeare Company took over the Aldwych as its London base.During the next 21 years, prior to the company moving to its theatre in the Barbican, history was frequently made.The Aldwych is currently the residence for the Olivier & Tony award winning Beautiful - The Carole King Musical