West End theatre

From ArticleWorld

The term West End Theatre is used to loosely define the drama industry and the theatre world of the United Kingdom. West End Theatre is to London what Broadway is to New York. It is a sprawling conglomerate of various studios that make up the mainstream theatre industry of London. It is highly professional in that it bolsters the UK economy with thousands of jobs and millions of pounds of tourist and industry spending. Watching a West End Theatre show is one of the most popular and sought after activities by visitors to London.

The Locale

The world of theatre in London is not confined to a particular area but most of the famous studios of the City are located in the hub of the West End area of London, around Piccadilly Circus. This district stretches the length of Shaftesbury Avenue into Covent Garden and beyond but may be said to be confined by Oxford Street in the North, Kingsway in the East, Regent Street in the West with the Strand bringing up the rear in the South.

Problems

Entering one of the established theatres of London is like stepping into a bygone era because most of these theatres belong to the Edwardian or Victorian times. Most of them are very well, even proudly, maintained by the owners of the theatres and each of them has an individuality that is all its own. Yet two common problems that most of these theatres face are of cramped leg space and miniscule restrooms. Apparently, people back in the Edwardian times used to have much smaller frames as compared to now. To be able to carry out the modernization of these theatres, which would require expenditure to the tune of a whopping 250 million pounds, from time to time the owners have requested the government for tax concessions.

Never ending

The most popular plays in these theatres generally tend to be either musicals, classics or comedies. Then again some plays make history by being on show forever, and by making and breaking records. Some of the longest running plays in the history of West End are:

1. The Mousetrap
2. Les Miserables
3. The Phantom of the Opera
4. Blood brothers

There are also plays that are staged by the non-professionals and these somehow seem to attract all the high brow actors and the serious theatre goers.