London's West End Theatre – An Essay in Culture

The Western End of London is home to several theaters set in what has now come to be known as  "Theatreland". West End is considered to represent one of the highest quality talent in the world of commercial theatricals and musicals. In the English speaking world, there is perhaps only New York's Broadway theatre that can match up to the West End Theatre.

A London theatre break is a common tourist activity, and most English speaking tourists coming to the city make sure that they visit the theaters at least once during their stay. A whole lot of famous screen actors can also be seen participating in the shows performed in these theaters, and because of this there is a constant interest in the Theatreland.

The theaters themselves flourished the most during the English reformation period. They were first constructed in the year 1576 and then closed down by the Puritans in 1642. They were finally restored in 1660, when two companies, namely the Duke's Company and the King's Company were allowed to perform within them. Since then, the theaters have flourished. The establishment of the West End Theatre district happened when a lot of smaller theaters opened up in the Western End of the city.

Today, Theatreland consists of 40 different theatrical venues in the Western End of Central London. Some of the prominent theaters in the area include the Shaftesbury Avenue, Drury Lane, and The Strand. The Apollo Victoria Theatre, in Westminster, though not in the proper Theatreland area, is considered to be a part of this elite group. A lot of these theaters, especially the ones that were constructed in the Victorian or the Edwardian era, are privately owned, managed and run.

These theaters run some of the most loved shows in the world, and many of them have been running since several years. These include The Mousetrap, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Woman in Black, Blood Brothers, Cats, Starlight Express, No Sex Please, We're British, Chicago, Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, We Will Rock You, Stomp, The Black and White Minstrel Show, Miss Saigon, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),

Billy Elliot the Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, Me and My Girl, The 39 Steps, Wicked, Evita, There's a Girl in My Soup, Oliver!, Jersey Boys, Thriller – Live and War Horse.

Some of these shows are no longer running, but a lot of them have been running for decades. In fact, the longest running show in these theaters is Moustrap, which has been running since the last 61 years. Future West End theatre productions are announced in advance so that patrons can plan their weekend breaks and London theatre breaks accordingly. This way they can make sure that they never miss the shows they want to catch up on. There are a few non commercial theaters in the district too, but they are not too popular since they do not cater to a very wide audience. 

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