Could it really be true this time?

I have written in this blog before about the closure of Avenue Q, only for the show to be granted a stay of execution by Cameron Mackintosh. Avenue Q has played at three different venues, the latest location being the Wyndhams Theatre. However, its West End time could finally be up; the official word is that the show will close on the 30th October.

Love it or hate it, Avenue Q is one of the most refreshing musicals of recent times. It may be full of obscenities and puppet nudity, but it certainly defied the recent trend for juke box musicals, providing a completely original score and story, a rarity in today’s musical theatre arenas.

Original music and plot, combined with the unconventional idea of using puppets to portray the characters of the down and out neighbourhood, sealed Avenue Q’s place as a modern musical. And it managed to last, Avenue Q is booking into its 5th year and is still going strong in New York.

So if you still don’t know why Trekkie likes his computer so much, or why Preston thinks it sucks to be him, hurry up and get a ticket for Avenue Q! It sounds like this closing announcement is serious this time.

Buy Avenue Q Tickets

Fear not, they will be re-housed again.

Thank goodness that our favourite puppets seem to be a firm West End fixture. The inhabitants of Avenue Q will be evicted from the Gielgud Theatre this Saturday, but will be resettling at the Wyndhams Theatre, which is right behind The Noel Coward Theatre, where the puppets made their West End debut!

Avenue Q is completely different from anything else running in the West End, and despite its eccentric characters and adult humour, it seems to have won the hearts of the British public, as it did with the folks on Broadway.

Avenue Q will re-open at the Wyndhams Theatre on the 19th March after a week long hiatus; Fortunately the same great discounts apply. Top price tickets are available for only £32.50 on Discount Theatre.

Get yourself down to Leicester Square and join the Q!

The year is winding down and plans for the holidays are now pretty much intact; most people plan well in advance for this time of year and trips to London for West End shows are no exception. The week between Christmas and New Year is definitely the busiest time for theatre. Many shows are chock-a-block, but there is still some space to be found in the theatres for those last minute bookings.

I managed to make my Christmas plans very early this year. Yes, in May I booked a ticket to go back to my native Canada. My family is busy putting up the Christmas lights on our igloo and I’ll have to get my snowshoes and dog sled out to travel around town.

After all, I am from Vancouver.

I will be able to get the West Coast, but thanks to the impending British Airways strike, I may not be coming back anytime soon. Can you imagine? Blogging from the wilderness….how romantic eh?

So, as the year is quickly coming to an end, I started pondering what will be the big theatre highlight in 2010. Right now my bet is on Hair.

Critics raved about the Broadway production which is transferring to London in its entirety, including the American cast. One of the more risque musicals out there, Hair features a bunch of hippies who are in protest of the Vietnam war and introduced some of the most memorable songs of musical theatre including ‘Aquarius’, ‘Let The Sunshine In’, and ‘Hair’.

I first saw this musical when I was about 15 years old and I absolutely loved it. I then pretended to be a hippee for a while but eventually I got tired of wearing sandals in winter (besides I couldn’t wear my snowshoes with them).

Hair will move into the Gielgud Theatre when the equally risque Avenue Q vacates the premises in early March. Hair is booking from the 1st April to the 8th January 2010, just in case you want to get ready for next Christmas.

Buy your Hair tickets here.

A lot of shows in the West End seem to be making comebacks - that is, finishing their booking periods, only to re-open a few months later.

For instance, Avenue Q went on a summer holiday earlier this year after it closed at the Noel Coward Theatre, only to re-open a few months later at the Gielgud Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. The show is now booking into its 4th year in London.

And there were some recent swapsies as An Inspector Calls moved from the Novello Theatre to the Wyndhams and summer hit Dreamboats and Petticoats, which played at the Savoy, is to re-open at The Playhouse Theatre in January.

My last post mentioned Waiting For Godot, which is coming back to the Theatre Royal Haymarket, the same theatre played at last summer.

All of this show resurrection got me thinking about my favourite shows that I would like to see make a return to the London stage. See if you remember any of these:

Bombay Dreams

Fantastic Bollywood musical that combined kitsch, crazy costumes, gangsters, water fountains and a love story. It also contained a song called Shakalaka Baby. Brilliant.

The Drowsy Chaperone

Even the great Elaine Page in the title role couldn’t keep this one going at the Novello theatre. One of the most clever and original productions stage in recent years, it won numerous Tony awards and was a huge Broadway success. The British just didn’t get it.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

I was a reluctant attendee, trying to avoid the sugary sweetness of Truly Scrumptious. In the end, the production won me over with its visual costumes and dance numbers. And the actually car flew!

Jesus Christ Superstar

Andrew Lloyd Webber offerings appear with great regularity in the West End, but it’s been a while since we last saw Superstar. If it’s done right, and I mean without the chaotic silliness that is the film version, I think it’s probably my favourite Lloyd Webber show.

Hmmm what will be the next show to make a welcome return? Stay tuned.

We here at Discount Theatre Towers enjoy the view of Leicester Square from our offices. We get to see film premieres; there’s a nice fountain and a little bit of grass with some flowers; and the Hare Krishnas come by every night dancing and chanting away, providing us with some free entertainment.

But on the weekend of 20th to 21st June, West End Live will come to the “Square” which means two solid days of free entertainment, rather than the fleeting minutes that the Krishnas usually provide.

West End Live has been going for a few years now; basically many West End shows come to Leicester Square and perform a number from the show. This is rather useful in these cash strapped times; you can see little snippets of the show and test drive them before buying that all important ticket. Or you can just come and mooch about and enjoy a free day out. No one will walk around with a hat after each performance asking for donations for the ”free entertainment” (if you’ve ever been to Covent Garden you’ll know what I am talking about).

Some of the shows that are scheduled to appear are Avenue Q, Carousel, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and We Will Rock You, with many more on board. And if you find that you like the look (and sound) of any of the performances you can buy tickets from www.discounttheatre.com; many shows offer great discounts in advance.

In our office, we also get the pleasure of hearing the sound checks and a bird’s eye view of the set up for West End Live on the day before. We’ll be looking forward to hearing the beats of Stomp as we type away on our keyboards….

West End Live takes place on the 20th June from 11am to 6pm and 21st June from noon until 6pm. Admission is free, so no ticket needed to enjoy a sample of the best shows in the West End!