Some good news this week for those of us who work in London’s theatre industry. Despite disparaging economic times, West End theatres have managed to see an increase in attendance and box office revenues.

According to statistics published by The Society of London Theatre, attendance is up 2.5% on last year and there has been a 3.5% increase in box office receipts. It goes without saying that these results are fantastic considering most sectors are seeing decreases, as many businesses and employees began to feel the harsh effects of the recession.

A good mix of blockbuster musicals such as Sister Act and Priscilla Queen Of The Desert combined with new plays such as Calendar Girls, have fuelled this buoyancy, providing customers with a wide range of theatrical subject matter. It also helps that many famous faces such as David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, Jerry Springer and Jude Law have made appearances in productions, raising the West End’s profile.

Other factors include the terms “weak pound” and “staycation”. Many Europeans are flooding to the UK to take advantage of the exchange rate, creating a rise in inbound tourism. As well, the staycationers that didn’t go on a holiday abroad are instead going on the road in Britain or taking day trips to keep the kids amused.

And of course the periodic monsoons don’t really entice people outdoors.

It’s only bound to get better for Theatreland, as we approach the traditionally busy winter season. With shows such as The Shawshank Redemption, The Rise And Fall of Little Voice, Legally Blonde, Prick Up Your Ears and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof all set to open in the next few months, it should be a very busy season indeed.

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!

It’s been a winning formula for a couple of years now…

Take a hit West End musical, and transform it into a high budget glitzy movie starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones or Pears Brosnan. Then sit back on your private yacht with the champagne and Honeyz all around, and watch the $$$$ roll in.

I can almost hear the unscrupulous movie producers’ distorted minds ticking over through the din of cocaine-induced jitters and gurning: “It worked with Chicago, now let’s do it with The Producers. It kind of worked with The Producers, now let’s do it with Mamma Mia!. And by God did it work with Mamma Mia!, let’s do it with Wicked next fall.”

So basically this concept works out great for all involved, Catherine Zeta-Jones is happy because she becomes even more worthy of her marriage to ‘alleged’ sex addict Michael Douglas; the movie producers are happy because they can pay the tab on their lives of sin and debauchery; and the shows are grateful for the additional interest, because there is no denying that movie exposure puts fresh pink booty on seats.

But an interesting role reversal has been taking place recently, because now it seems that kind and virtuous West End theatre producers (who seem in most ways to be the direct opposites of their movie counterparts) are returning the favour, and using some of cinemas best-loved offerings as inspiration for new shows. The first of these being Rain Man at the Apollo Theatre, based on the Oscar-winning film staring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, closely followed by Edward Scissorhands in December (although it was actually on stage a while back, too), and an exciting production of Sister Act proposed for the New Year. Read more