London Palladium

Tucked cosily away between Oxford Circus and Great Marlborough Street, the London Palladium is one of the city's best-loved theatres. 'The Royal Variety Show', a perennial British favourite, is filmed here, while commercial stage shows from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' to 'Scrooge' have benefited from a steady flow of popular TV faces. Perhaps the biggest draw, however, was non-celebrity Connie Fisher who reigned supreme in Andrew Lloyd Webber's very public auditions, the BBC talent contest 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?' Given that the theatre's quaint Argyll Street home became almost impassable in the evenings during Fisher's stage residence for 'The Sound of Music' (as well as during Whoopi Goldberg's 2009 musical production of 'Sister Act'), it's best to avoid the locale around 7pm.