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The four-week-long London Theatre Week is one of several events – notably the West End’s six-week-long Kids Week – that make us question whether anyone in British theatre knows what a week is.
But who really cares: launching today (August 17) and running to September 13, London Theatre Week is a great big theatre tickets sale and that’s really all you need to know about it. Indeed, it’s up there as one of the biggest sales of the year, perfectly timed to set you up for the West End’s busier autumn, or to let you snap up a bargain for the final furlong of the still endless-feeling summer holiday.
In terms of big hitting, famous West End shows it’s got plenty to offer: you can get a decent discount on the likes of Cabaret, The Lion King, Les Mis, Matilda, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, My Neighbour Totoro, The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked, with tickets starting from £15 for some shows, £25 for most of the West End long-runners, and the odd £35 bottom price to fancier fare like Cabaret. Basically almost every London musical that’s not Hamilton or Paddington is in.
There’s also a great chance to catch some of the year’s most acclaimed plays before they end limited runs – don’t miss out on the likes of Arcadia and Cyrano de Bergerac.
Finally, now is a particularly good time to snap up a cheaper ticket to shows coming to London in the autumn that may well sell out when they open and get reviewed, but are currently happy to get bums on seats at a slightly nicer price than usual. Some great-looking stuff coming up that’s in the sale includes the UK premiere of acclaimed US musical Kimberly Akimbo, the Old Vic’s ultra-rare limited run revival of Martin Guerre (from the writers of Les Mis and Miss Saigon) and a starry new production of The Cherry Orchard led by Kristin Scott Thomas and Stephen Mangan.
Accessing the offers couldn’t be simpler: head over London Theatre Week’s landing page (NB Time Out is a partner), and you can book discount tickets for participating shows during the four weeks of LTW. You don’t have to book to see shows before September 13 – that’s just the booking window. Not every offer will be available for every performance (ie if the tickets sell out), but go in with a bit of flexibility and you’ll be laughing.
London Theatre Week runs until Sep 13. Buy tickets here.
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