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By Melanie Votaw
Photos courtesy of Visit Britain and Melanie Votaw
In London, the question isn’t how to find something to do; it’s how to choose from all of the possibilities. Of course, the first thing that comes to my mind when someone mentions London entertainment is the theater. London’s West End theater district is equal to, if not better than, Broadway. In fact, the two have a lot of shows in common, but you’ll also find plays that you’ll never get to see in the U.S.
A friend and I saw Kenneth Branagh starring in a new translation of Chekhov’s Ivanov by Tom Stoppard at the Wyndhams Theatre on Charing Cross Road. I’m a theater buff, but I have to admit that I’ve never enjoyed Chekhov – until this production. There were numerous funny moments, and every actor in the cast was a standout.
We got our tickets through Keith Prowse, a ticket agency that has been in business since 1780. The agency has its own house seats at Wyndhams, so we were in the fourth row dead center. We could almost see the pores on Branagh’s nose. Keith Prowse’s name was actually printed on our tickets, so if you’re looking for excellent seats for the theater, a concert, the opera, a sporting event, or most anything else in London, New York, or Disney, this service can really deliver.
I also managed to see two other actors from the Harry Potter films on stage. (Branagh was in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.) Michael Gambon, who plays Dumbledore, and David Bradley, who plays Filch in the Potter movies were starring in the Harold Pinter play, No Man’s Land at the Duke of York’s Theatre. It’s a strange play, but it was great fun to watch these veteran actors who have a special talent for creating odd characters. Unfortunately, our seats at this theater weren’t from Keith Prowse, so we were sitting a bit farther back in the orchestra or “stalls” section.
If theater isn’t your thing, try comedy. I had a wonderful evening at the Comedy Store, watching some of the best improvisational comedians around. If you’ve ever seen the original British version of the television show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, you’re probably familiar with Josie Lawrence, an actress/comic who was also in the film, Enchanted April. She performed the night I attended the Comedy Store, so you can often see name comedians there. The club is centrally located in the Picadilly Circus/Leicester Square area.
For more classical entertainment, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is home to both the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. Both are internationally renowned companies, and the “Royal” titles were bestowed by the Queen. There is also the English National Opera, which is well-known for its productions in English, and the English National Ballet, which performs at the London Coliseum. The famed Sadler’s Wells is known as “London’s Dance House,” and you’ll find British and international programs there from classical ballet to tango.
If modern music is more your style, London is still one of the centers of the world for rock and jazz. The original Marquee Club where the Rolling Stones and Jim i Hendrix played back in the day is no longer in existence, but there are more opportunities to hear live music in London than I could possibly mention. For names like Duffy, The Pogues, and Roisin Murphy, Brixton Academy is a good choice. For the smaller local band experience, try the Borderline, the Big Chill Club, or Notting Hill Arts Club, just to name three possibilities.
For jazz, Ronnie Scotts in Soho, Octave in Covent Garden, and Bulls Head in the suburb of Barnes are three of London’s most celebrated clubs. Artists like Cleo Laine and Abdullah Ibrahim headline at Ronnie Scotts. Bulls Head is low key but attracts top musicians, so you can have a relaxing evening there in a quiet section of London.
For those who’d rather not sit still, London has plenty of nightclubs where you can  dance and meet locals, including the Ministry of Sound near the Elephant & Castle Underground station. I prefer China White for dancing because of its location in Picadilly Circus, which makes it a convenient place to go after the theater, or Salsa! on Charing Cross Road for a very specific dancing experience, including salsa lessons.
You may not think of history as entertaining, but learning about London’s past can be anything but a bore. The tour at the Tower of London is very funny, and children will enjoy it immensely. An authentic Beefeater leads the walks, which include tales of gore, murder, and beheadings during the reign of Henry VIII and more.
If you want to stick with the gore and murder, take the Jack the Ripper Walk with the world’s leading authority on the famous serial killer through London Walks, which claims to be the first walking tour company in the city. I’ve always been fascinated by the Victorian era in London, and London Walks has tours that offer a glimpse of what it was like to live during the time, one of which focuses on Dickens’ London. There is also a Beatles tour that takes you to London sites important to the Fab Four and a Sherlock Holmes tour. There are ghost tours, pub crawls, and a walk focusing on Oscar Wilde’s London.
I took the Harry Potter tour, which took us to spots like King’s Cross station and the place that inspired Diagon Alley. The guide was great with adults and children alike. I tried to manage a walking tour with Chocolate Ecstasy Tours, but I ran out of time. They take you to London’s finest chocolate shops for a “throw your diet away” experience.
Entertaining the kids is very easy in London, and one option is the London Wetland Centre in the suburb of Barnes. You’ll get to see an area of London seldom visited by tourists, and you’ll have an authentic nature experience. Even in bad weather, you can stand in the observatory with huge glass windows watching the ducks and other birds on the water. As a bird watcher, I enjoyed my time at the Centre immensely, even though it was cold and rainy at the time.
While I didn’t get a chance to take in any of London’s sports, they’re worth a mention. I’d love to see live rugby in Britain, but I’ll have to wait until next time to catch a match at Twickenham Rugby Stadium, which requires about an hour of travel by train from central London. Alternatively, watch football at the famous Wembley Stadium or cricket at Lord’s Cricket Ground, which is about a half hour away from central London by bus.
Whatever your entertainment preferences, boredom during a visit to London is simply impossible. Your only dilemma will be passing on one option in order to take in another.
Links:
Keith Prowse – http://www.keithprowse.com
The Comedy Store – http://www.thecomedystore.co.uk/
London Walks – http://www.walks.com
Chocolate Ecstasy Tours – http://www.chocolateecstasytours.com
Visit London – http://www.visitlondon.com
© April 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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