Playing to the gallery
Have you been to a theatre? Oops…not to watch a movie, but to watch live performers on stage, before an audience. Yes, much like your school plays. The artistes communicate their story through speech, song, music and dance.
In the West End of London, U.K (popularly referred to as the West End) are several such theatres. This is the commercial and entertainment centre of the city. All aspiring actors hope and wish that one day they will perform at the West End.
The longest running play at the West End is Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap. This whodunit play has been running at the St. Martins Theatre for an astonishing 68 consecutive years and with over 27,000 performances.
Now let’s take a look at other plays which have had a long run. Some of had to be stopped when the pandemic struck.
Starlight Express is about a child’s train set that comes to life and competes to become the fastest engine in the world. This is rock musical show combined with skating. It opened in March 1984 and had a long, successful run till January 2002.
You must have watched the movie, but can you imagine The Lion King on stage? It offers a spectacular theatrical experience exploding with glorious colours and stunning effects. It has been running since 1999.
If you love music then Mamma Mia is going to be favourite. It features all the best of ABBA hits ‘Super Trouper,’ ‘Dancing Queen’ and, of course, ‘Mamma Mia.’ It has been on since 2012.
Now this can be tricky. Cat lovers will love the play. Yes, Cats. But, what happens if you don’t love cats? Jellicles, the tribe of cats featured in this play will set you right. It played from May 1981 to May 2002.
Sometimes, especially at times like this when you are stuck at home, alone, you wish you had a twin right? And then, imagine, if you suddenly discover you had one? That’s the story of Blood Brothers. A heart warming show that is said to have left theatre-goers in tears night after night. It opened in July 1988 and ran for almost 15 years.
The Wizard of Oz is a captivating story. Now, Wicked, is a play that tells the story from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz. The story begins before Dorothy arrives in the Land of Oz. It opened in 2003 and had to stop performances in 2019 because of Covid-19.
Matilda opened in 2011 much to the joy of Roald Dahl fans. As you are well aware, this is the story of Matilda, and intelligent girl whose parents would prefer her to watch television than read or study.
In a town struck down by a mining strike, Billy Elliot is keen on ballet. This is his story. The play opened in 2005 and ran for almost 11 years.
Now that you have read this brief synopsis of the longest running plays in the West End, try this wordsearch. The grid has the names of the plays, but it is not as easy as it seems. Some of the titles are there only in part. Have fun.