London's West End Theatre Launches Christmas Season 2014

The website of London's West End Theatre - WestEndTheatre.com - has launched the West End Theatre Christmas Season 2014 for the forthcoming holiday season.

The Christmas Season 2014 brings together all major London Theatre events running in the Capital over the holidays, showcasing the wealth of musicals, drama, comedy and entertainment playing in London.

Christmas-themed shows
Shows featuring a Christmas and seasonal theme this year include Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre starring Aled Jones and Tom Chambers; circus and burlesque show La Soiree at the Winter Festival on the Southbank; the return to London of spectacular Slava's Snowshow and the stage adaptation of Raymond Briggs' classic The Snowman; Morecambe and Wise tribute Eric and Little Ern at the St James Theatre; and E Nesbit's The Railway Children at King's Cross Station featuring a real steam train.

Dance and Ballet this Christmas
Ballet and dance highlights over Christmas in London include English National Ballet's sumptuous Edwardian Christmas-themed production of The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum; Matthew Bourne's acclaimed dance adaptation of Edward Scissorshands at Sadler's Wells Theatre; the Royal Ballet's West End transfer of The Wind in the Willows at the Vaudeville Theatre narrated by British TV favourite Alan Titchmarsh; and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland at the Royal Opera House.

New big-name Musicals
Major musicals enjoying their first Christmas in the West End this year include Made in Dagenham The Musical at the Adelphi Theatre starring Gemma Arterton; Tony Award-winner Memphis The Musical starring Beverley Knight at the Shaftesbury Theatre; the return to London of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical CATS in a new production starring Nicole Scherzinger at the London Palladium; Tamsin Greig in the musical adaptation of Pedro Almodovar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at the Playhouse Theatre; The Scottsboro Boys from the writers of Cabaret and Chicago at the Garrick Theatre; Jerry Mitchell's production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre starring Robert Lindsay; The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter Theatre; Cameron Mackintosh's major revival of Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre; and Jamie Lloyd's revivals of Assassins at the Menier Chocolate Factory starring Catherine Tate and Aaron Tveit, and Urinetown at the Apollo Theatre.

Long-running shows playing over Christmas include Ronan Keating in ONCE The Musical, Billy Elliot, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Michael Jackson show Thriller Live, ABBA musical Mamma Mia!, Broadway hit Jersey Boys, soul musical The Commitments, Disney's The Lion King, Matilda The Musical, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Book of Mormon, STOMP and WICKED.

Comedy and Drama
Acclaimed and award-winning plays this Christmas range from nail-biting thrillers to intense drama and hilarious comedy. Major new drama productions include Kristin Scott Thomas in Electra (until 20 December) at the Old Vic; Tim Pigott-Smith in the Almeida's five-star production of King Charles III at the Wyndham's Theatre; and Antony Sher in the RSC's Henry IV Parts I and II at the Barbican Theatre.

Comedies include the lavish stage adaptation of Shakespeare in Love at the Noel Coward Theatre; Adrian Edmondson and Neil Morrissey in Neville's Islandat the Duke of Yorks; Jane Horrocks in East is East at the Trafalgar Studios; slapstick comedy The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre; and Richard Bean's Great Britain at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

They are joined by long-running plays including National Theatre hits War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Mousetrap, Ghost Stories, The Woman in Black and The 39 Steps.

Discounts and Offers
Alongside comprehensive theatre listings, the Christmas Season 2014 guide features a host of London Offers, providing up to 70% off tickets to major West End shows, plus Theatre and Dinner packages and London Hotel & Theatre Breaks.

Offers featured in the Season Guide include:
• Discounted tickets to major London shows including Thriller Live, The Commitments, King Charles III, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• Theatre & Dinner packages including Mamma Mia! and Memphis The Musical
• Savings on London hotel and theatre breaks including Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Paul Raven, publisher of WestEndTheatre.com, said: "The West End is one of the most Christmasy places on earth, with thousands of visitors coming to see the Christmas lights of Oxford Street and Regent's Street and enjoying London's world-class Christmas entertainment.

"For many people seeing a West End show at one of London's 50 West End theatres is an important part of their Christmas, and we are delighted to launch the West End's Christmas Season for 2014."

The West End Theatre Christmas Guide can be found at: www.westendtheatre.com

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