The Best Of The British Tour Productions
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London Theatre Direct
If you’re not a frequent Londoner because you either live too far away or you just can’t afford it, then regional touring theatre is what you theatre addicts thrive off. Luckily, as UK theatre companies have started to realise this in recent times, it’s nice to see some more shows take the road and travel to those who can’t get down to the West End. So, let’s take a moment to talk about some of the best tours we’ve had around the country recently, and some that need to take to the road asap!
Wicked
I think it’s fair to say that when Wicked toured the country, we could all here the Oz-fans around the country rejoicing that they could finally experience the show in their hometown as opposed to trekking down to London. Though I didn’t get to catch the show myself, I heard nothing but amazing things, with the only difference to the West End show being the atmosphere the Apollo Victoria and its decor has to offer.
Cats
Another successful tour that has now found its feet at the London Palladium (read my Cats review here) is Cats, which was another “outstanding” tour according to my friends who saw it. It came to one of my local theatres earlier on in the year, but because it isn’t quite local enough (and because it sold out so quickly) I had to give it a miss until the London opening was announced – I went along to the second preview, and am already looking forward to see it again mid-January!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
When this show closed in the West End without me seeing it, I never thought I’d get the chance to catch it again because of the massive production values. Luckily, a tour was soon announced and it came to my local theatre so with my Grandma and the W.I. she leads in tow, we took a night out in a (more realistic and not-so-green) Oz. From what I understand, the show in London was very similar in every way possible, and I even got to see Jason Donovan reprise his role as Anthony!
Legally Blonde: The Musical
I don’t think any of my theatre loving friends are not madly in love with Legally Blonde, and those friends include my Grandma! My Grandma and I actually caught this on tour twice (in two of our local theatres – if you can’t tell, my Grandma and I go to the theatre together a lot) and absolutely loved it. My friend Abbie saw it in London and after comparing programmes, it became clear that both shows were very, very similar once again: another fantastic tour I think! Just a shame we never got a massive house at the start of the show like the original Broadway production...
Any others?
Now me saying that those four tours of big blockbuster shows were awesome may be good and well, but what else would you like to see take to the road and tour the county? Another Les Miz tour? A new production of an old show? Tweet me your thoughts, and maybe they’ll appear in a future post!
Written by Shaun Nolan
@shaunycat