Entertainment - Central London
Theatre
London's theatres are world famous, presenting everything from blockbuster musicals to Shakespeare plays. The Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross Road and Covent Garden areas possess the highest concentration of theatres, but the South Bank also has its share, including Shakespeare's Globe, the National Theatre and the Old and New Vics. There are respected and popular local theatres in many areas outside the city centre, including Greenwich, Richmond and Islington.
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Classical Music, Dance and Opera
London is home to several world-class orchestras, playing at such venues as the Barbican Centre and the Festival Hall. These two venues are, in fact, large arts centres, with theatres, cinemas and art galleries in addition to their concert halls.
The Royal Opera House, in Covent Garden, is home to the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet companies. English National Opera performs in the English language at the Coliseum, in nearby St Martin's Lane.
Cinema
Most top films are still premiered in Leicester Square before they are released to cinemas across London. Niche arthouse film buffs are well catered for in London, as you would expect. The British Film Institute shows re-released classics and arthouse pieces at the bfi IMAX in Waterloo, with its huge screen yet intimate atmosphere, or check out the National Film Theatre, also on the South Bank. Tickets for film showings at the large chain cinemas, such as the Odeon and UCI cinemas, can be booked online at the respective cinema-group websites; alternatively, telephone numbers for them can be found either in Yellow Pages or on www.yell.com
North London
Theatre
Hampstead Theatre has a strong reputation for ground-breaking drama, with great children’s theatre, too. New End Theatre presents new and challenging work in an intimate setting – there are just 84 seats here. Sadler’s Wells theatre is home to the English National Ballet, and is visited by many touring dance companies.
Cinema
The Everyman, in Hampstead, is an art house cinema with a clubby feel. Screen on the Green, in Islington, shows independent, mainstream releases and films from around the world.
East London (Docklands)
Theatre
Hackney Empire originally staged music hall before it fell into decline; it was restored and re-opened in 2004, and is a unique building, justly commended for its architecture. It stages every type of performance – from family productions, dance and music to classic drama – in its Main and Acorn theatres.
Cinema
The Rio Cinema, in Dalston Kingsland, is a landmark, with its stunning Art Deco façade and interior. It shows world cinema, and offers a Saturday morning children's film club and regular midweek classic matinees.
South London
Theatre
In Southwark, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre has been recreated in all its Elizabethan glory, and hosts notable Shakespearean productions. Greenwich Theatre has a reputation as a test-bed for the West End, as does the popular Churchill Theatre, in Bromley High Street. Richmond Theatre also showcases many pre-West End productions. The little Orange Tree Theatre, near the station, plays host to more experimental productions. Wimbledon Theatre has an excellent reputation for pantomime, and there’s a specialist theatre for younger arts lovers in the area, too: the Polka Children’s Theatre.
Perhaps South London's best-known entertainment venue is the huge O2 complex, on Greenwich peninsula, which stages a wide range of musical, sporting and other events.
Cinema
The Ritzy Cinema, in Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, is the largest independent cinema in the UK, with five screens showing world cinema and regular Sunday matinees. A little way down the A2, at the Bluewater retail and leisure destination, Greenhithe, the Showcase multiscreen cinema shows mainstream blockbusters, but also has a studio showing arthouse films.
West London
Theatre
Hammersmith is a major West London arts centre, with two theatres, the Lyric and the Riverside, and the Apollo, which plays host to pop concerts and other events. The Royal Court Theatre, often the setting for alternative productions, is in Sloane Square, Chelsea. The Riverside Studios is one of London’s flagship cultural venues. It stages performances, mostly of contemporary theatre, in two spaces, plus there’s a cinema, TV studio and exhibition space.
Cinema
Riverside Studios is one of the last repertory cinemas in the UK, screening two double bills every evening. The Gate, in Notting Hill, presents arthouse films and world cinema, and has become a magnet for film connoisseurs. In Harrow, there’s a ten-screen cinema at the St Georges’ shopping centre.
