When one thinks of a theatre city, London and New York get the most love, and rightfully so. The two have the built a tradition and history of offering some of the Earth’s best art offerings and live entertainment. And usually anything worthwhile goes through these two international cities.
But the world is big and that got us wondering whether where all the other great theatre cities are around the world past Broadway and the West End. We came up with a short list of the world’s best destinations to not only see Broadway shows, but live events, performances, art house shows.
New York City: The Original “Broadway”
New York City is Broadway and Broadway is New York City. The diagonal thoroughfare that cuts through Manhattan is synonymous with theatre. The ‘City that Never Sleeps’ theatre district is centered on Broadway in and around Times Square.
If you’re seeing a show in one of the approximately 40 professional theaters along the winding street called Broadway and located in Midtown Manhattan’s Theater District as well Lincoln Center further north, you’re watching something “on Broadway”.
London: The West End
London’s West End is where you want to be to see the best shows in this global city with famous and popular West End Theatres such as The Playhouse, Queen’s Theatre, The Piccadilly, Victoria Apollo and Prince Edward.
In 2015, TodayTix brought their mobile-ticketing service to London’s West End. The West End of London is where the majority of the city’s major entertainment venues were located. When TodayTix started their service in the company’s second location, they wanted to get it right. So by the launch, a foundation was already built and momentum had begun. The company was working with “more than 40 West End shows” including. Today, it’s hard not to find any well-known show that’s not on the app.
Paris: Theatre District
The City of Lights doesn’t have the quantity of shows and live performances as their top-tier cousins, but as you’d expect from a “cultured” global city, Paris has event options. The French city offers nearly 150 theatres and venues all over the city that offer major productions, musicals and other live performances. The most well-known and popular productions can be found at the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Opéra national de Paris, Bercy Arena, the Zénith de Paris, the Palais des Sports, and the Théâtre Mogador. Don’t speak French, not to worry, many of the theatres provide subtitling in English to suit tourists. So if you are spending a romantic week eating, relaxing and making love. Check out theatreinparis.com to see some of the best offerings the city has to offer.
Los Angeles: Theatre District
The Theatre District in Los Angeles is obviously the neighborhood you want to be if you want to catch Los Angeles-based shows or touring Broadway shows that come into the sprawling metropolis.
So you’re in L.A. and want last minute theater tickets on the cheap? I’m not the biggest fan of TodayTix, but the company expanded to the West Coast in 2015, and has since quadrupled their sales and user base. TodayTix offers discounted tickets for 30+ shows in Los Angeles for a bunch of your favorite Off-Broadway favorites. You can purchase discounted tickets for same-day shows or up to a month in advance.
Outside of that, you’re on your own. And the city known more for Hollywood than Broadway, you’ll be surprised at the options you have in the City of Angels.
Las Vegas: The Strip
If you want me to be completely honest, and I hope you do, I am not a big fan of Las Vegas. I think the place is overrated. Now that I had time to be truthful, I will say that the city is a fantastic destination for live performances. Everything from magic shows, Celine Dion to Britney Spears to Cirque Du Soleil, Las Vegas doesn’t lack in terms of live offerings. Information about the instruments on runthemusic.com website.
Whether you’re into circus acts, comedy shows or former, male and female revues and current pop stars taking up residency, the city certainly is one in which you gives you a cornucopia of live glitz and glamour, served with cheese and without cheese.
Tokyo, Japan
When it comes to live performances and shows in Asia, it’s no surprise that it’s Tokyo that represents the continent. Even so, it’s a developing industry. Though there isn’t a “Broadway” or “West End” theatre district in Tokyo, there’s a lot of theater and live performances to be found in the bustling metropolis. Since there’s not one specific neighborhood of Tokyo where you’ll find a huge selection in the city from underground, mainstream, or experimental. And like Paris just because you can’t speak the local language, you can still find English-speaking shows, you just to have to know where to look.
Chicago: Downtown Theatre District
TodayTix was founded in New York City back in 2013, expanded into the Chicago metro area two years later in December 2015. Since then, they have amassed over 50 local shows available through the app. Chicago has a bustling theater industry with many famous theatres like the Cadillac Palace, Chicago and Oriental Theatre. The city features many of Broadways favorite hits, including Aladdin, The King and I, and Something Rotten.
If you’re looking for some last minute tickets, or planning your visit to the Chicago area, check out the TodayTix app to find discounted tickets on shows. If TodayTix isn’t your thing, you have the option of buying discounted tickets from the League of Chicago’s Hot Tix service which usually offers tickets at 50% off.
TodayTix *can* offer tickets up to 72% off. Depending on the show, you may find a better deal through Hot Tix. If you can’t find tickets available on one of these sites, try the alternative as a back up option to finding tickets.
The list is obviously a work in progress as we promised you 12 cities.
We’ll finish off this list with these other great theatre cities: Melbourne (Australia), Edinburgh (Scotland), Athens (Greece), Minneapolis (USA), and Toronto (Canada). Stay tuned.