Theatres in London

West End theatre

When theatre fans speak of the world of theatres in London, they might be referring to the West End theatre profession. West End theatre is located in the London area encompassing The Strand, Shaftesbury Avenue, and Drury Lane (among other places.) There are an estimated forty major theatres in this district whose nickname is Theatreland. West End theatre is popular among tourists and London residents alike. Amazingly, many US actors have been able to make their mark in performances in theatres in London (including Hollywood celebs like Kevin Spacey, Ewan McGregor, David Schwimmer, Rob Lowe, Val Kilmer and Brooke Shields.) Ticket sales dictate whether a West End theatre show will have an extended or limited run. The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie has been running for almost 55 years.

The Mousetrap

Agatha Christie may have been able to create one of the most popular and longest running theatre masterpieces with her murder mystery dubbed The Mousetrap. Not only has it been a mainstay in the West End district of the theatres in London for almost 55 years, equally interesting is that no audience that has been able to witness its surprising ending have divulged that secret to future audiences (per the request of Agatha Christie herself.) Mathew Prichard (grandson of Agatha Christie) now owns the rights to The Mousetrap and all the other works of Agatha Christie. Anthony Hicks, (son-in-law of Agatha Christie) came up with the name The Mousetrap. Watching theatres in London would probably not be complete without viewing at least one performance of The Mousetrap.