Scotland

At $2 to the pound until quite recently London seemed like an expensive and crowded tourist option for many Americans, Europeans and Australians. But the credit crunch has seen to that and London is suddenly 20% cheaper. And now the summer is over the crowds have dissipated and London is left with world-class attractions and plenty of beds, seats and chairs for visitors.

Recommended London theatre

Right now there are a number of particularly good productions on stage in London. Whether you are interested in musicals or serious theatre there are in excess of 75 plays in production. However, as I know that many visitors in London are after a jolly show I have profiled three musicals below as well as a serious piece theatre which promises to be one of the most talked-about productions of the decade.

Billy Elliot. Based on the hit film released in 2000 about a boy growing-up in a grim Northern town during the 1985 Miner?s strike, but with a passion and talent for ballet. Music by Sir Elton John is heart-warming and the direction is by Stephen Daldry. This is the original stage production which has been running since 2005 and has spawned many productions in countries like Australia, Canada and Japan. But the original show is still the best.

The trend of Hollywood or TV stars treading the boards on the West End continues appropriately enough with the premiere of film-to-stage show Rain Man which debuts at London’s Apollo Theatre on the 19th of September. Rain Man has been adapted for the stage by Dan Gordon and tells the same story as the film starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman for which Hoffman won an Oscar. The story revolves around the discovery by car salesman Charlie that he has an older brother, Raymond, who had been institutionalised since he was a kid. Ray is an autistic savant with all the social difficulties the condition entails. However, he has a genius for numbers which turns in handy when Charlie’s business is in trouble. The play stars Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down, The Black Dahlia) and well-known London thespian Adam Godley.

Hamlet. Shakespeare?s signature tragedy is on at the edgy Donmar Warehouse with Jude Law as Hamlet and direction by Kenneth Banagh. With this quality of talent the production promises to be impossible to miss. The King of Denmark, Hamlet?s father, is murdered and Prince Hamlet is overcome with grief and resolves to avenge his father?s death. The consequences for Hamlet, his family and his Kingdom are devastating.

Before the film it was a London show. Mamma Mia! may have been a screen sensation but Londoners have been dancing in the aisles to ABBA music for years and we continue to flock to this sensational stage-show in droves. This is a unique production because it is so engaging. You will be drawn into the show and end up on your feet belting out the familiar tunes. Better than a win at the races for lifting your spirits.

After the show why not head to Edgware Road. At the Marble Arch end is a row of about 30 Lebanese restaurants each more authentic than the next. The Arabian style strip stays open extra late so you will never go hungry no matter how late you get out. This is London with a twist.

Getting to the West End by public transport is a piece of cake. It is served by the Central Line and the Piccadilly line. The Transport for London website is the easiest source of tube and bus information if you have on line access in London.