In the countdown to West End LIVE, we’ve got a few fun surprises planned around Theatreland! We’re celebrating not only live theatre, but some of the iconic locations around London all on the doorstop of the West End.
Dear Evan Hansen and Six wow Trafalgar Square
We had our final Sing It From The Rooftops performance today, finishing off in style with a double whammy pop-up show in the boiling sunshine. With loud music and the sun beaming down in Trafalgar Square, we were getting so excited for West End LIVE as we count down the less than two weeks until the biggest weekend of free musical theatre.
Sam Tutty and Lucy Anderson took to the roof of Canada House to perform three songs from Dear Evan Hansen; For Forever, Only Us and Waving Through The Window.
Canada House has been home to the Canadian High Commision since 1925, but it was built 100 years before that by the same architect as the British Museum.
It’s no stranger to live performances, with the cast of Come From Away having performed there several times!
The Six Queens once again hopped on top of the National Gallery to belt out the ever-popular Six, and performing right on top of the building that houses several Holbein paintings!!
Plus, did you know that the National Gallery is free to visit and is open until 6 every day? Opening late on Fridays too, the gallery is full of modern and classical art, and houses some incredible famous paintings from Holbein’s the Ambassadors to Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
Tina belts it out on top of Covent Garden
After announcing the performances for this year’s West End LIVE this morning, we kicked the countdown off with a pop-up performance from Tina – The Tina Turner Musical on the rooftop of the iconic covered market in Covent Garden. On the roof of SUSHISAMBA, Aisha Jawando performed a medley of songs from Tina Turner’s iconic catalogue including Proud Mary, We Don’t Need Another Hero and Simply The Best.
Watch her full performance here:
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A little bit of rain wasn’t enough to deter theatre fans or the incredible Aisha Jawando, who gave Tina herself a run for her money, with some of her greatest hits pumping in to Covent Garden, to the delight of umbrella-equipped onlookers.
Covent Garden is a centuries-old part of London, which has housed a market since the 1600s. It’s also home to the oldest theatre in London, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which is currently home to Disney’s Frozen; there’s been a theatre on that site since 1663!
This isn’t the first time Covent Garden’s seen pop-up performances from a musical classic; Willemijn Verkaik surprised audiences by performing Defying Gravity from Wicked on top of Ladurée’s terrace to celebrate the Olivier Awards 40th anniversary back in 2014. And it’s no stranger to musical links; My Fair Lady‘s Eliza Doolittle begins the play selling flowers in turn-of-the-century Covent Garden, asking passers-by spilling out of the Royal Opera House to buy flowers.
If you’re about in the West End before a show, it’s also a great spot to grab dinner. Loads of the spots in and around Covent Garden have pre-theatre Set Menus, including SUSHISAMBA, Balthazar, The Ivy Market Grill, Tuttons, Frenchie, VyTA and more. It’s a perfect place for summer with more than 1,000 outdoor dining seats across 55 restaurants. Check out our deals page to see which restaurants offer discounts and deals with your theatre ticket.
& Juliet brings the noughties back to Oxford Circus
Running from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street is one of the most recognisable streets in London, linked with London’s famous fashion and shopping scene.
This afternoon, the iconic street played host to our second pop-up Sing It From The Rooftops performance, with the cast of jukebox musical sensation & Juliet performing on one of London’s best hidden gems.
The cast hopped up to the top of the roof garden of John Lewis’ flagship Oxford Street’s which is home to Tinie Tempa’s fried chicken brand, RAPS, and host to live events throughout the year!
It’s not just a mile and a half of shopping that makes Oxford Street worth a visit, though! Don’t forget to look up; the unique architecture was designed by the same architect as Buckingham Palace, and the famous Oxford Circus interchange is one of the only diagonal pedestrian crossings in the United Kingdom, inspired by road crossings in Tokyo.
Keep your eyes glued to West End LIVE Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more teasers and updates about our upcoming surprise performances!