With a week and a half of 2018 behind us, it’s now the tipping point for New Year’s Resolutions across the country.
At this stage, you’ve either visited the gym four times a week, arrived at work a quarter of an hour early every day, and completely cut out all that Christmas chocolate… or your resolution has gone out of the window, and you’re wondering what all the fuss was about in the first place.
But not to worry either way: from helping to get your heart pumping, to bringing people from across the theatre community together, the benefits of seeing a London show can be surprisingly varied. So with the “New Year, New You” mentality still in mind, here are five reasons we think promising to see some theatre in January is the best New Year’s Resolution you could make.
Our annual New Year Sale runs until 9 February 2018 – take a look here.
It’s a much-needed feelgood fix
The Comedy About A Bank Robbery at Criterion Theatre (Photo: Darren Bell)
It’s early January. It’s another eleven months until Christmas again. 2018 is stretching out ahead of us in its vastness. after all the excitement of the past few weeks, it’s tough not to feel a touch of the January blues every now and again.
But if there’s one thing London theatre shows are perfect for, it’s lifting your spirits. West End shows are positively spring-loaded with infectious energy and cheer, and in the hands of some world-class creatives and performers, we defy you not to see a show and have a laugh, cry, a boogie – or all of the above.
Comedies, musicals, plays, operas, dance pieces – there’s something for you. And that’s without mentioning the little moments to enjoy, like the electrifying buzz of an auditorium three minutes before the curtain goes up… January blues, be gone!
It gets your heart going
After the peaceful holiday season (and possibly a tub of Celebrations or three!), it’s time to get your heart pumping again – and, perhaps surprisingly, research suggests that seeing a theatre show is fit for purpose.
A recent study conducted by University College London and the University of Lancaster found that at a West End performance of Dreamgirls, the heart-rates of audience members spent an average of 28 minutes beating at an elevated range – the optimal heart rate, in fact, to stimulate cardio fitness and stamina. Throw in any additional in-seat dancing you may wish to partake in (Mamma Mia!, I’m looking at you), and you’ve got a mini-workout on the cards.
So while it’s not quite a complete replacement for the gym, seeing a London show is a great way to get your cardiovascular system going again. And if you’re a performer at all… well, just check out what happened when we gave School Of Rock – The Musical‘s David Fynn (whose role is now played by Stephen Leask) a Fitbit for a single performance – wow!:
You can stretch the post-Christmas pound
Times can be tight after buying all those gifts in December, but in the New Year, there are always great value London theatre tickets to be found. There’s actually rarely a better time in the year to see shows on a budget.
Enter our New Year Sale: with thousands of discount theatre tickets available, and with no booking fees or any hidden costs, the price you see is the price you pay. Whether it’s musicals, comedies or dramas you’re after, you’re guaranteed both top quality entertainment and amazing value. So if there’s that one musical you’ve always wanted to see… how about making it the perfect start to 2018?
It’s the ideal date/mate night
Kelly Mathieson and Jeremy Taylor in The Phantom Of The Opera
For many people, the Christmas holidays are all about family – spending time with your loved ones, children, friends, aunts’ best friends’ dogs… But that can mean having a little less alone time with individuals, be it a best friend, a flatmate, or a significant other.
In fact, another recent study by University College London neuroscientists suggested that watching a live theatre performance can make your heartbeat synchronise with that of your fellow audience members – even complete strangers. Its results event hinted at the presence of a deeper social connection amongst the auditorium. There are few bonding experiences like it, so why not reconnect with a friend over a classic comedy?
The theatre community
John McCrea and the company of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Photo: Alastair Muir)
The camaraderie amongst theatregoers is unlike that of any other live entertainment experience. In a London theatre, it’s quite easy to get chatting to your neighbour about the show at the interval or, if you’d rather leave your worries behind, it’s easy to get out of the house, head to a show, and lose yourself in another world.
Our community is a special one, unique in its capacity to celebrate and support one another. And there’s never a better time to celebrate that then the start of a bright new year. Happy 2018, everybody – let’s make it a theatre-stuffed one to remember!
Our annual New Year Sale runs until 9 February 2018, offering £10, £20, £30 and £40 tickets for a huge selection of London’s best and brightest plays and musicals.