The Show Must Go On will bring together some of the city’s best musicals for a musical extravaganza.
We’ve had so little West End theatre this year that putting it all together in one massive, showstopping production almost feels greedy – and yet, this is what The Show Must Go On will do next month. Arriving at the Palace Theatre (in normal times, the home of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) from November 13-15, this incredible night of theatre will see a load of our favourite musicals joining forces to get out-of-work performers back on stage, and raise money for charity.
The Show Must Go On boldly promises “The best of the West End on one stage”, and looking at the shows they’ve got lined up, it’s actually pretty hard to disagree. At present, nine musicals – Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked, Six, Mamma Mia, The Prince of Egypt, & Juliet, Come From Away, Tina, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – have been confirmed for the concert series, and organisers are hoping to bring even more into the fold soon.
You’ll see casts from the aforementioned shows performing Olivier-winning hits and more, in what essentially amounts to Now! That’s What I Call Musicals. The Palace Theatre will be taking plenty of precautions to keep guests healthy, including a reduced capacity, lots of hand sanitiser, the use of track and trace and temperature testing, and requiring all guests to wear a mask at all times.
Better than the return of musical theatre – if, indeed, there is such a thing – is the fact that funds raised by these concerts will benefit two excellent arts charities. Acting For Others aims to provide emotional and financial support to theatre workers in times of crisis such as these, whilst The Fleabag Support Fund (yes, that Fleabag) supports freelancers across theatre, comedy, and cabaret who are currently struggling to find work. Four performances are available, and with tickets starting from £22.50, it’s your best and cheapest chance to support the West End currently on offer – and the ability to do good for others whilst watching live theatre can’t be undersold!