April 20... London’s West End is always a revelation. It’s now called Theatreland and it’s like Times Square in New York from mid-morning ‘til early the next morning. Ever since Covent Garden came into being with its dazzling array of shops and food outlets, it seems to have grown to cover most of the area in Theatreland, and it surrounds all of the entertainment venues.

All theatres seemed to have the same sized auditorium, ranging from 1,000 to 1,800 seats. There are 35 Broadway-type theatres and an equal number of cabarets, nightclubs, jazz houses and discos. Then there are some of the best concert halls in the world as will as many National Theatre, opera and ballet companies.

Here is just a sampling of what we saw and have seen on previous trips (these musicals all opened in the 80’s and are still running) : “Blood Brothers”, “Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story”, “Cats”, “Grease”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Les Miserables”, “Miss Saigon”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Oliver”, “Jolson”, which is an incredible success and “Starlight Express”. This year’s new musicals include “Heathcliff”, “The Goodbye Girl”, and “Marlene”- which I saw. The Sian Phillips impersonation of Dietrich is scary. Other plays include “The Importance of Being Oscar”, “The Woman in Black”, “Art”-which won the Olivier Award for the best comedy, “Attempts on Her Life”, “Halloween Night”, “School for Wives”, “Herbal Bed”, “American Buffalo” and “Popcorn”, a comedy/thriller about movie violence (which I saw) is sure to be on Broadway next season. The Agatha Christie murder mystery, “Mousetrap”, is now in its 52nd year!

The Old Vic Repertory Company, headed by Sir Peter Hall, has 12 shows in rep including “Waste”, “Cloud Nine” and “Hurley Burley”. The Royal National Theatre seasons are highlighted with productions of “King Lear” and “Lady in the dark”.

Jazz clubs are plentiful with Ronnie Scott’s being a must-visit, but book early in the day. Cabarets and nightclub shows even more plentiful, and include the Vegas-type Stringfellows, and the world famous drag club, Madame Jo-Jo’s and Pizza On the Park.

There are many road tours such as “Solid Silver 60’s”, starring Peter Noone, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Dave Berry and Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders. “Solid Silver 60’s” is currently on a three month tour of England. The “Rock’n’Pop Musicians in Concert” just finishing up a two month tour. Upcoming tours include Billy Ray Cyrus and Don Williams.

Then there are the tribute bands and shows. Every conceivable one you can think of. Here are just a few: Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Barry Manilow, Gary Glitter, Whos’s Who, Cliff Richards, Abba, Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Blues Brothers, Barbara Streisand, The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Oasis, Paul McCartney, Connie Francis, Diana Ross, Carpenters, Queen, Meat Loaf, Dire Straits, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Neil Sekada, Roy Orbison, Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Elton John, George Michael, Cher, Nat King Cole, Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Rolling Stones, Patsy Cline, Peter Noone, Benny Hill, Jim Reeves, Joe Cocker, Michael Bolton, Janet Jackson, Brenda Lee, Police, Pretenders, The Who, Spice Girls, Bette Midler, Peggy Lee, Pavarotti and Billy Joel just to name about 50% of these tribute bands and entertainers. They also have combination shows of the impersonators for giving awards, raising funds for charity, the ultimate 60’s concerts, the biggest rock & roll concerts, etc., etc., and all at half the price of the real thing! Some of them are even better than the originals…but none of these compare to the outrageous, stunning Danny La Rue, the incomparable female impersonator who has gone from the concert halls doing variety shows to touring Britain in the legitimate stage musical “Hello Dolly!”

Finally, there are the “look-alikes” which are many of the above tribute performers plus Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Prince Charles, Joan Collins, Humphrey Bogart, Father Christmas, Karl Marx, Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Robert DeNiro, Madonna, Stallone, Lady Thatcher, Joan Major, Charles Chaplin, Gloria Estefan, Pierce Brosnan, Henry VIII and The Sounds of Glen Miller to The Popular Hits of James Last, Whitney Houston and Many More…don’t ask!

I was so overwhelmed with the variety of non-stop entertainment that I had to get away from it for a while and spent one afternoon seeing the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Speakers Corner and other historical landmarks that I have seen many times before. I even went into a pub for a pint and fish and chips! Don’t knock it. London is great, a non-stop river of entertainment!