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Royal Opera House One
of the greatest opera houses in the world, this theatre is home to the
Royal Ballet Company, and hosts international opera productions. Apart
from the sumptuous main auditorium, there are the smaller Lindberg and
Clore theatres which have music and dance. There are regular backstage
tours and occasional big-screen live simulcasts of opera in the Piazza .
The National Theater Seeing
a play at the National Theater takes you to the heart of London’s
cultural life. Within the grey blocks of this innovative building,
designed by Denys Lasdun in 1976, you can see a musical, a classic or a
new play in one of its three theatres: the Olivier, the Lyttelton or the
Cottesloe. Check for free shows and exhibitions in the foyer. Reduced
price tickets are sold from 10am on the day of the performance. South Bank SE1 020 7452 3000
Barbican Centre Home
of one of the best music companies in the world – the London Symphony
Orchestra – the Barbican is the City’s most important arts complex.
Theatre, cinema, concerts, dance and exhibitions can all be seen here,
and there are plenty of restaurants, cafés and bars. The centre also
contains a library, convention hall and music school .
London Coliseum London’s
other principal opera house presents excellent productions sung in
English by the English National Opera. The theatre re-opened in early
2004 after extensive restoration work.
Golden globe atop the London Coliseum
Queen Elizabeth Hall Part
of the Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall, along with the Purcell
Room, Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery, has a programme of
musical, arts and literary activities. Sadler’s Wells After
winning a reputation as the best dance theatre in London in the 1950s,
Sadler’s Wells now also hosts music and opera. The stunning new building
prides itself on its community events as well as its international
dance shows .
Performers at Sadler’s Wells
Royal Albert Hall This
distinctive, circular building was designed to resemble a Roman
amphitheatre, and has a delicate Classical frieze around the exterior.
The excellent acoustic inside makes this a premier venue for every kind
of concert, including the “Proms” .
Royal Albert Hall
Royal Court Theatre The
cream of new drama can be seen at this charming small theater. Recently
refurbished, both the main, and tiny upstairs theater, are important
London venues. Play “actor spotting” in the new restaurant and bar. Sloane Square SW1 020 7565 5000
Royal Court Theatre façade
Riverside Studios With
a glorious location by the Thames at Hammersmith, this is a fascinating
arts and media centre. An eclectic programme includes cinema, theatre,
dance and the visual arts. Works of such innovators as Samuel Beckett
and Peter Brook have premiered here. Once BBC studios, Riverside Studios
is still used to make TV shows. The pleasant café and bar are a draw in
themselves. Crisp Road W6 Tube Hammersmith 020 8237 1111
ICA A
stately, colonnaded terrace by Nash houses London’s hippest gallery,
the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The ICA’s cutting edge policy on the
visual arts includes developing new and challenging digitally-produced
works, and Becks Futures, the UK’s largest arts prize for students. The Mall SW1 020 7930 3647
Colonnade at the ICA
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