| The area of London known as the West End is | | | | endorsement of both the West End and the medium |
| actually about as central as it is possible to be in the | | | | of the musical: The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, |
| capital. It is wedged between three major parks, the | | | | Jesus Christ, Superstar, Joseph, Aspects of Love, |
| Thames and the City of London, and is the commercial | | | | Cats and Starlight Express is a small sample of |
| heartbeat of the city, with Bond Street, Regent Street | | | | household name shows. Even seemingly unlikely |
| and Oxford Street being its most famous shopping | | | | candidates such as Ben Elton have proved to be |
| areas. Embassies, government, media and top hotels | | | | talented writers of musicals for the West End, and |
| are based here. But when people refer in common | | | | luminaries such as Stephen Sondheim and Rogers & |
| parlance the the West End, they are usually talking | | | | Hammerstein regularly have had their work performed |
| about the theaters and playhouses - and the shows | | | | here. Notable adaptations In skilful hands, a book, film, |
| that make them famous - in much the same way as | | | | play or biography can be adapted to be a musical - |
| Broadway is used as a general term for the New | | | | and vice versa. The Sound of Music was a successful |
| York equivalent. The district's theatres are numerous, | | | | stage musical long before it became the Christmas |
| and are well known for hosting the grandest, most | | | | perennial we all know and love, and its songs have |
| lavish and best loved shows as well as putting on | | | | become iconic. Indeed, My Favourite Things has |
| plays that feature A-list names from not just the UK | | | | become a jazz standard, and a recent BBC talent |
| but also Hollywood and beyond. World famous names | | | | show was based around finding the perfect Maria for |
| You do not have to be a Londoner to have heard of | | | | a stage production. The music of Abba was made into |
| the names that typify the West End experience: | | | | the 1999 hit musical Mamma Mia! And is one of the |
| Oxford Street, Strand, Shaftesbury Avenue, Drury | | | | world's top grossing musicals, no doubt partly due to |
| Lane, Kingsway and the South Bank are synonymous | | | | the enduringly popular songs, and a film version is set |
| with performance. Names like Dominion, Palladium, | | | | to continue this success. A musical made from a book |
| Coliseum, Adelphi, Lyceum and the Royal Opera | | | | that is a prequel of an adaptation of another book can |
| House have obvious connotations, and because such | | | | also succeed! This is demonstrated by Wicked, a |
| venues represent the ultimate goal of every ambitious | | | | musical based on the early life of the Wicked Witch of |
| and talented performer, the shows and productions | | | | the West, a character in The Wizard of Oz, the 1939 |
| are among the most critically acclaimed in the world. | | | | movie of a 1900 book ... If a musical is creative, |
| Some West End shows have made themselves the | | | | imaginative and features evocative songs, success at |
| most thrilling, memorable and commercially successful | | | | the West End could well leave its cultural mark on |
| works of art in history, and countless examples have | | | | generations to come. |
| toured, wowing fans the world over. The shows of | | | | Charlie Buquette wrote this article about Musical Sheet |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber alone represent a sparkling | | | | Music. |