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If you love theatre, the West End offers some incredible musical and theatre performances.  From dancing and acting to singing along with your favourite musical songs, there’s always plenty of choice in the capital. And London discount theatre tickets are as common as cabs, provided you know where to look.

We’ve checked out some of the most popular musicals and theatre performances for families and compiled this list of discount offers and special deals, meaning you can enjoy a family evening out for less.

Shrek, The Musical
Matilda The Musical
Billy Elliot
The Tiger who came to Tea
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Wizard of Oz
The Lion King
Getting to London
Staying in London
Things to remember at the theatre

Shrek, The Musical

Remember Shrek the ogre and his ridiculous donkey sidekick? You can now see them brought to life in a musical version of the hit Dreamworks movie. A fun twist on classic fairytales, the show features Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh and Richard Blackwood. You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to cheap London discount theatre tickets and special offers too.

• Use your Tesco clubcard points: Forget paying cash, put your Tesco Clubcard points to good use and exchange them for tickets to see Shrek. £26 in Clubcard vouchers will get you one token to the show. Bookings must be made by December 17 and the tokens are valid for the rest of 2012.
• Kids go free: During August, kids aged 5-16 can get in free when you book through Ticketmaster, as part of Kids Week. The offer is valid when accompanied by a paying adult.
• Tickets from £19.50: Theatre Tickets Direct has a wide range of discount tickets on offer, starting from £19.50 each. Top price seats (normally £65) are also discounted to £49.50.
• Up to £32 off top price tickets: Even bigger discounts are available from Ticket Tree, provided you get in quick. Seats at selected performances have been slashed by as much as £32 – close to half price.
• Save up to £22.50 on last minute tickets: What’s Onstage also has discount tickets available. Some top price seats have been discounted to £47.50 until August 31, while selected last minute seats have been cut further to just £42.50.
• Cheap show and dinner deals: Discounttheatre.com has a selection of special show and dinner packages. Starting from an incredibly low £20.12, these packages include show tickets that are discounted by up to 36% as well as free dinner at the likes of Planet Hollywood, Fire & Stone and Covent Garden Grill.

Matilda The Musical

The tale of the little girl with an extraordinary brain, Roald Dahl’s stage production of Matilda is popular with children of all ages. A family-friendly musical, the show has been praised by critics, particularly Bertie Carvel’s portrayal of the foreboding Miss Trunchball. But if you’re after Matilda tickets, move quickly as the show is very popular and tickets are selling out fast!

• Superbreak theatre break offers: Superbreak offers some fantastic overnight London theatre deals, which include show tickets and hotel accommodation. These package deals can work out to be significantly cheaper than if you purchase both separately.
• Cheap tickets to Matilda: Check out the Matilda website for deals starting at £20. If you’re keen you’ll need to be quick, because this popular show is fast selling out. A small number of £5 tickets are released before each performance, which are available on the door on a first come first, served basis.

Billy Elliot

Set during the 1984 miner’s strike, Billy Elliot is the story of a young boy with a passion for dancing. Acclaimed for its emotional songs and captivating dance moves, get your ballet slippers out and head down to the Victoria Palace theatre to enjoy this production with the whole family.

• Kids go free: To mark Kids Week during August, Ticketmaster is offering free tickets for kids (aged 5-16) when an adult ticket is purchased. Check out the website for more details and dates.
• Show and Stay £98 packages: For £98 per person, Show and Stay is offering London theatre deals which include overnight accommodation. Offering a best price promise, if you find the same break for less, the company will match the price and give you a further £50 discount voucher.
• Get tickets from £24.50 with UK Theatre Tickets: This website has tickets to see Billy Elliot from just £24.50, including group discount rates, you should be able to find tickets to meet your budget.
• Theatre breaks from £68: Book with Just London Theatre Breaks to take advantage of theatre breaks from £68 per person, including show tickets, accommodation and breakfast. Be quick though, as offers are limited.

The Tiger who came to Tea

Judith Kerr’s childhood book ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ has been made into a theatre production. Launched on July 4 at the Lyric Theatre, it’s the perfect show for children aged three and over. Given its running time of 55 minutes, it is also a much cheaper option for families with young kids.

• Kids go free: Ticketmaster’s Kids Go Free offer extends to The Tiger who came to Tea for kids aged between three and five, when accompanied by a paying adult.
• Overnight theatre stays from £49: Ticket Tree has overnight breaks to see The Tiger who came to Tea from as little as £49 per person on selected dates. The trick is to be careful in choosing your dates – Saturday nights, for example, are generally the most expensive, starting from around £80 per person. The offer includes tickets to the show, hotel accommodation and breakfast.
• Theatre Breaks Direct packages from £60: With Theatre Breaks Direct, you can tailor your own package to meet your needs and get a discount. Check out the overnight deals at London hotels from as little as £60 per person.
• Buy tickets at the Nimax Theatre for £9: London Discount theatre tickets can be purchased directly from the Nimax theatre for as little as £9. Costing less than £40 for a family of four, it’s a great excuse to treat yourselves.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

After watching The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, every child wanders into their bedroom just to ‘check’ Narnia isn’t hiding in the back of their closet. Why not take your family to relive the magic with London discount theatre tickets?

• Kids go free: During August, Ticketmaster is offering free child tickets (ages 5-16) when an adult ticket is purchased.
• Up to £35 off: Ticket Tree has discounted tickets available on some of the best seats until September 9. The special offer means you could save up to £35 per ticket. These discounted tickets have only limited availability, and are only available for particular performances.
• Save 45% with What’s Onstage: Specialist theatre website What’s Onstage has a range of London theatre deals, including discount tickets for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe starting at just £27.50. That’s a discount of £22.50.
• Packages from £70 with Superbreak:  See the show and stay overnight in London this summer from £70 per person with Superbreak. Various dates are available on deals, but you’ll need to search to find the cheapest options for your family.

The Wizard of Oz

Join Dorothy, Toto and the Tinman for a trip down the yellow brick road this summer, as the musical includes all the best songs from the original movie. Better still, there are plenty of London theatre deals that include The Wizard of Oz!

• Save up to 50% with Lastminute.com: Lastminute.com has rolling London discount theatre tickets, so it pays to check their website. They currently have 50% off selected tickets for The Wizard of Oz, starting from just £22.50.
• Discount tickets from £16.50: Theatre Tickets Direct has a range of discount tickets to choose from for The Wizard of Oz, starting from just £16.50. There are also Top Price Seats available for £45 – a discount of £20 each.
• Kids Go Free: Yet another show covered by Ticketmaster’s Kids Go Free special offer for August, meaning kids aged 5-16 get in for free with a paying adult.
• Get up to £31 off standard prices: Ticket Tree has discount tickets for a huge range of shows when you book before October 1. Depending on when you go, you can save up to £31 on top rated seats.

The Lion King

Take a step into the heart of Africa with a trip to see The Lion King. Full of bright lights and a vibrant array of costumes, it remains one of the most popular west end shows after more than 10 years on the stage. A favourite with kids of all ages, the whole family will enjoy singing along to the ‘Circle of Life’ and ‘Can’t Wait to be King’.

• Save up to £25 Tuesday to Friday: Ticket Tree has savings of up to £25 on Gold tickets for shows on Tuesdays to Fridays. The discounted tickets can be booked right up until New Year’s Day.
• Get tickets from £30Lastminute.com is selling The Lion King tickets from £30. However, the majority of bookings are subject to an additional booking fee, although there are no booking fees on selected shows until August 4.
• Kids go free Book through Ticketmaster to take up the Kids Go Free offer in August. The offer is available for kids aged 5-16 when accompanied by a paying adult.
• Train discounts If you’re travelling in from outside of London, you can save 40% on your train tickets if you book your show tickets through The Train Line.

Getting to London

• National Express Family Coachcards National Express has some great deals at present to help save you money on getting into London if you live outside the city. If you do, or are planning to, travel regularly by coach, why not get your family a Family Coachcard. A 2plus2 Family Coachcard is available for just £16 per year, and means that all year-round, two kids travel free with any two paying adults.
• Group discounts on train travel If your trip to the theatre is with a larger group, you can get big discounts if you get to London by train. South West Trains, for example, has a Group Save offer, whereby three or four adults can travel and you only pay for two. You can also add up to four accompanying children for only £1 each. The Group Save discount is only available on off-peak travel.

Staying in London

If you’re quick, there’s lots of cheap deals to choose from.

• Laterooms Best of British Hotels Laterooms has a launched a Best of British Hotels campaign, with some great discounts and offers. It currently has three star hotel rooms available in London from £49 per night.

Things to remember at the theatre

There are a few points you should consider when booking London discount theatre tickets to any theatre performance:

• Prices vary drastically depending on which day and time you plan to go. Saturday nights are the peak period, and so are generally the most expensive. Mid-week and daytime shows are usually cheaper than night and weekend performances.
• Most theatres have three or more types of tickets, which are allocated depending on seating. The better the view from the seats, the more you will usually pay. However depending on where and how far in advance you book, you may be able to choose your own seats within your chosen price range – meaning you can get the best possible seats for your money.
• Photos are not permitted inside the theatre, and be sure to turn off your mobile phone before the show starts!