• Regents Park Open Air Theatre, near Queen Mary's Garden. 011-44-8700- 601-811, www.openairtheatre.org. Tube: Baker Street.
Running in repertory June 11-Sept. 8 are "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Henry IV, Part I" (June 7-Sept. 11), "Camelot" (July 23-Sept. 4) and "The Wind in the Willows" (July 27-Aug. 21). Tickets are $16 to $40.
Who needs the West End when you can have Shakespeare's Globe Theatre?
(John Tramper)
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In London, That's the Ticket
Should you purchase theater tickets before departing for London? The answer is yes . . . and no. If you want to see a specific performance of a specific play, then buy tickets in advance -- especially if that show is at the Royal National Theatre, the Donmar, the Globe or the Almeida. Because of their enormous popularity, short runs and limited capacity, tickets for those venues sell out fast. If you don't know your schedule, prefer flexibility or want to take your chances at the half-price tkts booth (see below), then wait until you're there.
Whether buying in the United States or London, first call the theater's box office or check its Web site. Booking fees (Britspeak for service charges) vary; most are in the $4 to $10 range, although some go as high as 25 percent of face value. Some theaters waive the booking fee if you call the box office directly. Given the vagaries of U.S. mail, opt to pick up the tickets at the theater rather than having them mailed.
Other sources for tickets include:
• Ticket agencies, although their Fringe theater offerings are limited. Try Keith Prowse (800-669-8687, www.keithprowse.com) or Ticketmaster (011-44-161-385-3500, www.ticketmaster.co.uk).
• Hotel concierges have a knack for getting tickets -- but often at a considerable markup, plus tip.
• Tkts, the city's only official discount theater ticket booth, in Leicester Square. Half-price and discount tickets are available for performances that day, with a handling fee of about $4.50 per ticket. Most of the tickets are for West End musicals and long-running comedies, but tickets to Off-West End shows sometimes turn up here. The booth is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday noon to 3 (ish). A good strategy is to arrive just before it opens, study the bulletin board that lists what's on offer, then get in line. You can pay with cash, credit card or debit card; personal checks and travelers checks are not accepted. To find out what's available, go to www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/tkts. The list is updated daily at noon, London time.
-- Susan Davidson
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• Riverside Studios. Crisp Road, Hammersmith, 011-44-208-237-1111, www.riversidestudios.co.uk. Tube: Hammersmith.
Look for productions by two very fine companies who perform here: Shared Experience, which dramatizes 19th-century novels, and Complicite, a company known for its startling visual theater. "Roast Beef," June 8-27, transposes Greek mythic characters Clytemnestra, Iphegenia and Agamemnon into the 21st century. Tickets are $14.50 to $22. "The Wild Party," a musical set in Manhattan during the jazz age, runs July 27-Aug. 7. Tickets are $16 to $27.
• Royal Court. Sloane Square, 011-44-20-7565-5000, www.royalcourttheatre.com. Tube: Sloane Square.
The Royal Court produces provocative new plays. "Shining City" by Conor McPherson (author of "The Weir") runs June 4-July 17; Simon Stephens's "Country Music," a crime story, runs June 28-July 17. Tickets are $13.50 to $50.
• Royal National Theatre. South Bank, 011-44-20-7452-3400 (information), 011-44-20-7452-3000 (box office), www.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Tube: Waterloo.
The National should be at the top of any visitor's list: With three auditoriums, restaurants, bars, a bookstore and free pre-theater performances, the place hums day and night. Running in repertory this summer are "Cyrano de Bergerac," directed by Howard Davies and starring Stephen Rea, through June 24; "Measure for Measure," closes July 31; "The False Servant," a drama about sexual sparring during courtship, starring Charlotte Rampling, closes Sept. 15; "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," closes Nov. 2; and "The History Boys," a new play by Alan Bennett, closes Sept. 2. Tickets are $18 to $73. A special program, the Travelex Season, offers tickets for about $18 for some performances of "Forum," "Measure for Measure" and "Cyrano."
• Royal Shakespeare Company. 011-44-870-609-1110, www.rsc.org.uk.Tube: Charing Cross or Embankment.
The RSC sends many of its productions from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon to London and, indeed, Washington. Until July 17, "Othello," with the incomparable Anthony Sher as Iago, is at Trafalgar Studios, at the former Whitehall Theatre (14 Whitehall, 011-44-207-369-1735 or 011-44-870-060-6632). Tickets are $36 to $65.
• Tricycle. 269 Kilburn High Rd., 011-44-207-328-1000. www.tricycle.co.uk. Tube: Kilburn.
Productions are diverse -- a South African musical played here successfully earlier this year. "Guantanamo: 'Honor Bound to Defend Freedom,' " taken from spoken evidence, runs through June 12. James Baldwin's "Blues for Mr. Charlie" follows, June 16-July 10. Tickets are $13.50 to $30.50.
• Young Vic 66, The Cut, 011-44-20-7928-6363, www.youngvic.org. Tube: Waterloo or Southwark.
Because it is the artistic home of up-and-coming young actors and directors, the Young Vic is a favorite of some of London's most respected critics. Playing in repertory, Brecht's "The Exception to the Rule" and Ionesco's "The New Tenant," are part of Direct Action, a showcase for new directors, running through June 12. "Cruel and Tender," by Martin Crimp, after Sophocles's tragedy "Trachiniae," about terrorism in a city that has turned into rubble, runs June 17-July 10. Tickets are $36.
Susan Davidson is arts editor of Washingtonian magazine.
