Farther afield, still a jolly good show

London —  London

THE West End in London -- home to such commercial entertainment as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “The Mousetrap,” now in its 50th year -- continues to attract audiences. But increasingly, London theatergoers are heading for venues known as Off West End or the Fringe. The attraction is understandable: The houses are more intimate, the productions innovative and the tickets very reasonable. At any given time many of the best shows in town are Off West End or on the Fringe.

The terms are confusing.

Off West End venues include the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, known as the RSC. They are Britain’s foremost theaters. It also includes the Almeida Theatre and Donmar Warehouse, small theaters with worldwide reputations. All four have sent hit productions to the West End and Broadway.

Other Off West End theaters of note are the King’s Head in Islington; the Lyric and Riverside Studios in Hammersmith; the Hampstead in Swiss Cottage; and Wilton’s, a music hall built in 1858, in the East End.

“Fringe” applies to entertainment that’s too off-center to be invited to the tony Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. (The term was echoed in “Beyond the Fringe” -- a 1960 revue written and performed by Jonathan Miller, Alan Bennett, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, who were students at the time.) “There’s always been theater on the Fringe, in pubs, clubs and cabarets,” says Dan Crawford, owner of the King’s Head. It was a way of getting around censorship that prevailed until 1968.

While Fringe and Off West End theaters are thriving, the West End has been getting some boos lately. Many of its theaters, built in the 19th century, are showing their age. High ticket prices (the range is currently $15 to $70) are another gripe, as is the shortage of taxis after the show. There has even been grumbling that the seats aren’t wide enough for 21st century bottoms, particularly those of Americans. Never mind.

What a visitor needs to know is where to find good theater that is Off West End or on the Fringe. And not far from the center of London. Here are some suggestions. Be sure to check with the theater; shows come and go at short notice.

Almeida Theatre

Almeida Street, Islington N1; 011-44-20-7359-4404, www.almeida.co.uk. Tube: Highbury and Islington, Angel.

Change is in the air at the Almeida. The 320-seat North London theater, which has a worldwide reputation, is set to reopen May 8 after extensive renovations. Its new artistic director, Michael Attenborough, formerly of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is determined to retain the high standards and eclectic style of programming set by his predecessors Jonathan Kent and Ian McDiarmid. “We can do epic scale in an intimate space,” he says.

Coming up: Trevor Nunn, in his first assignment since stepping down as head of the National Theatre, directs Ibsen’s “Lady From the Sea,” May 8 to June 28. “I.D.,” a political drama set in South Africa, written by and starring Antony Sher, has its world premiere Aug. 28 to Oct. 18. (Considered one of the finest actors of his generation, Sher is also a novelist and painter. This, however, is his first play.) Neil LaBute’s Sept. 11 play, “The Mercy Seat,” will run Oct. 23 to Dec. 6. Tickets: $10 to $45.

Barbican Centre

Silk Street, London EC2; 011-44-20-7638-8891, www.barbican.org.uk. Tube: Barbican/Moorgate.

The Royal Shakespeare Company doesn’t live here anymore. While looking for a more centrally located home, they perform in the West End and on tour. Meanwhile, the Barbican hosts productions from overseas.

Coming up: the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden in “Ghosts,” directed by Ingmar Bergman, May 1 to 4; “The Cuckoos,” a parody of the Oedipus myth, directed by Peter Hall, June 19 to July 12; Complicite, the renowned multimedia theater company, performs “The Elephant Vanishes,” based on short stories about Japan, June 26 to July 6; and Cirque Eloize, a Cirque du Soleil spinoff, July 31 to Aug. 23. Tickets: $8 to $42.

Bridewell

Bride Lane, off Fleet Street, London EC4; 011-44-20-7936-3456, www.bridewelltheatre.co.uk. Tube: Blackfriars/St. Paul’s.

The Bridewell is unique even by Fringe standards. The auditorium looks conventional enough, but the stage covers what was in Victorian times a swimming pool and laundry. There’s a remnant of that era in the bar -- a large, hand-powered mangle.

Coming up: “Oh, What a Lovely War,” Joan Littlewood’s brilliant musical about World War I, performed by students graduating from Mountview drama school, May 7 to 17. Tickets: $13.

Donmar Warehouse

41 Earlham St., London WC2; 011-44-20-7369-1732, www.donmarwarehouse.com. Tube: Covent Garden.

The Donmar also changed artistic hands recently. Michael Grandage now heads the 251-seat Covent Garden venue that Sam Mendes, director of the London and Broadway “Cabaret,” put on the map. Coming up: “Caligula,” Camus’ play about the absurdity of existence, runs through June 14; “Pacific Overtures,” Stephen Sondheim’s musical about Japan’s transformation from an isolated kingdom to a global power, opens June 20 and runs through Sept. 6. Tickets: $20 to $35.

Globe

Bankside, London EE1; 011-44-20-7401-9919 or Ticketselect, 011-44-207-850-8590, www.shakespearesglobe.org. Tube: Waterloo.

Artistic director Mark Rylance, with tongue only half in cheek, labels this year’s season, from May 8 to Sept. 25, as “regime change.”

Coming up: Shakespeare’s “Richard II,” “Richard III” and “Taming of the Shrew” plus Marlowe’s “Edward II” and the rarely performed “Dido, Queen of Carthage.” “Richard II” and “Shrew” are all-female productions, a concept that is bound to raise a ruckus. Shows rotate throughout the summer. Tickets: $8 to $45.

Tours of the theater, a replica of the wooden “O” where Shakespeare’s plays were performed in the 16th century, are given daily and are highly recommended.

Hampstead Theatre

Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London NW3; 011-44-20-7722-9301, www.hampsteadtheatre.com.

The Hampstead’s new air-conditioned building resembles a space capsule dropped into a building made of glass. Inside, the dark wood and claret 325-seat auditorium is elegant and intimate.

Long an important part of the Fringe, the Hampstead does new work only. Authors who have premiered plays here include Michael Frayn, Mike Leigh, Harold Pinter and David Hare.

Coming up: Debbie Tucker Green’s drama about resolving family issues, “Born Bad,” runs in repertory through May 17, along with a play by the hot new American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings,” about a neighborhood that is about to be gentrified. Tickets: $18 to $30.

King’s Head Theatre

115 Upper St., London N1; 011-44-20-7226-1916, www.kingsheadtheatre.org. Tube: Highbury and Islington/Angel.

When Dan Crawford, a former New Yorker who supplemented his actor’s salary by tending bar, bought the King’s Head pub in 1970, he turned the back room into a 110-seat theater. Kenneth Branagh performed here in 1984, Hugh Grant in 1985. Their signed photos are on the wall.

Coming up: “Unsuspecting Susan,” a Stewart Permutt play starring Celia Imrie, May 6 to June 15. “Latin!,” Stephen Fry’s first play, written in 1980, about prep school life, runs through May 4. In the fall there will be a season of contemporary British classics including Tom Stoppard’s “India Ink” and Peter Nichols’ play about life with his father, “Forget-Me-Not Lane.” Tickets: $18 to $27.

Old Vic

Waterloo Road, London SE1; 011-44-20-7369-1722, www.oldvictheatre.com. Tube: Waterloo.

Kevin Spacey, the latest in a long line of American actors and celebrities to bring their talents to London, is the Old Vic’s new director. No word yet on what his first season, in 2004, will bring.

Coming up: Beginning June 6, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Coriolanus” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor” play in repertory for 12 weeks. Tickets: $16 to $45.

Riverside Studios

Crisp Road, Hammersmith W6; 011-44-20-8237-1111, www.riversidestudios.co.uk. Tube: Hammersmith.

Shared Experience, a fine company that dramatizes 19th century novels, performs here.

Coming up: “Bright Colours,” a comedy about a wake, a hit at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002, runs through May 3. Beginning May 7, “The Vegemite Tales,” a comedy about Australians living in London, will be staged. Tickets: $20 to $40.

Royal Court

Sloane Square, London SW1; 011-44-20-7565-5000, www.royalcourttheatre.com. Tube: Sloane Square.

The Royal Court has always been a writer’s theater -- edgy and sometimes disturbing in its lack of complacency. A night at the Court means exposure to provocative ideas that are not always comfortable. The well-received “Hitchcock Blonde,” by Terry Johnson, about two people who find long-lost film footage in a villa in Spain, closes May 10. “Flesh Wound,” about London’s mean streets, runs May 15 to June 7, and “Topdog/Underdog,” by Susan-Lori Parks, Aug. 6 to 30. Tickets: $12 to $40.

Royal National Theatre

South Bank, London SE1; 011-44-20-7452-3400 (information), 011-44-20-7452-3000 (box office), www.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Tube: Waterloo.

With its three auditoriums, restaurants, bars, bookstore and free pre-theater performances, there is a sense of vitality throughout the building. The productions are among the finest to be found anywhere. Nicholas Hytner, the new artistic director, has reduced the cost of some seats to $16 by saving money on sets and costumes. “What you lose in visual extravagance, you gain in conceptual boldness,” he said.

Coming up: “Jumpers,” Tom Stoppard’s 1972 play about a philosopher (Simon Russell Beale); his wife, a musical comedy star; and a troupe of acrobats, begins June 7. “His Girl Friday,” John Guare’s adaptation of “The Front Page,” the comedy about journalism and ambition, starring Zoe Wanamaker, Margaret Tyzack and Alex Jennings, begins May 29. In July, Kenneth Branagh stars in David Mamet’s “Edmond,” about a gentle man who becomes violent. Later this year there will be a new play by Michael Frayn, author of “Copenhagen” and “Noises Off.” Tickets: $16 to $60.

Royal Shakespeare Company

011-44-870-609-1110, www.rsc.org .uk.

Having moved out of the Barbican, the Royal Shakespeare Company currently has no permanent London address. It does, however, perform in the West End (in rented theaters), at the Old Vic, at Stratford-upon-Avon and on tour. “At a time when theater is all about small spaces and celebrities,” says spokesman Roger Mortlock, “the RSC is going back to ensembles.”

Coming up: Ibsen’s “Brand,” directed by Adrian Noble and starring Ralph Fiennes, runs from May 29 to Aug. 30 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, London, 011-44-870-901-3356, www.trh.co.uk. Tube: Piccadilly Circus. Tickets: $23 to $55.

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Tips for London ticket buyers

If you’d like to see a show while in London:

* Search for theater schedules and ticket prices on www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk, which has guidebook information, including how to get tickets at regular and discount prices.

* Call the box office directly and remember to ask for the best seats available.

* If you’re looking for a reliable ticket broker, try Globaltickets/Keith Prowse; (800) 669 8687 in the United States, 0870-842-2248 in Britain.

* Make sure the agency you buy tickets from is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, www.s-t-a-r.org.uk. Do not buy tickets from “touts” (that’s Britspeak for scalpers), often to be found on the sidewalk in front of a hit show looking for “punters” (a derogatory term for customers).

* Half-price and discount tickets are sold at the booth known as tkts, in the clock tower building in Leicester Square, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. There is a service charge of approximately $4 per ticket, and all transactions are cash only; credit cards are not accepted. There is no phone number for tkts; the Web site is www.tkts.co.uk. Note that several shops around Leicester Square sell tickets, but tkts is the only authorized half-price broker.

-- Susan Davidson

Susan Davidson is arts editor of Washingtonian magazine and reviews plays for www.washingtonian.com.