Another year has flown by and again Christmas seems to have come round all too quick; with the usual festive specials already rolling out on television screens. Mary Poppins will no doubt be popping in and out of chalk pictures and your screen for the duration of the holidays. The BBC will lull you into a false sense of security before catching you off-guard with their inevitably devastating Christmas EastEnders, but they'll make up for it with a brilliant Doctor Who. The less said about the other terrestrial channels, the better.
Why subject yourself to yet another interpretation of Dicken's A Christmas Carol when you could be enjoy a more unique theatre production in the West End? London is a fabulous city, especially at Christmas time; when classic pantos and productions such as The Nutcracker return to the limelight, glitsy events and premiers fill the capital's stages and arenas, and the scent of freshly roasted chestnuts fills the air.
Do something different this year; throw away your December copy of Radio Times (well, maybe keep the sudoku page) and see one of these cracking London shows instead - booking your theatre tickets and hotel online with Show and Stay.
The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum
The ultimate seasonal ballet is back in the capital. This year's production will be staged at the beautiful London Coliseum and performed by the English National Ballet. Ballet being the very traditional art from that it is, The Nutcracker will not feature ANY ex-soap stars, reality TV contestants or celebrity undesirables.
The production is set in Edwardian London and will follow the traditional story; Clara and the Nutcracker Prince embark on a thrilling adventure through the Lands of Snow. Along the way they come across all kinds of whimsical characters including the Sugar Plum Fairy and the evil Mouse King.
Christmas sparkle will be lent to this glittering new production by Swarovski, who are sponsors of the production. The costumes and sets will shine with crystals, but because this is ballet, and a very classy art form indeed, nobody would say "bling". Pure delight.
Christmas Spectacular at the impressive O2
If you like an impressive Christmas show then be sure that the Christmas Spectacular at the O2 is the one for you. Theatreland superstars Rhydian Roberts and Ruthie Henshall will appear on stage to belt out some of your favourite Christmas classics accompanied by the world-famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Capital Voices will be performing, alongside Wynne Evans and Alison Jiear too. And if this arrayof classic and theatreland stars wasn't enough to have you tossing aside your half-finished wrapping and heading for the West End, there's more.
The 20,000-strong audience will also be treated to impressive indoor fireworks and an eye-popping array of light shows and special effects. The combination of spectacular effects and classical stars means that even the grumpiest of your family members will enjoy the Christmas Spectacular.
Christmas With The Rat Pack, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Through a combination of cryogenics and the darkest of dark magic, The Rat Pack are reanimated once a year to entertain London's Christmas crowds. Okay¦that's not exactly true, there's no magic, and sadly no cryogenics, just some really high-quality impersonators. However, they are really very entertaining and about as close to the real deal as you could hope to get.
The show is for one day only, on the 19th December, so you'll have to act fast if you want to see it. You'll be transported back to the glamorous 1950s Las Vegas to see Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin performing at the world-famous Sands Hotel.
If you've ever dreamt about stepping back in time to the early 1960's, and experiencing the glamour and glitz that went hand in hand with it; the sharply cut suits, classy music, fur diamonds and suave, then a trip to see Christmas With The Rat Pack could be the perfect treat for you this Christmas.
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