# London dining suggestions?



## Cathy in Boston (Jul 15, 2008)

We'll be in London the first week of October.  We plan one great evening at Maze, which is located right in our hotel.  But I am hearing horror stories about the general price of eating out there...looking for suggestions for not-so-pricy but good places - pub food, Indian food, Asian food, traditional British food...anything goes.  Ideas?  Thanks!


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## Jimster (Jul 15, 2008)

*London*

I would suggest something close to an ATM    We just got back a month ago and we found prices high almost universally.  We like to eat at Hard Rock and Fridays because at least you get free refills.  Of course that does nothing for sampling the local cuisine.


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## miramis2 (Jul 15, 2008)

My own two personal favorites at the moment is either GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) or Nandos both decently priced for London. 
Or if you'd like a more traditional approach the Bricklayers Arms in Putney in South London has won many awards for their Sunday Roast.


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## Beaglemom3 (Jul 15, 2008)

This is either one or two blocks over from the Allen House, walking away from the tube stop.

I love it, but haven't been there in over a year, so hopefully, it hasn't changed hands.

http://www.mykensington.co.uk/kensington/bars&Music-review-kensington-arms.htm

Good value for London and our weak dollar.

In a trendy area, yet sincere service, ample servings and good menu. An updated dining room in the rear of a traditional, yet updated pub. Outside dining, too.


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## PStreet1 (Jul 15, 2008)

Because we have never accustomed ourselves to sandwiches with almost zero filling and tons of bread, we've become Subway consumers in London:  meat on the sandwich and free refills of soda.  That, of course, does absolutely nothing for sampling the local choices, but it does get you a decent lunch at a decent price.  Other than that, food is just plain expensive.


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## Cotswolder (Jul 15, 2008)

I will be able to let you know more in a couple of weeks as we are in London for a few days.

Many years since I spent any time in the city but......... We will try to avoit Mucky Ds and KFC   YUK


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## IreneLF (Jul 15, 2008)

The price on the menu  looks like it should be a dollar price, but then you remember you have to double it.
Everything was very high.
I travelled with a vegetarian who won't do interesting ethnic (Italian and Chinese were it), sadly... I so wanted a cheap (?) curry.
In London we ate in Chinatown (Gerrard St). In the general Soho/theatre area there are also some reasonable Italian restaurants.  In general we spent about 9-12 pounds for a simple dinner, no beverages, no dessert, maybe a small appetizer, but in general just the main plate.
All the restaurants post menus so you know the prices before hand.

We never ordered drinks and that helped the cost. Went to groceries for some snacks/fruit and  cheap bottles of water. 

Lunch suggestions include chains like E.A.T. for wraps and salads, and Pizza Express (nicer than the name  makes it sound.) for "upscale" pizzas and salads - we had a good dinner at one.

Harrods food halls also had a ton of stuff for take away - fun to browse and prices on many items were surprisingly reasonable. I had a lovely wrap and some salads which I took to Hyde Park for lunch.

Good luck -- and enjoy the trip!


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## Beaglemom3 (Jul 15, 2008)

I usually eat breakfast in the unit, pack a lunch and buy my drinks outside, splurge on dinner sometimes or high tea. Have wine, beer, munchies back in the unit.

I do like this for sandwiches and it won't break the budget:

http://www.pret.com/ *Pret A Manger  *Good take away or eat in. 

Also, *Marks & Spencer*, *Tesco* and *Sainsbury* for groceries, prepared foods..... everything !

Oh, I like *Wagamama's*, (but we have one in Quincy Market now) but expensive for so little, however, funky, neat, interesting.
I love _*Yo Sushi*_, but at $35 USD I had two inexpensive rolls of sushi, pot of tea and a tiny appetizer. I, did, however, drank all the free "fizzy" water I could hold. :lol:


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## bizaro86 (Jul 15, 2008)

I'm not sure where you're staying or what you're planning to do, but there are a couple of great Indian restaurants just around the corner and a block down from the Russell square tube station, if you walk towards Russell Square and turn left. They were about 7-10 pounds per person cheaper than the other Indian food we had on our trip, all of which we found excellent. 

You might want to combine it with a trip to the British Musuem, which is on the other side of the square, and is certainly worth a visit.

Michael

PS There is also a little italian style cafe in Russell Square, which has decent sandwiches/pizza at reasonable (for London) prices.


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## Janie (Jul 15, 2008)

*Sign up for Toptable*

You can register at http://www.toptable.co.uk/, book restaurant reservations directly through their website, and get up to 50% off. You'll need a local address and phone number. I'm registered using Allen House information.  I'm sure you could use any hotel address/phone number.

It's a fantastic service:  if you book through the website, you're immediately registered for the special offer you choose.  You don't need to show a coupon or ask for a special price.  They have restaurants in all price ranges, including some very high end ones like Gordon Ramsay.  Plus they have extensive reviews so it makes picking out a restaurant a lot easier.

We've used it probably eight times now and it's a real money saver!

For example, here is their "offer of the day":

Offer of the day 
Grill Room Dorchester
2 courses for £25.

Following a stunning refurbishment The Grill at The Dorchester has now re-opened and is causing a stir throughout London. Aiden Byrne has been appointed as the new Head Chef of The Grill the youngest chef to ever be awarded a Michelin Star in Britain. Signature dishes include Roasted Cornish Scallops with white truffle & white chocolate risotto, Braised Chicken with potato mousse, truffle and Parmesan sabayon and Fillet of Turbot with braised snails, pearl barley and parsley sauce.


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## Laurie (Jul 15, 2008)

It's been a few years and I can't give restaurant names, but we found excellent and inexpensive - as in, prices in single digits - Indian and Middle Eastern food in the Bayswater area where our hotel was located. (We also tend to happen upon good Indian restaurants in other countries where Brits travel, and become regulars for the week!) For lunch, Cornish pasties from a little takeaway stand in Piccadilly Circus - cheap, filling, and much better than American fast food!


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## Cathy in Boston (Jul 16, 2008)

Duh I guess I should have said where we're staying - we'll be at the Marriott in Grosvenor Square (thank you Marriott Rewards, lol!).

Some good suggestions here, thanks to all!


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## Kola (Jul 16, 2008)

Why not try this place for dinner ?
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page555.asp

K


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## Karen G (Jul 16, 2008)

We enjoyed The Texas Embassy  for pretty good Tex-Mex food in London.  We were so happy to find it after almost two weeks there because we were so hungry for that kind of food.


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## somerville (Jul 16, 2008)

Cathy in Boston said:


> Duh I guess I should have said where we're staying - we'll be at the Marriott in Grosvenor Square (thank you Marriott Rewards, lol!).
> 
> Some good suggestions here, thanks to all!


There are some reasonably priced restaurants in Shepherd's Market.  It would not be a far walk from where you are staying.  There is a Polish-Mexican restaurant there, that also serves a wild game plate.  I know it is a weird combination, but it is actually a pretty good restaurant.  There are several pubs, a French restaurant, Italian Restaurant, and a couple of Mediterranean restaurants in the area as well.  The Market can be a little hard to find because of the ways the streets run in the area.


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## cwtkm3 (Jul 17, 2008)

www.browns-restaurants.com

82-84 St. Martin’s Ln
London, WC2
020 74975050
Get directions

This is a great restaurant. First one was opened in Oxford and I regularly went there as a student.

I tend to use this one in St Martins Lane (next to Piccadilly tube station) pre- theatre. They have a very reasonable two or three course menu. Have a look on-line.


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## Jimster (Jul 17, 2008)

*meals*

As a word of warning, (I have been to London several times, but the last time the prices were the worst) I would take all this info with a grain of salt if it relates to previous stays a few years ago.  I was in London a few years ago too and the prices were substantially different from when I was there last month.  Most of our meals cost about $50 or more (for 2 of us) and they were not fine dining either.  Lunch at Subway was $30.   The price looks cheap enough but when you double it to reflect the dollar to the pound, then it seems very expensive.


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## x3 skier (Jul 18, 2008)

somerville said:


> There are some reasonably priced restaurants in Shepherd's Market.  The Market can be a little hard to find because of the ways the streets run in the area.



I vote for there as well. We have stayed at the Park Lane Hilton on award stays twice now and always wander around that area and have had good luck. Pub Food at Ye Olde Grape was ok and another stop nearby is The Running Footman, one of the oldest pubs in London.


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## MaryH (Jul 30, 2008)

Pub meals are a good choice and Pret a Manger is good for take outs and salad.  

If you are willing to cook / heat, there are many choices for prepared foods in the supermarkets or even ready to eat cold food for takeout.  

I am sorry, but you can do a lot better than Subway.  I know my sister did a bit of that while she was in London with her family a couple years ago since she was a vegetarian but there are many restaurant that would offer a say a 2 course meal for 10 pounds or so.

I have also had some luck with the meal or theatre and dinner package at lastminute.com.  One especially good choice (but don't see it when I looked quickly was Bank Aldwych.  

Indian, Chinese, Thai and certain other Ethic food tend to a little less expensive.


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## kayb95 (Aug 1, 2008)

Eating in London doesn't have to break the bank.  Granted, our exchange rate does make it more expensive, there are ways to save.

If you're staying in an apartment or timeshare you can save a LOT of money by visiting the nearest grocery store and stocking up on a few groceries.  Just by eating breakfast in every morning will save you a small fortune.  And maybe prepare an evening meal or two at home.  The grocery stores sell excellent quality heat and serve type meals.

As suggested earlier, you can pick up very tasty sandwiches at places like Pret a Manger (www.pret.com), Marks & Spencer Simply Foods, Boots.  You can also find reasonable meals at many of the pubs.  SOme of the chain pubs like JD Wetherspoons offer good deals on meals.  There are also loads of reasonably priced chain restaurants like Garfunkel's, ASK, Spaghetti House, Pizza Express, Wagamama.  There are also all kinds of ethnic (Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian) restaurants that are very reasonably priced.

For reasonable traditional British fare, try Porter's in Covent Garden (www.porters.uk.com).

Many of the museum and church cafes also offer nice, reasonable meals (like Cafe in the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.)

And do some searches on www.londoneats.com/search/advanced.asp (select Cheap Eats and other search criteria to find some budget places nearby.)


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## Janie (Aug 1, 2008)

*Cheaper than the grocery stores....*

If you have kitchen facilities, try one of the 14 farmer's markets.  Some of them are on the outskirts, but there are several that are very centrally located.   We've visited the one at Marylebone a couple of times:  there is a large array of meat, fish, fruit and veg, cheese and bakery items and it's very good value compared to the prepared meals in the grocery stores.   

For locations and times, see http://www.lfm.org.uk/


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## Hoc (Aug 1, 2008)

Good luck with Maze.  Plan on spending about $150-$300 a person for dinner there, and unless you like things like intestines, testicles and duck, you might not find a lot on the menu you would like.

Sampling the local food in London (if you are thinking about restaurants) is overrated.  We found most restaurants to be universally horrible and expensive.  That is amazing, considering that local ingredients are, for the most part, fresh and delicious.

The dairy in England is miles ahead of anything we have in the U.S.  Fresh and creamy (and that's the nonfat stuff).

The only exception to the "restaurants are horrible" rule in London that we found are the Indian and Pakistani restaurants.

So, eating well in London on a budget?  Our formula was as follows:

1.  For breakfast, go to Marks & Spencer and Tesco and get milk, yogurt, butter, clotted cream, tea, scones, eggs and pastries for the room.  Make breakfast in the room daily and enjoy.  You'll probably spend about $5 a person per meal, as opposed to the $15-$30 per person per meal if you eat breakfast out.

2.  For lunch, occasional sandwiches made from bread, cheeses and cold cuts in the room (also from Marks & Spencer or Tesco), packed as a picnic lunch.  Pret a Manger and M&S To Go are also good options.

3.  For dinner, mostly Indian or Pakistani food.  New Tayyabs in the Whitechapel Area is about the best Pakistani/Punjabi food we've had (we went back twice while we were there a couple of weeks ago), and you're probably going to pay about $40 a person for a wonderful dinner.

4. Keep plentiful sodas and bottled water in the room, also from Tesco and Marks & Spencer.

Our splurge was also an Indian restaurant: Sunday Brunch at Port des Indies, near Marble Arch.  Indian food buffet, and spectacular, at about $80 a person with live music.

You can also get takeaway fish and chips from the North Sea Restaurant (Leigh St near Russell Square) and eat it in the nearby park.  About $12 for a portion big enough to feed two.  If you choose to eat it at the restaurant, it will cost you about 4 times as much.  I've heard that the Golden Hind in Marlyebone is a good choice for fish & chips, but I haven't eaten there and don't know if it's truly as good as they say.

People rave about the cheese sandwich from the Raclette guy in Borough Market, but he's only there on Saturdays.  They also seem to like the meat pies from The Ginger Pig in Borough Market, but they seemed pretty disgusting to me, so I didn't buy one.

I have also heard that Kastoori near the Tooting tube stop (in the northern part of London) has excellent (vegetarian) Indian food at a reasonable price, but I have not tried it yet.

Remember, for good food in London, stick to: dairy; sweets; Indian food; fish and chips.  Anything else, and you will likely be disappointed.


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## Conan (Aug 1, 2008)

Celebrity chef/author Jamie Oliver has a restaurant called Fifteen.  You may have seen a TV series about it  - - he trains 15 inner city kids each season in the restaurant trade.

The formal restaurant downstairs is very expensive.  The upstairs trattoria is fairly reasonable.  Menu here: http://www.fifteen.net/restaurants/fifteenlondon/menu/Pages/TrattoriaLunch.aspx

If you want to pay even less, you can drop in to the Trattoria in late afternoon and, at least judging from our experience,  they'll fix up a sandwich or salad to go with a drink from the bar.

Either way a memorable experience.


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## Hoc (Aug 2, 2008)

rklein001 said:


> The upstairs trattoria is fairly reasonable.



I just looked at the menu, and lunch of an appetizer (average $21 each), main course (say, roast chicken for $35) and dessert (average $13 each) with drinks (nonalchoholic) is going to come out to about $70 a person.  I just cringe when I see those kinds of prices, when I know I can have a nice dinner out here for around $25 each, or a really nice dinner with wine for around $100 each.

Heck, Scoma's has a really nice lunch consisting of clam chowder or salad (or an appetizer), a main course (I always get the Crab Louis) and dessert for $23 a person.  Now I need to go back to San Francisco.


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## MaryH (Aug 2, 2008)

For those redeeming Hilton Awards with Gold or Diamond status, one of the best lounge I see in London is the Waldorf Hilton London at Aldywch.  It beats my favourite hotel Hyatt Churchill.

Browns is pretty good and they have pre and post theatre menus for around 15GBP.  Lots of those offering pre-or post theatre menus for 2-3 courses between 10-20 GBP, some even with a glass of wine.

I have not eaten there for a while but Belgo Central opposite Donmar Warehouse theatre in Covent garden has lunch with a beer for 6.50 GBP 12-5 and between 5 and 6:30/7:00pm you pay by the time you order i.e. order at 5pm and it is 5GBP.  One of the choices is small kettle of mussels and I think Chicken and something else.

I went to a good fusion place Bam-bau on 1 Percy near Googe St / Totteham Court Road and the Penang curry was excellent.  It cost us a little more since we went through 3 bottles of wine between 5 people but I think it was about 30 GBP pp.  Maincourse was 10-15GBP but I think Opentable above can bring food cost down 50%.


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## PStreet1 (Aug 2, 2008)

If you're looking at anything that might be remotely inexpensive, think carbs:  most of the ethnic spots are carbs, the sandwiches are almost entirely bread, many pub meals are mostly potatoes.  If you like carbs (and are willing to pay a great deal for them) you can utilize those choices.  Protein is going to cost you dearly.


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## MaryH (Aug 3, 2008)

Stayed at Waldorf Hilton for a night after a week in a flat.  Tried to go to Bank Aldwych and realized that it has been replace by another restaurant...


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## MaryH (Aug 3, 2008)

Another place you can look for info is on 
http://www.timeout.com/london/


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## Hoc (Aug 3, 2008)

PStreet1 said:


> If you're looking at anything that might be remotely inexpensive, think carbs



New Tayyabs is virtually all protein: Grilled chicken, beef and lamb.  You can also get carbs if you want.  Their Garlic Naan is particularly good, though their rice is mediocre (pakistanis tend to eat bread rather than rice, so rice in a pakistani restaurant is normally so-so).  The Mango or Banana Lassi is also good.


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## x3 skier (Aug 6, 2008)

Currently in London and found www.toptable.co.uk where they have alot of 50% off food deals. Also, Oyster card  has some more 2 for 1 deals and as always, the pre theater meus anywhere are good value for money.

Cheers


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## Beaglemom3 (Aug 6, 2008)

This is still open and near the Allen House. Julie or Annie may be able to show you an AH unit quickly as it's about a block over.

http://www.mykensington.co.uk/kensin...ngton-arms.htm

Great menu, well-priced (for London), nice atmosphere.


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## Janie (Aug 6, 2008)

*The Toptable website is excellent...*

We've used it many times and it has saved us a lot of $$.  Check it frequently because the specials change all the time.  You can sign up for their email list and you'll be notified about new deals.


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## Carol C (Aug 30, 2008)

*Theatre offerings?*

Folks in London now or who just got back...what are some recommended stage shows? I tend to like quirky "off Broadway" type shows when in NYC; so if you know of anything indie/alternative in London that's really great, I'd love to hear your tips!


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## x3 skier (Aug 30, 2008)

Two weeks ago, we saw The 39 Steps at the Criterion Theater on Picadilly Circus. It is an adaptation of Hitchcock's 1935 movie. There are only four actors and they play all of the roles. One is the lead and the other three, two men and one woman, play all the other roles. With minimum sets, it is well worth seeing and you can get 2 for 1 tickets via your Oyster card.

It is a great evening and extremely well done as a broadly played tour de force. I suggest you get a DVD of the original and see the great execution of this version.

Cheers


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## Carol C (Sep 1, 2008)

x3 skier said:


> Two weeks ago, we saw The 39 Steps at the Criterion Theater on Picadilly Circus. It is an adaptation of Hitchcock's 1935 movie. There are only four actors and they play all of the roles. One is the lead and the other three, two men and one woman, play all the other roles. With minimum sets, it is well worth seeing and you can get 2 for 1 tickets via your Oyster card.
> 
> It is a great evening and extremely well done as a broadly played tour de force. I suggest you get a DVD of the original and see the great execution of this version.
> 
> Cheers



I had to study the 39 Steps in film school. So this is a play that would greatly interest me. What's the best way to acquire Oyster Cards with one month to go 'til departure? Thanks, "skier"...once again...for your helpful advice!


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## x3 skier (Sep 1, 2008)

Sad to say, the 2 for 1 deals have expired. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/microsites/oysteroffers/  

Still an Oyster Card is a good deal just for travel. Use the link above to see how to buy.

OTOH, here's a 2 for 1 offer from National Rail. Do not know the restrictions, if any so good hunting. http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attraction-types/entertainment.aspx  If it is dependednt on a ticket, you can take a train from Gatwick or Heathrow and that might do the trick.

Cheers


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## ralphd (Sep 1, 2008)

A good forum to check out any kind of travel tip:

'   http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=484   '


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## Carol C (Sep 1, 2008)

x3 skier said:


> Sad to say, the 2 for 1 deals have expired. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/microsites/oysteroffers/
> 
> Still an Oyster Card is a good deal just for travel. Use the link above to see how to buy.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the tips...even though I'm hungry for oysters now.


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## Hoc (Sep 3, 2008)

Carol C said:


> Folks in London now or who just got back...what are some recommended stage shows? I tend to like quirky "off Broadway" type shows when in NYC; so if you know of anything indie/alternative in London that's really great, I'd love to hear your tips!



The one tip I do have is to go to the Ticket Booth in Leicester Square to get your tickets.  They have half-price tickets the day of the show, and often have a lot of the quirkly, off-Broadway type shows in addition to a good smattering of blockbusters.

I saw "Jerry Springer, The Opera" in the west end in 2004.  Quirky, very funny, full of offbeat British Humor, and incredibly foul.  It would never make it to the U.S. because the language would never get past the censors, and Mr. and Mrs. Midwest would be simply shocked and offended.  Great show, but I doubt it's still going.


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## x3 skier (Sep 3, 2008)

Hoc said:


> I saw "Jerry Springer, The Opera" in the west end in 2004.  Quirky, very funny, full of offbeat British Humor, and incredibly foul.  It would never make it to the U.S. because the language would never get past the censors, and Mr. and Mrs. Midwest would be simply shocked and offended.



Seeing how that nut case Springer was once Mayor of Cincinnati and was caught using a prostitute because he paid with a check, nothing about Jerry Springer, including a play, no matter what the content, would shock anybody who knows him .  

Cheers


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## Hoc (Sep 3, 2008)

x3 skier said:


> nothing about Jerry Springer, including a play, no matter what the content, would shock anybody who knows him .
> 
> Cheers



And that's basically the concept of the Opera.  Not only foul language and dancing Ku Klux Klansmen, but Jesus as an overweight man in a diaper who sings that he's "a little bit gay" prompted multiple protests from religious groups.  I'm pretty open and laid back about the whole obscenity thing, but I think that some newspaper counted something like 8,000 swear words used in the show.

I still thought it was hilarious, if a bit silly.


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## Janie (Sep 3, 2008)

*"Jerry Springer" has been staged in the US...*

In the Midwest, as a matter of fact.  I saw it in Minneapolis last year.  We also saw it twice in London, in 2003 and again 2004.   It is a hysterically funny, wicked show. 

I think it also played a brief run at Carnegie Hall last January, with Harvey Keitel as Jerry.  But it's not playing in London right now.

If you like Kenneth Branagh, he's in a new adaptation of a Chekhov play at the Donmar Warehouse through the end of November.


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## MaryH (Sep 15, 2008)

Keith Branagh is in Ivanov at the Donmar but it could be difficult to get tickets since they only have less than 200 seats I think.


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## Janie (Sep 15, 2008)

The Branagh show is a Donmar production, but they're doing it at a much bigger theater (I think it's on Charing Cross Road) which has 700 seats.  We have tickets for October 21--and we're in the third row center!  I think my husband ordered them about two weeks ago.


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## Beaglemom3 (Sep 15, 2008)

Website for Ivanov tickets, possibly ?

http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/lashmars/ivanov/index.html


Sometimes, the hotel or T/S concierge can obtain tickets if you write in advance.


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