The theatre. It’s an amazing place isn’t it? For those few hours you are plunged into a completely different reality. Your energy levels rise even after a day of work at school. Even when you are sure that you will fall asleep within the first five minutes of the first act, or you question why you agreed to see what’s-it-called at the West End in the first place… all that is soon forgotten when magic of the set and music have you immersed in a whole new world as you mount Pride Rock with Simba or defy gravity with Elphie.

Both London’s West End and New York’s Broadway have had their box office hits- in the last week of 2017 both “The Lion King” and “Wicked” were reported to earn $3 million each, and in London “The Lion King” reported record box office earnings in it’s 13th year in the West End (2015) with “best ever sales of more than £38 million” (according to Lovetheatre). Now, shows such as “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” draw in families who see the prefix “Disney’s” to their titles, and others such as “Matilda” and “Wicked” succeed well known books and tales that made the childhood of many of their viewers. In addition to this we have old-school favourites such as “ Les Misérables” and “Phantom of the Opera”- however, they themselves are based on established (French) novels. These shows set aside, why do so many musicals close due to disappointing box office numbers? Is it a struggle to pay for decent seats? Is it the loss in interest from rising generations?

In 2015 (Off-Broadway) the musical “Hamilton” opened. As a musical with vast links to Hip-Hop culture (i.e. the founding fathers of America rap their way through the American timeline), a plethora of Pop-Culture references, and a musically outstanding score, Lin-Manuel Miranda saw his fair share of Tony and Grammy awards- but more importantly, he sparked an interest for musicals and the theatre in today’s children of the internet. The rise of shows like “Hamilton” and “Dear Evan Hansen” (by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) have today’s youth begging and saving up for theatre tickets. Finally the theatre is not a thing of the past- nor is it “Just for Gays Anymore”. Celebrity interest in Broadway shows also fuel the growing spark in today’s children- the endless references to the level of difficulty it is to obtain “Hamilton” tickets in TV shows and the love of “Hamilton” projected through to the audiences of talk shows; even pop stars like Brendon Urie (from Panic! At The Disco) saw his run in “Kinky Boots”.

The importance of the theatre should not be underestimated- it is vital in maintaining cultures. This is evident in previous shows such as “Rent” and “In The Heights”. So next time you get a free night why not indulge your senses for an hour or three, and join a revolution or ride through the stars on a magic carpet/ flying broomstick?