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Dateline: 21st June, 2010
250,000 at West End LIVE 250 000 people flocked to Leicester Square this weekend to take part in West End LIVE - the largest free theatre festival in the world which is expected to give theatres a £2m boost in increased ticket sales. Highlights of the free festival included performances from Sheridan Smith as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Patina Miller as Delores in Sister Act and Hannah Waddingham as the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. DJ Toby Anstis and Avenue Q star Daniel Boys compered the event and guided audiences through a string of favourites such as "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" from Jersey Boys and "I'm Having The Time Of My Life" from Dirty Dancing . The showcase, which is organised by Westminster Council and is now in its sixth year, was so popular some visitors started queuing at 4am to ensure they got the best spot to watch the shows. It is estimated that the West End entertainment and theatre festival could have given recession-hit businesses in the West End a £2million boost. The free annual event organised by Westminster City Council, has a knock-on effect for restaurants, bars, and shops as families turned their trip into a day out, the £2billion a year West End theatre industry also anticipates a surge in demand after appearances from top names. Cllr Robert Davis, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Special Events, said, "Without doubt, this has been our biggest and best West End LIVE. We've seen spectacular performances from some of the nation's favourites shows. "This event is a showcase for everything the West End has to offer and this weekend I think we've proved there really is something for everyone." Nica Burns, President of the Society of London Theatre, added, "London has the best theatre in the world and West End LIVE is a fantastic opportunity for people to sample some of the West End's most popular shows for free. “ Crowds enjoyed performances on a giant open air stage from hit shows Sweet Charity, Billy Elliot, Wicked, Hair, Chicago, Love Never Dies, Avenue Q, Sister Act, Into the Woods , Burn the Floor, Tap Dogs, Grease, Mamma Mia!, Stomp, Dirty Dancing, All the Fun of the Fair, Thriller Live, The Fantasticks, and We Will Rock You. With more shows than ever before performing on a Sunday in the West End the move towards Sunday theatre performances was reflected in West End LIVE's Sunday line up which included Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Jersey Boys, Disney's The Lion King and Legally Blonde.
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