Nearly three years after it opened at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End, Dirty Dancing is still the Number One show in the UK.
According to theatre ticket comparison website SeatChoice.com, in the last three months there have consistently been more searches for Dirty Dancing tickets via their website than for any other show in the UK.
The production, based on the cult film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, will be three years old in September but is still playing to packed houses.
Robert Iles, founder of SeatChoice.com said: Dirty Dancing continues to be phenomenally successful and was consistently our most searched for show of the last three months.
It may be three years old but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to find tickets. If you want to find seats to Dirty Dancing you’ll still need to shop around as some of the ticket agents will sell out.
The surprise second place goes to the touring production of We Will Rock You at the Palace Theatre Manchester.
The show which opened in March and runs to the 6th of June has proven to be a big hit as it tours the country generating more searches for the Manchester residency through SeatChoice.com than the original Dominion Theatre production in London’s West End.
Robert Iles said: It’s great to see a touring production generating more enquiries than nearly all of the top London shows.
It demonstrates that there’s terrific demand for these big productions at regional theatres and sends out a strong message to producers If you stage it, they will come!
Oliver! has had fantastic publicity courtesy of the TV search for someone to play Nancy and it is taking bookings for well into 2010 and in the SeatChoice Hot Tickets list for the last three months Oliver! makes it into third place.
Robert Iles commented: Oliver! is doing very well and it looks like future ticket sales are good with Omid Djalili taking over the role of Fagin from Rowan Atkinson in July.
Fourth place in the SeatChoice.com Hot Tickets list is taken by another surprise hit, War Horse, the touching, award winning play based on the book by Michael Morpurgo.
Using innovative puppetry and live actors, the play tells the story of a horse sold to the cavalry in World War 1 and then shipped to France and of his young former owner who sets out to find him.
It had two sell out runs at the Olivier Theatre London and was so successful it moved to the New London Theatre, Drury Lane.
Robert Iles said: War Horse is a personal favourite. Audiences have been touched by the story and entranced by the puppetry of the Handspring puppet company. It has had some fabulous reviews and seats have been in high demand all through the first half of this year.
In fifth place is Hamlet at the Wyndham’s Theatre, Charring Cross Road. The much awaited Donmar production, directed by Michael Grandage and starring Jude Law in his Hamlet debut, opens on the 3rd of June and even before it opens there’s been a huge demand for tickets.
Robert Iles said: Many people will be very keen to see Jude Law’s Hamlet and inevitably comparisons will be made between him and David Tennant who played the role so successfully in the Royal Shakespeare Company production earlier this year.
Tickets are selling very quickly so fans should book their seats as soon as possible.
The SeatChoice.com Hot Tickets Table – June 2009
1. Dirty Dancing Aldwych Theatre, London
2. We Will Rock You Palace Theatre, Manchester
3. Oliver! Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London
4. Warhorse New London Theatre, Drury Lane, London
5. Hamlet Wyndham’s Theatre, Charring Cross Road, London
Robert Iles said: There are some great shows to see, not just in London but across the country too, and despite the economic gloom theatre lights continue to shine brightly with lots of people enjoying a bargain night out at the theatre.
In the next three months new shows such as Sister Act and Hamlet will be opening so it will be interesting to see if Dirty Dancing can be knocked off of the top spot.
SeatChoice.com conducts real-time searches of theatre box offices and over 20 ticket outlets including leading ticket agents such as Encore, Ticketmaster and Keith Prowse as well as specialist theatre break agents and secondary ticket suppliers such as Seatwave and Viagogo.
SeatChoice.com displays the ticket face value, the available discount, any applicable booking fees and the total cost of the tickets for each ticket supplier as well as displaying which suppliers don’t have tickets for that performance.
SeatChoice.com
