Mickey Jo (0:00)

Which do you think were the 10 most Googled London theatre shows in 2024? Oh my God. Hey. Welcome back to my theatre themed YouTube channel. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre. I am a theatre critic, pundit and content creator here on social media and today I am going to be sharing with you the most googled London theatre tickets of 2024 with information provided by Google. Now if you don't know, every year Google lifts the lid on some of the most searched topics in the United Kingdom. Cover from music, politics, television, a whole bunch of different topics and recently Google got in touch with me to ask if I would like to take a little preview of the most searched London theatre shows of 2024. Immediately I was beyond curious because I'm always intrigued to know what is really breaking through which are the most popular shows. Because you know we see the ones that are doing well, we see the ones that are winning awards, but where is the curiosity? Which are the tickets that people are trying to get? So today we are simply going to be talking through the 10 most googled London theatre tickets of 20. Some of these results are surprising at this point. If you would like to play along, feel free to guess in the comments section which shows may have made this list and I will give you a hint. Very few of these are long running West End shows. Most of them were new or very recent productions in 2024. Now if you enjoyed this video and would like to find out more about the West End theatre industry as well as Broadway, When I talk about stuff that's happening in New York as well as enjoying all of my theatrical reviews and theatre going vlogs, make sure to subscribe to my theatre themed YouTube channel and somewhere below my face there is a But it looks like a bell and you can turn on notifications and that way your device will let you know Every time I share a new theatre themed video which in the month of December seems to be every single day. It's not yet time for Christmas dinner, but I am keeping you fed here on the musical theatre Internet. Anyway, I'm so desperate to tell you about these shows. Let's get into it. The 10 most Googled London theatre tickets of 2024 starting at number 10. A show I have not seen. A show I haven't seen. It ran in the West End, it's gone out on tour. I am talking about Only Fools and the Musical. It's making its London return in a couple of weeks time between the 17th of December and early January. It's going to be at the eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, the show coming back to London amidst a full UK tour. Erin's parents went to go see this on tour recently and I hope they don't mind me saying it was very popular where they saw it. And that doesn't surprise me. And it being on this list doesn't surprise me either. For it to sell somewhere like the event in Apollo, Huge, huge venue, like, massive, beyond the scope of many of our West End theatres. It needs to be really popular. And only Fulton Horses has massive cultural resonance and popularity here in the uk. It was huge. And that being put on stage for a lot of people who aren't necessarily devoted, dedicated theatre people, they will go and see that because they have the sense that they're going to enjoy. It's like, oh, it's an Only Fools and Horses musical. Oh, I can take my dad to that. My dad loves Only Fools and Horses. And I think any theatre production that can get dads involved already winning and that can resemble a good birthday present or a Christmas present for dads, who I think are some of the hardest people to buy for. Generally speaking, I think you're onto a winner at that point. It's also to speak broadly, I feel like there are a lot of boyfriends and husbands who don't necessarily love to go and see as much as their wives and girlfriends, but would potentially go and see Only Fools and Horses, the musical. Now, I've not actually heard bad things about this show and there have been some fantastic performers in it over the years. I saw them at West End Live and I thought it was really entertaining. I've seen Only Fools and Horses. I don't think I know it well enough to really appreciate the stage version, but it's not really for me and I'm thrilled that it exists for the people who it will delight by existing. Next up at number nine, a completely different demographic, but again, people who will be very pleased that this exists on stage. This is another one was in London, but has not been in London this entire year. It has, however, been touring around the uk, and I don't know what goes into pulling these lists together, but certainly something that is touring around a bunch of theatres in the UK will definitely generate interest for people looking to buy tickets. I am talking about Pretty Woman now, Pretty Woman, one of the many musical adaptations of a beloved film. Of course, the film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. This was seen initially at the Piccadilly Theatre in London. It then transferred to the Savoy Theatre where it ran for a decent amount of time and then after closing there, embarked on a UK tour and a smartly produced tour as well, because it added to the existing name recognition of Pretty Woman, the musical, which I feel already caters very well to a particular demographic, to maybe the gals on a Friday night who want to go down as a group and see a musical at their local theatre. Maybe it's a hen party, maybe it's the ladies from the office, maybe you're going with your mum and your aunt and her sister, whatever. But they added to that with starry casting Amber Davies. The very talented Amber Davies played Vivienne Ward. The wonderful Oliver Saville played Edward Lewis. And they were joined by Natalie Mae Paris of Six, the musical's original cast, as well as Orey Aduba. Recognizable names. And it's funny how often that plays into the conversations that I overhear about people thinking of getting tickets to go and see a show. It's not that they need that necessarily. It's not that they're like, well, I'll only go see it if there's someone in it. But it just sort of reinforces it because it's often the next thing someone will ask. If you're looking at a brochure of all of these shows coming to your touring venue and there's a lot to choose from and tickets are quite expensive these days, people can't afford to go see every single thing that comes to the theatre in a year. They'll say, oh, Pretty Woman's coming here in May. Immediately, they know what that is. That's good. But the next question I always hear people asking is, oh, who's in it? And if you know who's in it, then that sort of generates a little more intrigue. You can conceptualize what it's going to be like. And I think when people are spending money, that's something that they want to be able to do in. At number eight, one of my favourite musicals of all time that also hasn't been in London this year, has recently started a UK tour, but only very recently. I'm talking about Mary Poppins. Now, Disney shows are always going to be popular because they are the gold standard of family entertainment. If you are looking for a show to take the whole family to, to take the kids, to take the grandparents, whoever, you know that you are in for something of quality. With a Disney show, people respect and trust that brand. And with something like Mary Poppins, it now has this broad cross generational appeal because the older generations remember the songs like let's Go Fly a kite. Remember seeing the film and then we've had the remake film come out, which has also intrigued the younger generations. Everyone is happy at Mary Poppins. It's also quintessentially British. It is London set. It feels quintessentially English. Mary Poppins, she's one of those classic British characters. Erin and I already have plans to go and see the tour next year. I never saw this show as a child. I don't know why I fell in love with it as an adult. I think it's the most joyous, most brilliant. I also think it's one of the best Disney film to stage adaptations. For what it's worth, of course co produced historically by Cameron McIntosh, with the score from the film embellished and extended by the wonderful styles and Drew, the quintessentially British musical theatre composers they are. I think it's one of the best because it takes the plot of the film and it takes the lore of Mary Poppins and it just sort of adapts it and extends it and adds in new elements to make it work in a theatrical setting. It doesn't shoehorn it onto the stage. It's. It's a really wonderful adaptation. And I actually had a brief chat with one of its writers the other week who told me that the company currently leading it around the UK are just astonishing. So I am so excited to go and see Mary Poppins in at number seven, a show that has been in the West End for at least half of this year. I'm talking about one of the most exciting, one of the pinkest, one of the fetchest new arrivals in town. It is, of course, Mean Girls. Now, Mean Girls is another one that has that cross generational thing, of course, based on the early 2000s film starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, written by Tina Fey. It's since been remade with an adaptation of the Broadway musical version. The version of the musical that's arrived in the West End has had a little bit of tinkering, a handful of changes implemented since the show was on Broadway. And I think it probably is the best version of the musical that has been seen. And I think its West End run is going to be its biggest success yet. Part of that, I think, is because West End audiences are that little bit more commercially minded than Broadway. And so the likes of Pretty Woman, the likes of Mean Girls tend to fare a little better in London than they do in New York. And Mean Girls, I think, excites a very broad Venn diagram of people you have the teens of today, you have the teens of yesteryear. I'm excited. Mean Girls. I think a lot of the theatre crowd are a little more excited by Mean Girls than some of the other, you know, film to stage adaptations. And it's also been a decent wait. Like musical theatre fans who have been aware of Mean Girls on Broadway have had to wait quite a long time for Mean Girls to arrive in the West End, where it is currently playing at the Savoy Theatre. It's probably one of the biggest really commercial openings of the year for the West End. This was a really big deal. They put out the whole pink carpet when they opened. Tina Fey was here. It was a very sp. Splashy opening. And I reviewed it right here on my channel. If you want to know more about the Mean Girls musical, you can go and check out that review video. Now we're down to number six, another musical based on an iconic and beloved film. A heavenly film, some might say. I am talking about Sister Act. Now, Sister act has had this extended love affair with the West End since it premiered here at the London Palladium over a decade ago with Patina Miller. The production then subsequently transferred to Broadway. There was a full UK tour of the slightly adapted Broadway version starring Cynthia Erivo, now of course, the star of the Wicked movie. A huge name, but she was Dolores Van CARTIER on the UK tour in, like, 2011, 2012, which was the first time I saw it, and her on stage. And the show's material underwent even more adaptations when it was brought back by producer Jamie Wilson for a huge production at the Eventim Apollo, which was originally set to star Whoopi Goldberg. Now, Whoopi, who had appeared in the London Palladium run as Mother Superior, of course, the late, great dame Maggie Smith's character from the film was set to star as Dolores this time around. I was always a little quizzical about how that was going to go, but the combination of Whoopi and Jennifer Saunders on stage convinced a lot of people to buy tickets. Now, the show was one of many which was delayed by the pandemic. It did eventually make it to the event in Mapolo, but it lost Whoopi Goldberg on the way. However, they found a astonishing replacement, a fabulous replacement in Beverly Knight. Beverly Knight, who's doing more and more musical theatre these days. And boy, oh boy, are we grateful as audiences because she is a fantastic talent and a beloved British talent as well, as well as a recognizable household name. I've reviewed that production specifically, I think twice here on my Channel. You can go and check that out and find out what I thought of Sister act, but it doesn't surprise me to see it listed here. Again, a lot of people love that film. It's this recognizable thing. It was also touring around the UK at the same time as it was in town, which is always an impressive feat, especially for that to have been in the Dominion, one of the biggest theatres in the West End. That's very impressive. Now, in at number five, this one might surprise you. And we've been talking about pretty exclusively film and TV adaptations that have become musicals thus far. This one is a little different. This is a relatively recent opening, a play called Barcelona. Now, this has been running at the Duke of York's Theatre. In fact, I think it had its press night while I was out of the country, which is why I haven't, as of yet, reviewed it here on my channel. But if it's this popular, maybe I need to go and check it out. I've heard divisive things about this one from different critics, which always has me intrigued, because I love the opportunity to go in and make up my own mind, which I encourage you all to do as well, despite what I say here on social media. But the reason this one may be so popular is because of its starry casting. And we see a lot of plays like this built around starry leading performers. This one is starring Alvaro Morte as well as Lily Collins, better known to Netflix subscribers as Emily from Emily in Paris. And the show I'm given to understand is this like romantic psychological thriller type thing set in Barcelona. So I've been affectionately referring to it as Emily in Spain. And for this to be in the number 5 slot above mean Girls, above all of the other ones. I am curious as to whether anything got conflated here with like, tickets to fly to the city, Barcelona in Spain, and Tickets to Barcelona, the play. But at the same time, I'm not about to distrust the popularity of Emily in Paris. I've been to Paris. I've seen people standing outside of those offices and taking those pictures. Hell, I've stood outside of those offices and taken those pictures. And regardless of how this play may have been received critically, it's great to see a new play. Among the list of the most googled shows in the theatre in 2024. That's. That's very exciting. Next up, at number four, in a very similar vein to Only Fools and the Musical, we have the comedy stage adaptation of Fawlty Towers. Fawlty Towers, another British comedy institution. Even Though there were not that many episodes of it historically. It is now a comedy play at the Apollo Theatre in London's West End. And I never quite know how this one is getting on because when it was announced, I had assumed immediately, oh, that'll do great business. That'll be a sellout. So many people who loved Only Fools and Horses for years will go and see that that's going to appeal to a very specific but a very wide audience. And then they announced a final extension. And I don't know how much of this is like politics to do with the availability of theatres in the West End right now. There is a lot of demand on these houses because theatres are scarce. Many shows are doing well, there are fewer theatres for new shows to come and open at, especially new musicals. But in any case, Fawlty Towers is going to be concluding its run in early 2025. But the fourth most Googled theatre production of 2024, that's very interesting and not really a total surprise. Again, like Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers. I don't think I've seen Fawlty Towers, the TV series. I don't think I have enough interest in it to go and really give it the review that it deserves. I think I'd be walking in with reservations or preconceptions that wouldn't really be fair. And I shan't lie, I'm a little put off by some of the divisive rhetoric that John Cleese has been sharing recently and I don't really want to line his pockets. And so actually I'd be very curious to hear what people do think for that. And the other shows on this list that I haven't had a chance to see yet. Let us know if you've seen them, what they're like in the comments section down below. Number four, Fawlty Towers. Now, if I said some of those last couple surprised me, this one absolutely doesn't. Number three is Spirited Away. Now we knew, we absolutely knew that this was one of the biggest theatrical hits of the year. This did huge business for the London Coliseum, which is another vast multi level opera house of a theatre. Spirited Away had this sold out engagement there with reasonably lofty ticket prices, selling merchandise that they ran out of, selling programs that they ran out of. They had a whole gift shop out front, they had a whole like bento box bar that they set up. This was an adaptation, if you don't know, of the very popular Studio Ghibli film. And its success here was not surprising, especially on the Back of the success of my neighbour Totoro, which had had two really popular, really successful runs at the Barbican Theatre and is going to be transferring to the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the new year. Totoro has been this unstoppable theatrical juggernaut. And I think, if anything, Spirited Away might be an even more popular, even more well known Ghibli film than Totoro. Certainly it's more westernized, it's closer to a lot of, like, Disney films tonally. And this particular stage adaptation had started its life in Asia and was then being brought over here. It was not performed in English, but it was titled at the sides of the Stage and I think at the Top of the Stage as well. Visually stunning. Another really remarkable achievement in bringing an animated fantasy to the stage, using puppetry, using these incredible costumes, using this brilliant set design, using movement and dance, and this very talented, very large company. In order to tell this whimsical and extraordinary story. I did give this one a full review here on my YouTube channel, so you can go and find out a little more about Spirited Away. How often do you get to go and see maybe your favorite animated film brought to the stage that's unmissable and people, I think, will spend a little bit more on tickets under those circumstances than they ordinarily would. So I'm not surprised by Spirited Away and number three. My only surprise is that it's not even higher. Which brings us to number two, the second most Googled theatre ticket in London in 2024. This one was a transfer from Broad. It is a jukebox musical. It is MJ the Musical. This opened towards the beginning of this year at the Prince Edward Theatre, so it's had a lot of time on its side. It's been open for the majority of 2024 and people have been googling tickets in all of that time. Mj, of course, telling the story of a section of the late Michael Jackson's life, talking particularly about his artistry and his influences as a performer, as dancer, as a creative. It takes a very interesting approach. I've given it a full review here on YouTube because there are many different things to say about this show and I felt a little bit conflicted about aspects of it. But the way that they build some of these dance numbers and some of these songs and these moments of choreography on stage, the way that they demonstrate his influences in the world of dance, it's some really inspiring stuff that shows playing at the Prince Edward Theatre, another of the biggest theatres in the West End. Really, it is Drury Lane, the Dominion, Prince Edward and the Apollo Victoria. Those are the four real biggins. But given what a long lasting success Thriller Live was, I don't think anyone has been surprised by the success of MJ the Musical at the Prince Edward. I think it will continue to do well for a pretty long time. A lot of people are huge, huge, huge Michael Jackson fans and a lot of those people will take any opportunity they can get to go and enjoy his music performed live. And I think mj, I never saw Thriller live, but from what I understand mj, because of Miles Frost's performance as Michael and also other people portray Michael in that show, we see him at a younger age. We see him portrayed by Mitch Changaja as well. Because of that, I think it gives audiences even more of an opportunity to celebrate him and his life and his artistry and his songs. Can you think of the show? We haven't said yet. Now this one was not brand new in 2024, but it was recent because it opened at the end of 2023, bringing in international fans from worldwide, not because it adapted a beloved film or TV series, but because it added to it with an extension of its story. I am talking about Stranger Things, the first shadow playing at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End. Stranger Things, the first Shadow is a prequel to the Netflix series that sees all of the characters who are adults in the TV series as teenagers at high school, sort of the age that their kids are in the TV show. And it riffs on a lot of the existing lore that we already find out about in the latest season. But certainly when it was first being brought to the stage, when they were opening this show, a lot of the rhetoric around it was suggesting that this was going to be vital for fans of it. A lot of international fans felt as though they had to fly to London to see it to unlock even more of the mystery of the Stranger Things world, especially heading into its upcoming final season. It has been said that something about Stranger Things, the First Shadow holds the key to that final season in a way that is not quite currently clear. Because if I'm being completely honest, it doesn't offer a wealth of revelations. But what it does do, like other nearby blockbuster plays, is create some really compelling visuals. And the way that even just in the first 10 minutes, even just in the prologue of the play, what they managed to do on stage lives up to the intensity and the excitement and the sci fi of the TV series. And for them to be able to do that live on stage at the Phoenix Theatre is no small feat. They have also refurbished the space. They have this new coffee shop, bar, gift shop area. And whether or not this idea was true about the notion that Stranger Things fans have to go and see the play to fully appreciate what's happening in the upcoming series. A genius bit of marketing because you have a lot of these people really excited about the upcoming series who are going to get on a plane, who are going to buy theatre tickets, who are going to google those theatre tickets first and then buy them to go and see this to try and figure out a little more about that world. I'm also very intrigued to see how it does on Broadway. Like we mentioned, Broadway's audiences not quite as commercially driven as the West End's. Has the fact that the West End production's already been open for a year reduced the number of people who will go and see in New York? Have a bunch of Americans already flown over here to see it in London, but it has in any case been the number one most Googled London theatre ticket of 2024. Wasn't that an interesting list? Were you surprised by any of the list? I certainly was. I mean to not see a lot of the long running hugely popular shows on there really surprised me. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoyed this video. If you did, make sure to subscribe, make sure to turn on notifications, give the video a like go and find me across the musical theatre Internet. I am Mickey Jo Theatre on TikTok, on Threads, on Bluesky, on Instagram. Stay tuned for more of my 2024 roundups where I will be sharing the list of my biggest theatrical disappointments as well as my favourite shows of the year. In the meantime, I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a stagey day. For 10 more seconds, I'm Mickey Joe Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.