The History of Musicals of the West End Evening Standard Edition

THE SHAFTESBURY THEATRE buzzes with anticipation. Hair has finally come to London, the musical that shocked Broadway. The lights dim, the music pulses, and there it is — the scene everyone’s heard about. The cast stand together, unashamed, defiant, and completely nude. Gasps ripple through the audience. Outside, headlines scream of scandal and liberation. After years of censorship, London theatre has broken free. Hair isn’t just a show, it’s a revolution on stage!

Follow the story of London’s West End musicals through a book of authentic Evening Standard newspaper articles, curated from original reports dating back to 1908. This edition charts the evolution of theatre — exactly as it was reported at the time.

Featuring:

– The dazzling debuts of beloved classics like The Pirates of Penzance and My Fair Lady
– The unforgettable magic of The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, and Hamilton
– The controversy surrounding Hair and its boundary-pushing performances of the late 1960s
– Dame Judi Dench’s memorable turn in Cats singing ‘Memory’ in 1981
– The triumphant return of theatre as the West End reopened after the pandemic

Choose from a range of book covers and personalise your copy with a name and message to transform it into a unique keepsake. Whether for a lifelong theatre-goer, a lover of music and performance, or someone who’s felt the thrill of opening night — you hold not just a gift, but a piece of West End history ready to be passed on.

Archivist insight: We reproduce these newspaper articles from scan archives. In some cases, there’ll be blemishes and the reproduction quality might not be as clear or precise as it was in the original paper.