Audiences Flock To London Theatres In Record Numbers

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Audiences flock to London theatres in record numbers

London theatres saw record audience numbers last year, boosted by the popularity of musicals, the Society of London Theatre said on Tuesday.

London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2018 ) :London theatres saw record audience numbers last year, boosted by the popularity of musicals, the Society of London Theatre said on Tuesday.

Audience numbers jumped five percent in a year to top 15 million in 2017, the highest figure since SOLT records began in 1986. Musicals were by far the most popular form of theatre, with audience numbers increasing by eight percent to more than 8.7 million.

"The Book of Mormon" and "Wicked" are among the West End's most popular musicals, while the play "Harry Potter And The Cursed Child" continues its great success since opening in 2016. Nearly 4.5 million people went to a play last year, up seven percent on 2016, while other types of theatre including opera and dance drew close to 1.

9 million attendees.

SOLT president Kenny Wax said the numbers are "testament to the creative strength of London theatre", but warned that after a succesWEssful start to 2017 numbers were down in the second half of the year.

"The industry has many reasons to celebrate but must remain cautious as we look ahead to the rest of 2018," he told The Stage publication. "However, the year is a tale of two halves, with the industry operating in a tougher climate in the final two quarters," Wax added.

Despite the sense of caution, theatre box office revenues were up nine percent last year to '705 million ($982 million, 802 million Euros).