| many London shows on offer, there are more | | | | Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; and he was |
| leading men and women in the West End than | | | | rather good. However, it's his current role as Tick, |
| ever before and each performer has their own | | | | an Australian drag queen, in Priscilla Queen of the |
| dedicated fanbase. We've consulted London | | | | Desert that has really turned heads on the |
| theatre fans and compiled this handy list of five | | | | London theatre scene. |
| leading men that you should make a point of | | | | Donovan has proved to have the magic |
| seeing on stage as soon as possible. Keep an eye | | | | combination of fame and actual talent and people |
| out for these names; if you book a London | | | | have been booking London theatre breaks and |
| theatre break to see any of them, you'll be in for | | | | travelling across the country to see him perform |
| a real treat. | | | | since his first night. |
| 1) Ramin Karimloo | | | | 4) Oliver Tompsett |
| Karimloo's exceptional starring performance in The | | | | There are two London shows which inspire truly |
| Phantom of the Opera has set him apart from | | | | impressive levels of devotion from their fans, |
| the pack. With impressive vocal ability, incredible | | | | even by West End standards. Those shows are, |
| stage presence and more than his fair share of | | | | of course, Mamma Mia! and Wicked, and Oliver |
| handsome, Karimloo was the obvious choice to | | | | Tompsett has appeared in both! His dashing |
| take the lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming | | | | performance as Fiyero in Wicked has earned him |
| Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies. | | | | a small army of utterly besotted fans who'll gladly |
| 2) Derek Jacobi | | | | sit on the train for hours just to hear him belt out |
| In an age when reality TV stars and earnest | | | | Dancing Through Life one more time. |
| young people dominate London theatre, it's nice to | | | | 5) Ray Quinn |
| see a performance from a good old-fashioned | | | | Let's be honest, even in the supposedly highbrow |
| thesp every once in a while. Jacobi does not take | | | | world of London theatre there is such a thing as a |
| to the stage all too often but when he does the | | | | guilty pleasure. Former Brookside star, 2006 X |
| show is never anything less than spectacular. His | | | | Factor runner up, 2009 Dancing on Ice winner and |
| bumbling, cross-gartered Malvolio earned him an | | | | current star of Grease, Ray Quinn, is the living |
| Olivier Award for Best Actor in 2009, and forever | | | | embodiment of Theatreland's guilty pleasure. |
| cemented his place as a true West End legend. | | | | Cheesy but infectiously enthusiastic, Quinn has |
| 3) Jason Donovan | | | | tempted more than a few people to escape for a |
| Some time ago, Donovan played the lead in the | | | | weekend on a London theatre break. |
| London Palladium production of Joseph and the | | | | |