Attending a concert, play, opera, ballet…

We asked any of you who attended a concert, a recital or any music or dance performance or stage production outside of the US in the last couple of years to tell us how you learned about it and how you obtained tickets. The responses this month, comprising part seven in this ongoing series, are about events attended in the United Kingdom.

During each of three visits to LONDON, I checked the West End theaters to decide which plays I would like to see, then on the day of each performance I went to the theater’s box office to ask if I could purchase a half-price senior ticket.

Officially, these tickets can be purchased only an hour before the performance, but sometimes they will be released earlier in the day. This is less expensive than using the half-price ticket office in Leicester Square, and you usually do not have to wait in line.

At the Novello Theatre (Aldwych, City of London, WC2B 4LD, U.K.; phone +44 844 544 3830) on Dec. 13, 2010, I saw “Onassis,” starring Tony Award winner Robert Lindsay, who gave a brilliant performance as Aristotle Onassis in a fascinating play.

At the Theatre Royal Haymarket (18 Suffolk St., 18 Suffolk St., London, SW1Y 4HT, U.K.; for box office, phone, in UK, 0845 481 1870 or, from overseas, +44 [0] 207 930 8800) on Jan. 7, 2011, I saw “The Rivals,” starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles — a wonderful production by Peter Hall.

At the Theatre Royal Haymarket on April 23, 2011, I saw “Flare Path” by Terence Rattigan, a WWII play celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth. It was directed by Trevor Nunn, with amazing visual and sound effects of bombers seemingly taking off directly over the auditorium.

Note: London theater audiences do not give a standing ovation after every performance as American audiences seem to do. It needs to be something really special for that to happen!

Also, the programs are not free as in theaters in the US. They have to be purchased and are quite expensive ($6 or more), but the money does go to a theater charity.

Mary Merle
Lee, MA

Wigmore Hall (36 Wigmore St., LONDON, W1U 2BP, U.K.; phone 44 [0] 20 7935 2141), just north of Oxford Street, has performances nearly every day in what several years ago The Times of London claimed was the best venue in London for chamber music.

I have attended events there four or five times. The last time, in 2005, I listened to a women’s chamber group.

Philip Beach
Eatonville, WA

At Lands End in Cornwall, England, in June ’09, my husband and I attended a performance of the play “The Greek” at the Minack Theatre (PORTHCURNO, Penzance, Cornwall, TR19 6JU, U.K.; box office phone, +44 [0] 1736 810181).

We bought our tickets through the same travel agent who made our lodging and rental car reservations, Janet at Thistle Dubh Enterprises (Antioch, CA; 925/303-4008).

I highly recommend this amphitheater. It is outdoors on a hillside, with the ocean just beyond the stage. The view is breathtaking, and we even enjoyed seeing basking sharks swimming nearby as we waited for the show to start!

I would recommend getting there an hour ahead of time; there is no reserved seating and it is first come, first served. Seat cushions were available for rent and are a definite must, as the seats are stone benches as in old, Greek-style theaters.

Bring a cooler of food and drinks. Everyone around us shared their food, and the time went quickly as we talked with all of the attendees and watched the sun set.

Before the performance, the actors interacted with the audience by doing small vignette sketches in various locations.

The shows and plays are done by various theater groups from all over England. It doesn’t matter what you see; everything is good, and just being at the venue is an experience in itself.

On the theater’s website, each summer’s performances are listed, tickets may be purchased and one can see photos of the theater.

Judi Purcell
Pensacola Beach, FL

My husband, Russell, and I visited Wales in May of 1997. We were in the town of LLANDUDNO and noticed a flier for a Welsh men’s choir concert that night. Wales is famous for its choirs and we didn’t want to miss this experience.

It was held in a smallish, old Protestant church. The audience was not very large and the feeling was informal.

The choir leader was an older man who also accompanied the group on the piano. He was delightful! When he introduced each number, he talked to us like we were in his living room — in a very comfortable manner and with humor.

The singing was just so beautiful and the atmosphere so pleasant, we didn’t want it to end.

At one point, the choir leader asked if there were any friends in the audience from Ireland or Scotland, adding that they were welcome. Then he made a little joke about their English friends.

Next he asked if there were any visitors from across the seas. We raised our hands. When asked where we were from, I said, “Northern California,” and the audience applauded.

The choir leader said they had performed in the United States one time and that, while there, they had sung “The Star-Spangled Banner” the correct way. Of course, there was polite laughter, including from us. Then they sang it for us.

We alone stood and listened to one of the most beautiful renditions of our national anthem we had ever heard, then applauded them enthusiastically.

After the concert, people greeted us and were so friendly and welcoming! It was one of the most enjoyable concerts of any kind we have ever attended.

Allyn Burke
Diamond Springs, CA