11 gifts every theatregoer would love for Christmas
1. Personalised Theatre review poster
Now you can join the likes of King Charles III, A View from the Bridge and Once and give yourself five shiny stars from WhatsOnStage with this personalised theatre review poster.
2. Billy Elliot Live DVD
Earlier this year a special performance of Elton John and Lee Hall's musical Billy Elliot was broadcast to cinemas around the world.
With the show's release on DVD and Bluray, you can now own this slice of history to play over and over again. Featuring a finale with 25 Billys past and present and original Billy Liam Mower returning to the show for a one-off performance of older Billy.
£9.99, amazon.co.uk
3. Everybody Dies Tea Towel
It's true, pretty much everyone dies in Shakespeare's plays, making it very hard to keep count. But do not fear, the National Theatre have this very handy tea towel listing the deaths of every character in eight of his plays from Romeo and Juliet to Titus Andronicus, including their means of expiration.
£12.50, nationaltheatre.org.uk
4. National Theatre 50th Anniversary DVD
Another gift from the National that should be top of every stagey gift list is this recording of the gala performance at the National earlier this year. Featuring performances from stage legends including Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and Maggie Smith as well as National Theatre shows The History Boys, War Horse and Guys and Dolls.
£24.99, nationaltheatre.org.uk
5. Tickets to the WhatsOnStage Awards Concert
Last year's concert featured performances from the West End's finest including Cynthia Erivo, Michael Xavier and Willemijn Verkaik, as well as the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Carrie Hope Fletcher taking to the stage to accept their awards. You can expect the same and more when we return to the Prince of Wales Theatre to celebrate the 15th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards in February.
Check out the highlights from last year's ceremony above.
From £27.25, whatsonstage.com
6. William Shakespeare Rubber Duck
Your loved one may already eat, sleep and drink theatre, now they can bathe with it to with the stagiest rubber duck known to man. The scroll on the toy says "To quack or not to quack" and whoever receives this as a gift will have endless fun thinking up more bath related Shakespeare puns. A Midsummer Night's Clean anyone?
7. West End Bares calendar 2015
Help your friends and family stay organised all year round with this A3 full-colour calendar featuring exclusive images of 12 West End Shows who have all "dared to bare" to raise funds for The Make A Difference Trust.
Each month has been photographed by a specially selected photographer and include, Mamma Mia!, Once, Wicked, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Jersey Boys and Urinetown.
£10, madtrust.org.uk
8. The West End Goes MAD For Christmas CD
Auburn Jam Records have released "The West End Goes MAD For Christmas"; a compilation album of Christmas songs by new writers, performed by a host of West End stars, in aid of the Make A Difference Trust.
Tracklist includes "Together We Can Make It" written by Felix Hagan and performed by Killian Donnelly & the cast of Les Misérables (see above video), "A Soldier’s Christmas" written by Nadim Naaman and performed by Gerónimo Rauch & Nadim Naaman, and Home written by Alistair Brammer & Gus Gowland and performed by Alistair Brammer.
£10, auburnjam.co.uk
9. Book: Judi Dench – Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes is a fully updated and expanded edition of Dame Judi's first photograph album Scenes from my life, published in 2005. From her first theatrical roles as a teenager in York to her commanding performances as 'M' in the James Bond films, Dame Judi Dench's professional life has consisted of non-stop acting, leading to numerous accolades, including an Academy Award.
Beautifully illustrated with photographs from her own collections, here are reflections and reminiscences on those who have mattered to her most – her family, fellow actors, directors and writers – communicated with the truth and insight of her acting.
£20 (£18 for RSC members), rsc.org.uk
10. Theatre Tokens
Maybe you want to treat that special person in your life to a night out to the theatre. But what do they want to see? When are they available? How much are tickets? Save yourself the trouble of finding out the answers to these questions by purchasing Theatre Tokens.
Sold by SOLT (The Society of London Theatre), the vouchers come in denominations of £5, £10 and £20 so you can decide exactly how much you'd like to spend. They can be used in 240 venues across the UK, including London's West End, and the best thing about them is that they have no expiry date, meaning the recipient can choose exactly when they'd like to use them.
From £5, theatretokens.com
11. Shakespeare's Leading Ladies Chocolate
Forget the tins of Celebrations and Miniature Heroes, the only chocolate you need to be giving this year is these beautifully designed even more beautifully tasting Shakespeare chocolates from SweetTheatre.
Available in flavours from Beatrice's honeycomb and milk chocolate to Juliet's melt in your mouth white chocolate, and after a taste test of all the flavours we can definitely vouch for their yumminess.
From £3.50, available at Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Mason and rsc.org.uk
