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Mayor Launches "Greatest Show" Ticket Discounts

London mayor Ken Livingstone (pictured) today launched the capital's largest ever theatre and restaurant promotion. "The Greatest Show on Earth" promotion, billed as an early Christmas gift to Londoners and visitors to the city, will see half a million pounds injected into theatreland, through discount tickets and free passes distributed to selected organisations for young people, the disabled and the elderly.

The promotion will run from 10 to 22 December 2001 and again from the 14 January to 17 February 2002. Over 30 West End shows - including long-runners such as Art, Blood Brothers, The Phantom of the Opera and The Woman in Black - are participating in the promotion, in which a minimum of 60,000 tickets will be subsidised to prices as low as £10 to £20.

The promotion is kicked of today with the unveiling of a celebrity chorus-line poster - featuring, amongst others, Linda Gray, Sophie Dahl and Dame Judi Dench. The poster was unveiled this morning at a ceremony, held at the Prince of Wales and attended by numerous stage stars, including Brian Blessed, Joan Collins, Miriam Margolyes, Eddie Izzard and cast members from Buddy, Umoja, The King and I, Chicago, Cats and My Fair Lady.

The theatre ticket promotion is part of a £4million pound package secured by the Mayor and his London Tourism Action Group for businesses badly affected by the events of 11 September. Livingstone said: "Tourist and visitor dependent businesses have experienced a difficult time since the events of 11 September and some of our theatres have suffered badly. My half a million pound theatre ticket promotion is intended to entice people back into the West End to enjoy some of the best and most exciting theatre in the world at cut prices."

The promotion is being run in conjunction with the Society of London Theatres, whose chief executive Rupert Rhymes commented: "We know that many sectors including hotels, restaurants and taxis are dependent on West End theatre goers. The Mayor's timely and generous initiative is thus a shot in the arm for the whole London economy."

"The Greatest Show on Earth" promotion also involves restaurant and hotel offers as well as free bus passes allocated for every reduced-price ticket sold. For more information, call 0870 840 2468.

- by Terri Paddock

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