London's West End Theatre heats up for the summer

London may have had a washout summer, but the West end is pumping with some great new shows as well as some of the old classics.

The Lord of the Rings musical, which was premiered in Toronto, has become the world's most spectacular, ambitious and expensive theatre show to date, taking more than four years to make and costing a total of £14.3 million. To create the different Middle Earth kingdoms, a 40 tonne rotating stage lifts and falls in 17 different sections, and 50 actors, 19 musicians and 60 stage hands work behind the scenes to ensure the 256 costume changes go smoothly as Elfin silk. The show has successfully condensed Tolkien's epic world into a three hour singing, dancing, flying and fighting extravaganza and will please musical and Middle Earth fans alike.

Billy Elliot first opened in London's West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre in March 2005 to huge critical acclaim, and since then has won a host of awards including Best Musical at the Oliver Awards, the Evening Standard Awards and at the Critics Circle. With music by Elton John, Billy Elliot tells the story of a young boy living in a traditional mining town in Northern England, who unlike the other boys, finds he has a talent for ballet rather than boxing. The show has gained fantastic reviews from the popular press, being haled as "beautifully uplifting", "hilarious" and "so exhilarating, the audience didn’t want it to end".

Dirty Dancing, a classic film from the 1980s first opened as a stage show in Australia in 2004. Since then it has achieved record breaking West End ticket sales. Just in case you've been living in the African outback for the last twenty years and are unfamiliar with the plot, the story is based on one of the most watched films of all time, which details the love story of a girl crossing into womanhood both physically and emotionally through a relationship with a dance instructor during a family summer vacation. Full of classic dance scenes and one of the best selling soundtracks of all time, the Dirty Dancing stage show is sure to fill you full of childhood nostalgia.

Those living outside of the capital can take a London theatre break, and there are many companies offering theatre break packages which include hotel accommodation near a theatre of your choice and tickets for your chosen performance.

So from Middle Earth to the summer of love, London's West End is well worth a visit for theatre fans - just be sure to book early as these shows sell out fast!