Dressing up for West End play?

[Username620]

Going to see The Pillowman next week in London.
I haven’t been in London for over 10 years and never been to the West End.
Do people dress up?

Not really these days. Very casual.

Some people are smarter than others but it's absolutely fine to go in jeans and a jumper. I'd say most people are casual not smart.

No. I went to see it a couple of weeks ago. Everyone was very casual - jeans/ leggings etc.

No not any more. I've been to lots of shows and the only ones dressed up appear to be part of groups on a night out. I'm usually slobbing in jeans and a tshirt as I backpack to London!

@Legacy did you enjoy it?

I’m a little disappointed to hear it’s fairly casual. Maybe I will just dress for myself 😁

It’s not expected, but you absolutely can!

Yes, disappointingly casual. But I wouldn't let that stop you.

Very casual. Anything goes really. You can dress up if you want to.

A few dress up a bit but it is majority casual, which I personally prefer because of travelling by public transport/walking.

Yes, I did, although I'm not fully convinced that gender-swapping Lily Allen into the lead role was great. Some fun moments though.

There really isn't any glamour to the West End these days unless you're red carpeting at a press night or premiere. It's full of tourists in white trainers and backpacks clutching their Starbucks!

I will be a tourist - I live abroad. Will remember not to wear my white trainers 😃

The beauty of London is that you can wear whatever you like and noone cares.

I'm often too hot in West end theatres, it's not cold down here !

Sadly not! But if you want to then do. People do sometimes put on their glad rags in evening ime but not afternoon matinees.

I saw Joan Collins at mamma Mia the week they reopened after covid. She definitely wasn’t in jeans, trainers and back pack. She was full length sparkly gown and fur coat!

I live in central London and always make an effort to dress up when I go to the theatre. Don't get me wrong, I'm won't wear a ballgown 😜but I'll wear a dress. Certainly not jeans and trainers. We're not savages.

When I go to see a West End show I will usually have spent the day walking round London. So I dress for that.

Same here. I'll be in something comfortable and suitable for the weather. Which is almost impossible at times

I doubt she travelled on public transport to get there!

There's no reason why you can't wear a nice day dress.

A as nothing goes. I've seen people dressed up and in jeans and trainers. No one cares. Best thing about London.

i think it's nice to make a bit of an effort as per Joan Collins. And people in London do care and silently judge .

It was also Press Night when people do tend to dress up.

I live in London and go to the theatre at least three times a month. I wear whatever I wore to work, which is usually wide leg trousers, a jumper and trainers (or if a weekend, whatever I slung on in the morning). But I honestly don't care or even notice what anyone else is wearing, and I don't think anyone else does, either, so wear whatever makes you happiest!

The thing about (living in) London is that there is a) so much theatre going on all the time, that a play isn't really an event in the same way that it might be in a smaller town, so dressing up for it seems daft, and b) there is so much variation in in dress and style everywhere, that you're pretty used to just accepting that everyone does their own thing and don't really have rigid expectations of what is "appropriate".

Hope you enjoy the play!