Mayor backs cheap theatre tickets

The Mayor is today announcing £350,000 backing for a scheme offering discounted West End theatre tickets. The move aims to encourage more people to visit London productions.

Ken Livingstone is giving his support to the "Get Into London Theatre" scheme at the Criterion in Piccadilly.

He is due to be joined by stars including Sir Ian McKellan, Alan Davies, Caprice and the latest Hollywood import Freddie Prinze Jr.

Thousands of tickets will be discounted in venues not just in the West End but across the capital. Stand-out bargains include reductions of up to £100 at the Royal Opera House and £5 performances for patrons under 25 and over 60 at more than 50 shows.

The scheme covers around 70 productions, from Taboo at the Venue, Rigoletto at the Coliseum and Salman Rushdie ' s Midnight's Children at the Barbican.

Mr Livingstone said of the Society of London Theatre's annual cheap tickets scheme, which he is supporting for the second time: "People travel thousands of miles to enjoy our theatre productions. But not all Londoners are making the most of what is on their doorstep, in particular young people.

"I hope that through this discounted ticket promotion, they will discover what an enjoyable and rewarding experience going to the theatre can be."

The Mayor's initiative comes as calls mount from Theatreland's most influential figures, led by impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh, for a major clean up of the West End.

Studies by the Society of London Theatre have shown patrons feel put off by the prospect of braving drunks and drug addicts - not to mention the transport problems - to see a show.

Andre Ptaszynski, the producer who runs Lord Lloyd-Webber's 13 Really Useful Theatres, has urged Mr Livingstone to work more closely with local councils and the police to tackle the problem of rowdy drinkers who are thrown out of bars as curtains fall across the city.

The Mayor's office has echoed Sir Cameron's calls for the Government to give London more powers to stop the West End decline.

Sir Cameron today told the Evening Standard: "The biggest problem is, how we can make London more attractive for visitors?

"Over the last week there has been a spate of comment on the subject, and there seems now to be a general consensus that something needs to be done."

Another influential impresario, Howard Panter, partowner of the Ambassador Theatre Group, said: "This is a £1 billion industry and we are lucky to have the best theatre in the world.

"We need to do what New York did with Manhattan, and that is to have the political and economic will to transform the West End."

But one Broadway producer has shown his faith in London by buying the freehold to the Playhouse in Northumberland Avenue.

Ted Tulchin and his brother Norman have bought this historically unpopular theatre in the hope that the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square and the new Hungerford Bridge will bring more people to the venue.

Their London producer, Kevin Wallace, said: "There is no doubt the timing is perfect for us and the Playhouse."

He added: "All the warning signs are there and something has to be done. Many of London's theatre owners, including Sir Cameron, are planning to invest in refurbishing venues across the West End - but they are urging a clean up outside the theatres, as well as inside."