FANS of Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo were delighted when they heard the Wicked star was hitting the West End, but have been left demanding refunds after watching her perform in the flesh.
The A-list actress is currently starring in one-woman show Dracula at the Noël Coward Theatre in London’s West End, which kicked off last week and sees her playing a whopping 23 characters.
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Theatre-goers have been left demanding refunds for Cynthia Erivo’s new West End show DraculaCredit: GettyCynthia plays a whopping 23 characters in the new productionCredit: Dracula/ Noel Coward TheatreIt comes after fans lauded her blockbuster performance in WickedCredit: Alamy
However, it seems that Cynthia may have bitten off more than she can chew with the vamp role – as fans have scrutinised her for “reading off of the teleprompter” throughout.
As one theatre-lover asked whether the teleprompter could really be seen from the audience, the original poster responded: ” Saw it with my own eyes unfortunately.
“As did many people in my section who were confused why there were multiple”.
Another user slammed: “Why play 20 roles if you know you can’t memorise a script consisting of 20 roles”.
The early reviews of the show will be a blow after the production budget was believed to be north of £3million, while tickets are as much as £225.
However, it’s not all bad for the Elphaba star, with some fans lauding her performance.
“I was at the first preview and it was genuinely the most incredible thing. Cynthia was epic!!,” said one fan after watching Dracula.
Another said: “My mind was blown”.
A third defended her use of the teleprompter, asking: “Did you want her to memorize 20 thousand words?”
Cynthia is no stranger to the West End and has even won a Tony award for her stage work.
In 2016, the actress won the gong for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayalCelie in the revival ofThe Color Purple.
Cynthia is set to star in Dracula until 31 May.
Fans have claimed that Cynthia spends much of the show reading from a teleprompter due to the large amount of lines and characters she has to memoriseCredit: GettyThe show opened just last week and will run until 31 MayCredit: Dracula/ Noel Coward Theatre
LONDON’S West End is full of exciting productions, but it can be hard to keep track of them all and there are some you might want to see, finishing this year…
There is nothing worse than saying for ages that you want to see a specific show, finally coming to book it and finding out that it has actually ended.
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Back to the Future will be leaving the West End on April 12Credit: Alamy
Well, for a few big productions, that will be the case this year.
Back to the Future
Back to the Future will be leaving the West End on April 12.
You have just two months to catch Back to the Future in the West End if you haven’t seen it already.
The Olivier Award-winning production is currently at London’s Adelphi Theatre and is based on the 1985 film by the same name.
The show even features high-tech effects, like a flying DeLorean.
And while it is leaving London’s West End, it will be touring the UK from October with stops in Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Sunderland and Southampton.
Meanwhile, Billy Elliot will be replacing it, coming to the Adelphi Theatre from February 12, 2027 to July 31, 2027.
It will mark the production’s first time in the West End in over 10 years and is part of a national tour of the original award-winning production.
If you do want to catch Back to the Future before it leaves London – there are some great offers available.
Direct through the production’s website you can get weekend tickets from just £19.85 (do you see what they did there?).
Or you can get four tickets from £50.
If you have the TodayTix app, you can get £29.50 Rush tickets for same day performances.
And some midweek shows cost £23.
Starlight Express will perform for the last time on May 3Credit: Alamy
Starlight Express
Starlight Express will be leaving the West End on May 3.
Currently at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, the show has been running since 2024 and is considered to be the longest-running revival of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in London over the past two decades.
The show follows the story of a train set that has come to life.
The show at Theatre Royal Drury Lane opened last summer and has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for the anthem ‘Go the Distance’.
A replacement show has not yet been announced for the theatre.
If you book via LW Theatres, tickets cost as little as £29.50 and these are for lightning seats, which means you could pay less for a better seat.
TodayTix also sells Rush tickets for this price, for same day performances and regular tickets from £33.
In just a couple of weeks MJ The Musical will leave the West EndCredit: Getty
MJ The Musical
MJ The Musical will perform its last show on February 28.
The show focuses on the creative process behind Michael Jackson’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour, with the show set during rehearsals.
Once it finishes in London’s Prince Edward Theatre, the production will go on tour in Asia before launching a UK tour in 2027.
As for the London theatre, Beetlejuice The Musical is set to replace it and open at London’s Prince Edward Theatre in May 2026.
If you still want to catch MJ The Musical before it finishes, you can book via the production’s website with tickets costing from £58.
Though, if you have or download the TodayTix app, you can snap up Rush tickets for same day performances from just £30
And even regular tickets are cheaper via TodayTix, costing from £51.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in its current form will leave the West EndCredit: Getty
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (two parts)
The two-part version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be leaving the West End on September 20.
The much-loved stage show spin-off arrived at the Palace Theatre a decade ago but now it will be shrunken to just one show instead of two parts.
The theatre will close for a few weeks before reopening on October 6 with a single show which will run for two hours and 55 minutes.
Potterheads and for those who are intrigued by a two-part show have some time to catch it before it finishes – and it might be the best time to as historically, watching both parts has been expensive.
Whilst the best seats in the stalls are still priced at a couple-hundred quid for both parts, you can snap up tickets in the balcony for just £36 for both parts on TodayTix- a bargain!
If you want to try and get a bargain on good seats, then enter TodayTix’s Friday Forty, where you could get tickets in top seats for just £40 for both parts.
A couple of years ago, I managed to secure Friday Forty tickets and ended up in the front row of the Grand Circle – tickets that would have cost me upwards of £300 for both parts.
The immersive live show – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – will end in a few daysCredit: Alamy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Live
In just a few days, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Live immersive show at London’s Riverside Studios will end.
The 90-minute show began back in November 2025 in Hammersmith and incorporates a live cast and a puppet of Marvin the Paranoid Android.
If you are desperate to go there are still a few tickets left via TodayTix with 25 per cent off costing £30 per person instead of £53 when you book direct.
