Skeleton suits for Phantom of the Opera, garish wigs for Beetlejuice, a Don’t Tell Mama dress for Cabaret … our critic meets the crowds going wild for costumes – and attends Cats in kitty costume
It’s an hour before curtain-up and the queue outside the theatre is full of green wigs and blue faces, all amid a sea of black and white stripes. It is Halloween night and these theatregoers of all ages, snaking around a corner of the West End, are in themed dress for the musical Beetlejuice, adapted from the 80s film.
In other theatres’ queues you might spot a king from Hamilton, the queens of Six and the wizards of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, all bestowing new meaning to the idea of dressing up for the theatre.