Palace Theatre London: What's On and How to Plan Your Visit: 197 events this week (24 Sept to 25 Sept)

The Palace Theatre sits right on Cambridge Circus, that odd six-way junction where Soho tips into Covent Garden. You've probably walked past its red brick tower without clocking the name, then looked up and realised it's been there since 1891, built originally as an opera house before it settled into life as one of the West End's biggest musical theatre homes.

It's a large room, one of the biggest stages in the West End, which means it tends to host the big transfers and long-running spectacles rather than fringe or experimental work. If you want scale, staging, and a full band in the pit, this is usually the address. If you want something small and stripped back, look elsewhere.

Picking a show here comes down to what kind of night you're after. Big-budget musicals reward a bit of distance, so don't panic if you're not in the front few rows. The upper levels are steep but the sightlines are honest, and tickets there cost a lot less than the stalls. If you're going for a special occasion, the stalls or dress circle give you the full scale of the production.

Cambridge Circus puts you within a few minutes of Chinatown, Soho, and Covent Garden, so a show here slots easily into a longer evening. Turning up 30 to 45 minutes early gives you time to find your seat without a scrum, and most performances run with a single interval, useful if you want a drink at the bar without missing anything.

Booking ahead matters more for the popular runs, since the Palace tends to host shows that stick around for years rather than months. That said, day-of and late-release tickets do turn up, so it's worth checking close to the date if you're being spontaneous.