With Christmas drawing closer many shows are ending their runs to make way for festive productions. It really is your last chance to see many of London’s most popular musicals.

A few nights ago I went to see Oliver! It has been on my list of “must-sees” ever since the Andrew Lloyd Webber programme went in search of the perfect Nancy. Oliver closes on 8 January 2011 after a fantastic two-year run, and tickets are selling out fast. I didn’t realise the scale of this production before I went – the theatre is massive and very grand and the stage constantly changes, with ever more fabulous backdrops for each successive scene. But by far the most epic aspect of this musical is the huge cast, predominantly made up of very talented young children.

The show currently stars entertainer Russ Abbot as the loveable rogue Fagin (although I saw understudy Tim Laurenti in the role) and Kerry Ellis as Nancy. Gwion Wyn Jones (Oliver) and Ben Wilson (Artful Dodger) are the real stars of the night however; I couldn’t believe how capable and confident they are – singing, dancing and acting with startling maturity and swagger. I particularly love the sequence right at the beginning of the show when all the kids come on stage to sing “Food Glorious Food”.

Read our entry on Oliver! with Omid Djalili as Fagin.

Other London Theatre Shows Ending Soon:

• Sister Act: (ends 30 October 2010) A precocious singer joins a convent to unite the sisters with singing and music
• Avenue Q: (ends 30 October 2010) A hilarious mischievous puppet show set in New York City
• Sweet Charity: (ends 6 November 2010) the story of a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance-hall who finds love at last
• The Railway Children: (ends 2 January 2010) An adaptation of E Nesbit’s classic about three children who find amusement watching the trains at a nearby railway station

Catch them before it’s too late!

Will the vintage musical ever go out of fashion? With their fabulously flirty costumes, the jiving and jitterbugging and the fun tunes, it seems retro shows just keep getting more popular.

My absolute favourite is Grease, which I saw for the third time this week. It is as good as ever, with all the rock’n'roll numbers everyone remembers from the film, and dance routines that are as brilliant as expected from choreographer Arlene Phillips. The cast has recently changed and now features Matthew Goodgame (Channel 4 Musicality, Chicago) as the leader of the T-birds, Danny Zuko and Lauren Samuels (BBC1 Over the Rainbow finalist) making her West End debut as Sandy. Despite tackling some controversial social issues like teenage pregnancy and gang violence, this musical is a fun night out for everyone, and a must-see on the London stage before it goes off on tour in Spring 2011.

Other vintage musicals to see in London:

• Flashdance: new to the West End stage it tells the tale of 18-year-old Alex, welder by day, “flashdancer” by night, who hopes to be given a place at the Shipley Dance Academy.
• Dreamboats and Petticoats: a sweet song-writing love story that features many classic songs.
• Dirty Dancing: brought to the stage after the hit 1987 film about rebellion, growing up pains and above all, the power of dance.
• Sweet Charity: the story of a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance-hall who finds love at last (hurry it ends 6 November).

Why not kit yourself out in the appropriate retro get-up from Rokit in Covent Garden, Portobello Market, Camden Markets or one of the quirky shops on Brick Lane.

What’s your favourite vintage musical in London? Tell us in the comments below…

West End regular Sharon D Clarke will be appearing in the much talked-about new musical, Ghost, coming to London next year. She’ll be playing the role taken by Whoopi Goldberg in the Oscar-winning film – the psychic who manages to connect the murdered Sam with his girlfriend Molly. Ghost (with music and lyrics by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart and Grammy Award-winner Glen Ballard) will open in London in June, following a premiere in Manchester.

Fans of smaller-scale opera are in for a treat this autumn, as the King’s Head Theatre has announced plans to re-launch as London’s Little Opera House. Speaking about the theatre’s change of direction, Artistic Director Adam Spreadbury-Maher says, “The King’s Head, as London’s Little Opera House, will be an alternative to ENO and Covent Garden, and will create a new generation of audiences, composers and performers.” The first production will be The Barber Of Seville (Or Salisbury), opening in the first week in October.

Also in October is the UK premiere of a new musical about Colette Collage, the infamous French author of Gigi and Cheri. The new musical comes from the writers behind The Fantasticks and opens at the Barons Court Theatre from 26 October.

Next up, the Young Vic’s forthcoming Christmas show has a very interesting duo behind the music. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, aka the Pet Shop Boys, will be composing an original score for David Almond’s children’s show My Dad’s A Birdman.

Other Christmas shows announced this week include:

• Hansel and Gretel by the brilliant Kneehigh Theatre Company at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
• Beauty and the Beast at the National, directed by Katie Mitchell, produced by the same team behind The Cat In The Hat, another hit children’s show

Finally, Sweet Charity closes on 6 November, following a six-month West End run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Read our review of the show, and book tickets online here, but hurry – there’s not long left to see this great musical!

Sweet Charity burst into the West End last night and this acclaimed 60’s musical is super slick. The 2010 cast has jived and jiggled it way across The Thames from The Menier Chocolate Factory to Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End.

It’s a charming old-fashioned tale about a New York girl called Charity Hope Valentine (played by Tamzin Outhwaite) and her dream of a better life. Charity is an unlucky idealist who wants to find a man to care for, who will care for her. While the first part of her goal is easier than proves healthy, it’s the second part that is more challenging. The result is that the audience care for her more by the minute.

Think tea at The Berkley with Holly Golightly followed by a night out at Ronnie Scotts with Foxy Cleopatra. Yikes.

Did I mention it’s funny? The pace of this production is super – only one musical number, set in the confined space of a broken elevator, seemed to carry on too long and lost my attention.

The performances are strong and confident, the set is effective, the costumes are glitzy, the music is brilliant and the story is sweet but never sappy. There are plenty feisty dance routines with superb choreography to keep our eyes, ears and hearts entertained. Musical numbers belted out or whispered super-sensually include 1960’s hits Hey Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now and The Rhythm of Life.

Slick, gusty performances work well to deliver the story into the hearts and laps of the audience.

Loads of fun and definitely a shakin’ night out!