On each of the five nights I stayed in London, I went to a concert or theater performance. I visited London without a set plan, relying instead on spur-of-the moment decisions based on whim. However, the first thing I did when I arrived was survey the concert and theatre listings in Time Out magazine. This provided a good idea of what was on in town. I also used the Half-Price Ticket Booth in Leicester Square.

My favorite night out was a chamber music concert in Wigmore Hall, one of my favorite places for music in London. Less successful - and about three times as expensive - was a night at the opera, "Aida" at the Royal Albert Hall. The acoustics were awful in the hall, and seeing an opera 'in the round' was strange. The complexities of the staging were less than successful. Sometimes the principal members were singing with their backs facing me, which was actually less of a problem visually than acoustically, as their voices would bounce off the opposite wall and reach the area I was in later than the sound of the orchestra! "Aida" has always been a favorite opera, but the much-touted production in the Royal Albert Hall was a disappointment.

A more entertaining night of musical entertainment was seeing "Momma Mia," a musical based entirely on Abba songs. It’s a frothy, camp, goofball musical, the sort you can't help but enjoy, full of infectious enthusiasm. All right, so the plot wasn't the most original. So they stretched things a bit to work in all those Abba songs. Who cares?! It's not every day you see a male chorus line kitted out in swim trunks, snorkels and flippers.

I also went to see "Shockheaded Peter," billed as a sardonic "junk opera." The production had less bite than I expected, though it had its moments. I was surprised to see rows of school children in the audience, apparently on some sort of school outing, but there was a sort of Roald Dahl aesthetic to the production that children find appealing. I'd give the production a weak thumbs-up; it was entertaining, but not magically so.

Finally, I went with a friend to a small theatre on Jermyn Street to see "Mapp and Lucia," based on the eponymous E.F. Benson novel. Now, I've been in some tiny theatres before, but this one was the smallest. There couldn't have been more than fifty people in the audience, and every seat was filled. The intimate setting was a bonus, however, as the production was sprightly and smoothly done in the best "British theatre" tradition. I gave myself over uncritically to the performance and was rewarded in kind with a solid night's entertainment.

In short, there's something for everyone on stage in London. The lesson I've learned, however, is that price is the least trustworthy measure of enjoyment when it comes to the London theatre.