Bumper year for West End

London's theatres have enjoyed a bumper year, with box office takings at a record high.

Attendances, at almost 12 million, rose three per cent last year compared with 2003, and were the second highest recorded - only 125,000 down from a high in 2002. Box office revenue was £341million, the highest in 25 years since records were first kept.

The musical dominated last year, as it has done for some time, accounting for more than half of all tickets sold at

London's main theatres: 7.3 million of a total 11.9 million. "The West End is thriving," said Richard Pulford, chief executive of the Society of London Theatre. "The West End is always dying according to the press. For something that is dying, it is in peculiarly robust health."

Mr Pulford said the 2004 figures would probably be similar to 2003 when the West End staged 7,360 performances of plays and 7,582 of musicals. Ticket sales for plays rose by three per cent last year, but stayed the same for musicals. "Again, we always read that the musical is killing the play. It just isn't true," he said.

New shows The Producers and Mary Poppins are success stories while long-running hits such as The Lion King, Chicago and Mamma Mia! are still keeping the balance sheet healthy. Plays including One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Journey's End helped make 2004 a good year for drama.