Celebrate LGBT History Month with tickets to West End shows

February sees the annual marking of LGBT History Month in the UK. It's a time to observe lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, to reflect on gay rights, advance education, work to create more safe spaces, and to promote the welfare of LGBT+ people. LGBT History Month is usually observed in October in the US, Canada and Australia, but it's in February here - coinciding with the 2003 abolition of Section 28, a heinous law that prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality".

The founding organiser of our LGBT History Month is Schools Out UK, and it first took place in February 2005. The event has three rousing taglines: "Claiming our past. Celebrating our present. Creating our future." Well-known patrons and speakers include actors Ian McKellen and Cryil Nri, activists Peter Tatchell and Stuart Milk, rugby player Gareth Thomas, politician Angela Eagle, and writer Stella Duffy.

LGBT History Month links up with the National Curriculum too, offering free teaching resources to schools, and sets a theme each year. The 2023 theme is #BehindTheLens, celebrating queer people’s contribution to cinema from behind the lens – from directors and screenwriters to animators, costume designers, musicians, choreographers and more.

Of course, you can also celebrate the wonderful work of LBGT+ people on stage, whether performing or creating work, or even sharing their lived experiences – all while having a wonderful night out. Here are some of the great London shows that you can see now to celebrate LGBT History Month, and all year round.

Cabaret

Willkomen to one of the all-time great musicals: Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret. Even better, this multi-Olivier Award-winning production completely immerses you in the world of the show, with the Playhouse Theatre transformed into the Kit Kat Club. Originally starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley, this phenomenal revival is welcoming new leads this month: John McCrea, who originated the title role in the heartfelt queer musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and Aimee Lou Wood, best known for similarly queer-celebratory TV series Sex Education.

It’s a great excuse to revisit Cabaret if you’ve already seen it – or to enter the Kit Kat Club for the first time, particularly during LGBT History Month. Part of the show’s great tragedy is seeing the sexual freedom of the pre-war era destroyed by the rise of fascism, and Rebecca Frecknall’s production emphasises that point with its inclusive, gender-fluid club performers living their best lives, plus the bisexual journey of Cliff Bradshaw. Join their world, just for a night: come to the cabaret.

Book Cabaret tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: Frozen (Photo courtesy of production)