THE West End of London is one of the most unforgiving business environments in the world but a recent run of hits has made it seem like the paradise described by Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls.

“For two weeks I gambled in green pastures. The dice were my cousins and the dolls were agreeable, with nice teeth and no last names.”

Guys and Dolls opened last night in the most buoyant theatre scene the West End has witnessed since detailed attendance records began in the mid-1980s. A new generation of hit shows has combined with an influx of celebrity actors to create the healthiest year since attendance broke the 12 million barrier in 2002.

Ewan McGregor, in his first West End role, joins dozens of high-profile stars either performing or waiting to perform in the capital. Hollywood film stars such as Kevin Spacey, Val Kilmer, Brooke Shields and David Schwimmer feature on stage alongside the British actors Johnny Lee Miller and Sienna Miller. Jude Law is likely to appear later in the year at the Young Vic.

Critically acclaimed musicals such as Billy Elliot, The Producers and Mary Poppins provide the backbone for an unusually profitable period for straight plays. Musicals are up 5 per cent on the same period last year and plays are up by 11 per cent.

More than 4 million people bought tickets in the first four months of the year, prompting theatre-watchers to estimate that 2005 will be a record year.

Emma de Souza, a spokeswoman for the Society of London Theatre, the umbrella group for West End theatres, said that she expected this year to surpass 2002. “We are potentially on the way to the best year ever,” she said. “It is because of the great product out there and the number of stars.”

There was a decline in 2003, when some of the largest theatres were vacant while waiting for new productions to move in, but attendance has risen steadily since. “Theatre is very resilient,” Ms De Souza added. “It takes a while to get through the creative process and these things that were planned before September 11, 2001, and the foot-and-mouth disease scare are now filtering through.”

Michael Grandage’s new version of Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre is expected to boost a theatre scene that has not been so vibrant since Andrew Lloyd Webber’s heyday in the 1980s.

Last month Billy Elliot opened to universal praise, with critics from The Times and The Daily Telegraph wondering if it was the best British musical so far.

The Producers, Mel Brooks’s adaptation of his 1968 film, also won five-star reviews when it finally transferred to London in November. Mary Poppins, Cameron Mackintosh’s latest venture, attracted similar praise when it opened a month later.

Hollywood is also playing its part. Agents now commonly advise their film stars to experiment with live theatre in the West End, where leading roles are guaranteed and flops are less conspicuous to their domestic audience.

David Schwimmer earned four stars from The Times when he opened in Some Girls last week. Brooke Shields is reviving her career in Chicago. Val Kilmer has come to London to play opposite Charlotte Emmerson in The Postman Always Rings Twice.

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