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When the weather turns brisk after a wet and none-too-warm summer we Brits well know that now is the time to enjoy London. The winter is too cold and miserable and the summer is generally blighted by hordes of tourists. But the Spring and Autumn are the highlights of the year with the best cultural events and reasonable weather to enjoy them. This Autumn there is heaps to do with theatre a particular highlight.

What plays or musicals should I see?

Here are four shows which I have recommended to visitors coming to London to see us this Autumn

Billy Elliot is the story of a mining town boyhood during the toughest years of Thatcherite reforms. The mining strikes makes life tough for Billy, but that is only the beginning of his woes. Because Billy is different. He loves to dance and that is simply not expected of boys in Northern towns. This show is a winner because it combines a win-against-the-odds story with superb music by Sir Elton John and a strong cast of superb dancers and performers. This show has won numerous awards and is the favourite memory many visitors take away from London.

The trend of Hollywood or TV stars treading the boards on the West End continues appropriately enough with the premiere of film-to-stage show Rain Man which debuts at London’s Apollo Theatre on the 19th of September. Rain Man has been adapted for the stage by Dan Gordon and tells the same story as the film starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman for which Hoffman won an Oscar. The story revolves around the discovery by car salesman Charlie that he has an older brother, Raymond, who had been institutionalised since he was a kid. Ray is an autistic savant with all the social difficulties the condition entails. However, he has a genius for numbers which turns in handy when Charlie’s business is in trouble. The play stars Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down, The Black Dahlia) and well-known London thespian Adam Godley.

The Donmar Warehouse is known in London for its confronting dramas. It is an intimate theatre around a horseshoe stage with only three rows so you can feel the actor’s effort and sweat throughout. The theatre attracts major stars returning to the stage for intellectual refreshment. In its latest production Shakespeare veteran Kenneth Branagh has cast Hollywood heart-throb Jude Law as Hamlet. Will Law succeed in such a cramped domain? Many stars have returned to the stage in London to sold-out runs but critical panning. I think Law is cut above the rest and will enhance his reputation in this performance which is certain to be one of the most talked-about shows of the year.

Before the film it was a London show. Mamma Mia! may have been a screen sensation but Londoners have been dancing in the aisles to ABBA music for years and we continue to flock to this sensational stage-show in droves. This is a unique production because it is so engaging. You will be drawn into the show and end up on your feet belting out the familiar tunes. Better than a win at the races for lifting your spirits.

After the show catch a late supper at Gaucho Piccadilly. Gaucho is a chain of Argentinean restaurants which are recognised as having the best steaks in London. Try an Argentinean merlot with your steak; it should have much more spice and body than the typically soft European and Californian versions of the grape.

Transport to the West End is easy with tube stations at Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Holborn close-by and hosts of buses and cabs to take you back to your hotel or rented accommodation. For those interested in getting a deal, many theatres offer cheaper tickets same day. Details are on the theatre websites.