Here's a wizard idea from the Society of London Theatre.
If you're new to London Theatre-going, or even if you crave a little more insider knowledge, they've created a new app that provides you with a walking tour of the theatre district.
The exciting news is that'll be narrated by Britain's greatest living actor Sir Ian Mckellen (the Wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movies).
The idea is that you log on in Leicester Square where there's free wifi (very handy if you're visiting from overseas) and from then on you don't need to be connected to the Internet as the Knight's friendly yet authoritative voice guides you where to walk via your ear phones and provides personal anecdotes about the magnificent venues you'll encounter.
In my experience no one can share memories as beguilingly as older actors and as McKellen has been a major theatre star ever since the 1970s he's going to have a lot of tales to tell.
He says “I know myself when I’m in a strange city that wandering around with your nose in a guidebook isn’t the best way to appreciate what’s going on. The important thing when you’re walking around a city like London is to look up and down the alleyways and around the corner.”
The tour has been created with VoiceMap who specialise in this type of thing and even promises to introduce you to lesser known venues amidst your tour of our iconic and very beautiful theatres.
It should prove a fun and educational tool for tourists and Londoners alike.
And if listening to McKellen gives you a taste for more of his work, then he'll be returning to the West End alongside his friend, that other British acting luminary Sir Patrick Stewart (X-men and Star Trek the Next Generation)
You can see them soon in Harold Pinter's haunting and enigmatic play No Man's Land, a gripping battle of wills, played out appropriately enough, between two old acquaintances.
McKellen may be way past retirement age but these projects keep him where he belongs, at the very heart of London Theatre.
Now here’s a novel way to help cash strapped London Theatre and achieve a little fame for yourself!