Thriller: Live in London's West End

The unexpected hit of the London theatre summer has been Thriller: Live, featuring the music of Michael Jackson. Since the singer's death on 25 June, the show at the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue has been sold out, taking in some £200,000 (€231,000) a week. Most seats are booked until the end of August and advance sales are said to be "going well" for dates as far as late November.

Lyric Theatre owner Nica Burns says that Thriller: Live was always going to run until January of next year, but it's possible it will play right through 2010 and beyond. "It's been the most successful show at the Lyric in the five years I've owned the theatre," she told the Daily Mail.

The Lyric Theatre has become something of a shrine for European fans of Michael Jackson since the King of Pop died. There are books of condolence in the foyer, which will be sent to the singer's children. But it is also possible that the lawyers for Michael Jackson's estate will be much more interested in hard cash than condolences. Because Thriller: Live isn't a show with a "script" (like, say, Mamma Mia!) — it's just Michael Jackson's hits sung — the Jackson family may soon want much more money for the right to use his image, his music and his story.