West End theatre
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/London_%2844761485915%29.jpg/300px-London_%2844761485915%29.jpg)
West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.[1] Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, West End theatre represents the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London.[1] Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage.[2][3][4][5][6]
There are a total of 40 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London.[7] The Savoy Theatre—built as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan—was entirely lit by electricity in 1881.[8]
The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced that 2018 was a record year for the capital's theatre industry with attendances topping 15.5 million for the first time since the organisation began collecting audience data in 1986. Box office revenues exceeded £765 million.[9] While attendance in 2019 was down 1.4% compared to the previous year, box office revenues reached a record £799 million.[10]
The majority of West End theatres are owned by the ATG Entertainment, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, Nimax Theatres, LW Theatres, and the Nederlander Organization.
History
Theatre in London flourished after the English Reformation. The first permanent public playhouse, known as The Theatre, was constructed in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage. It was soon joined by The Curtain. Both are known to have been used by William Shakespeare's company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to Southwark, where it was used in building the Globe Theatre in a new theatre district formed beyond the controls of the City corporation. Regarding theatre as sinful, these theatres were closed in 1642 due to the Puritans who would later influence the interregnum of 1649.[11][12] On 24 January 1643, the actors protested against the ban by writing a pamphlet titled The Actors remonstrance or complaint for the silencing of their profession, and banishment from their severall play-houses.[13]
After the Restoration (1660), Puritan legislation was declared null and void, and theatre among other arts exploded.[12][14] Two companies were licensed to perform, the Duke's Company and the King's Company. Performances were held in converted buildings, such as Lisle's Tennis Court. The first West End theatre, known as Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, was designed by Thomas Killigrew and built on the site of the present Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.[7] It opened on 7 May 1663 and was destroyed by a fire nine years later. It was replaced by a new structure designed by Christopher Wren and renamed the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.[15][16] One of the first actresses on the stage, Nell Gwyn became a star of restoration comedy.[17]
Outside the West End, Sadler's Wells Theatre opened in Islington on 3 June 1683. Taking its name from founder Richard Sadler and monastic springs that were discovered on the property,[18][19] it operated as a "Musick House", with performances of opera; as it was not licensed for plays. In the West End, the Theatre Royal Haymarket opened on 29 December 1720 on a site slightly north of its current location, and the Royal Opera House opened in Covent Garden on 7 December 1732.[20] John Gay's ballad opera The Beggar's Opera ran for 62 performances in 1728, and held the record for London's longest run for nearly a century. It has been called "the most popular play of the eighteenth century."[21] Another musical show, Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (1821), was the first London production to reach 100 consecutive performances.[22] Tom and Jerry's combination of a tour of London interspersed with song and dance, gave rise to numerous similar, loosely constructed entertainments, and "planted the seeds for later musical comedy and revue".[23]
The Patent theatre companies retained their duopoly on drama well into the 19th century, and all other theatres could perform only musical entertainments. By the early 19th century, however, music hall entertainments became popular, and presenters found a loophole in the restrictions on non-patent theatres in the genre of melodrama. Melodrama did not break the Patent Acts, as it was accompanied by music. Initially, these entertainments were presented in large halls, attached to public houses, but purpose-built theatres began to appear in the East End, such as the Pavilion Theatre in Whitechapel.[24] The comic theatrical genre the harlequinade was also popular among London audiences. Its most famous performer, Joseph Grimaldi, best known for developing the modern day white-face clown, made his stage debut at Drury Lane in 1780.[25]
The West End theatre district became established with the opening of many small theatres and halls, including the Adelphi in The Strand on 17 November 1806. South of the River Thames, the Old Vic, Waterloo Road, opened on 11 May 1818. The expansion of the West End theatre district gained pace with the Theatres Act 1843, which relaxed the conditions for the performance of plays, and The Strand gained another venue when the Vaudeville opened on 16 April 1870. The next few decades saw the opening of many new theatres in the West End. The Adelphi hosted A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future in 1844, a play adapted from the novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens—who came to several stage rehearsals during which he made suggestions—with his book published weeks earlier in December 1843.[28][29]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/1881_Patience.jpg/170px-1881_Patience.jpg)
The Criterion Theatre opened on Piccadilly Circus on 21 March 1874, and in 1881, two more houses appeared: the Savoy Theatre in The Strand, built by Richard D'Oyly Carte specifically to showcase the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, opened in October (the first theatre and public building to be lit by electric lights, with The Times recording, "the success of the new mode of illumination was complete, and its importance for the development of scenic art can scarcely be overrated"), and five days later the Comedy Theatre opened as the Royal Comedy Theatre on Panton Street in Leicester Square.[26] It abbreviated its name three years later.[16] On 23 December 1886, Alice in Wonderland (the first major production of the Alice books) debuted at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Its author Lewis Carroll was involved in the stage adaptation, and he attended a performance seven days later.[30] The Palace Theatre opened in 1891. Opened in 1892, the Duke of York's Theatre debuted J. M. Barrie's play, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, on 27 December 1904.[31]
One of the most popular playwrights in London in the 1890s, Oscar Wilde, premiered his second comedy, A Woman of No Importance, at Haymarket Theatre in 1893. The subject of widespread public and media interest, Lillie Langtry (an associate of Wilde) made her West End debut in the comedy She Stoops to Conquer in 1881.[32] In 1878, Ellen Terry joined Henry Irving's company as his leading lady, and for more than the next two decades she was considered the leading Shakespearean and comic actress in Britain.[33] Opened in 1903, the New Theatre debuted The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1905, a play that introduced a heroic figure with an alter ego into the public consciousness.[34] The theatre was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre in 2006 after the playwright Noël Coward. Constructed in 1897, Her Majesty's Theatre hosted a number of premieres, including George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion in 1914.[35] The theatre building boom continued until about the First World War.[36]
In 1930, Laurence Olivier had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives. A number of other actors made their West End debut prior to the Second World War, including John Gielgud, Alec Guinness, Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison; the latter's performance in Terence Rattigan's 1936 comedy French Without Tears at the Criterion Theatre established him a leading light comedian.[37] During the 1950s and 1960s, many plays were produced in theatre clubs, to evade the censorship then exercised by the Lord Chamberlain's Office. The Theatres Act 1968 finally abolished censorship of the stage in the United Kingdom.[38]
Theatreland
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Lyceum_Theatre_1.jpg/170px-Lyceum_Theatre_1.jpg)
"Theatreland", London's main theatre district, contains approximately 40 venues and is located in and near the heart of the West End of London. It is traditionally defined by the Strand to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, and Kingsway to the east, but a few other nearby theatres are also considered "West End" despite being outside the area proper (e.g. The Apollo Victoria Theatre, in Westminster). Prominent theatre streets include Drury Lane, Shaftesbury Avenue and the Strand. The works staged are predominantly musicals, classic and modern straight plays, and comedy performances.[40]
Many theatres in the West End are of late Victorian or Edwardian construction and are privately owned. Many are architecturally impressive, and the largest and best maintained feature grand neo-classical, Romanesque, or Victorian façades and luxurious, detailed interior design and decoration.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Queen%27s_Theatre_at_Night.jpg/170px-Queen%27s_Theatre_at_Night.jpg)
However, owing to the age of the buildings, leg room is often cramped, and audience facilities such as bars and toilets are often much smaller than in modern theatres. The protected status of the buildings and their confined urban locations, combined with financial constraints, make it very difficult to make substantial improvements to the level of comfort offered. In 2003, the Theatres Trust estimated that an investment of £250 million over the following 15 years was required for modernisation,[41] and stated that 60% of theatres had seats from which the stage was not fully visible.[42] The theatre owners unsuccessfully requested tax concessions to help them meet the costs.
From 2004 onwards there were several incidents of falling plasterwork, or performances being cancelled because of urgent building repairs being required. These events culminated in the partial collapse of the ceiling of the Apollo Theatre in December 2013.[44] Of these earlier incidents, only one led to people being hurt,[45] but at the Apollo 76 people needed medical treatment for their injuries.[46] A number of West End theatres have undergone refurbishments, including the Victoria Palace Theatre following the run of Billy Elliot in 2016.[43] The Dominion Theatre refurbishment was completed in 2017 with the unveiling of a new double-sided LED screen, the largest and highest resolution projecting screen on the exterior of a West End theatre.[47]
In 2012, gross sales of £529,787,692 were up 0.27% and attendances also increased 0.56% to 13,992,773-year-on-year.[48] In 2013, sales again rose this time by 11% to £585,506,455,[49] with attendances rising to 14,587,276.[50] This was despite slightly fewer performances occurring in 2013.[51]
On 16 March 2020, following government advice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all theatres in the West End were closed until further notice.[52] Theatres in London were allowed to re-open (with social distancing) on 17 May 2021, with full capacity permitted from 19 July.[53] Opening in October 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre in 50 years.[54]
Long-running shows
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/StMartins_theatre_London2.jpg/170px-StMartins_theatre_London2.jpg)
The length of West End shows depends on ticket sales. The longest-running musical in West End history is Les Misérables, produced by Cameron Mackintosh, which has been running in London since October 1985. It overtook Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, which closed in 2002 after running for 8,949 performances and 21 years, as the longest-running West End musical of all time on 9 October 2006. Other long-runners include Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Willy Russell's Blood Brothers, and Abba jukebox musical Mamma Mia! which have also subsequently overtaken Cats. However, the non-musical Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap is the longest-running production in the world, and has been performed continuously since 1952.[55][56]
Running since 2011, Matilda the Musical, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's Matilda, won a then-record seven Olivier Awards in 2012.[57] Running since 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a two-part play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by J. K. Rowling, won a record-breaking nine Olivier Awards in 2017.[58]
List of West End theatres
- An * after the opening date indicates that the listed production has yet to open and is scheduled for the given date at that theatre.
- An * after the closing date indicates that there is another show scheduled for that theatre.
- If the next show planned is not announced, the applicable columns are left blank.
Theatre | Address | Capacity | Owner/Operator | Current production | Type | Opening | Closing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adelphi Theatre | Strand | 1,500 | LW Theatres / Nederlander Organization | Back to the Future: The Musical | Musical | 2021-09-1313 September 2021 | Open-ended |
Aldwych Theatre | Aldwych | 1,200 | Nederlander Organization | Tina—The Tina Turner Musical | Musical | 2018-04-1717 April 2018 | Open-ended |
Ambassadors Theatre | West Street | 444 | ATG Entertainment | Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder![59] | Musical | 2024-05-2525 May 2024 | 2024-09-1414 September 2024* |
Apollo Theatre | Shaftesbury Avenue | 658 | Nimax Theatres | Fawlty Towers: The Play[60] | Play | 2024-05-1515 May 2024 | Open-ended |
Apollo Victoria Theatre | Wilton Road | 2,328 | ATG Entertainment | Wicked | Musical | 2006-09-2727 September 2006 | Open-ended |
Arts Theatre | Great Newport Street | 350 | JJ Goodman Ltd. | The Choir of Man | Musical | 2022-10-1313 October 2022 | Open-ended |
Cambridge Theatre | Earlham Street | 1,231 | LW Theatres | Matilda the Musical | Musical | 2011-11-2424 November 2011 | Open-ended |
Criterion Theatre | Jermyn Street | 588 | Criterion Theatre Trust | Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)[61] | Musical | 2024-04-044 April 2024 | 2024-08-3131 August 2024 |
Dominion Theatre | Tottenham Court Road | 2,163 | Nederlander Organization | Sister Act[62] | Musical | 2024-03-2121 March 2024 | 2024-08-3131 August 2024* |
Duchess Theatre | Catherine Street | 494 | Nimax Theatres | The Play That Goes Wrong | Play | 2014-09-1414 September 2014 | Open-ended |
Duke of York's Theatre | St. Martin's Lane | 640 | ATG Entertainment | Shifters[63] | Play | 2024-08-2121 August 2024 | 2024-10-1212 October 2024 |
Fortune Theatre | Russell Street | 432 | ATG Entertainment | Operation Mincemeat | Musical | 2023-03-2929 March 2023 | Open-ended |
Garrick Theatre | Charing Cross Road | 718 | Nimax Theatres | Why Am I So Single?[64] | Musical | 2024-08-2727 August 2024* | Open-ended |
Gielgud Theatre | Shaftesbury Avenue | 994 | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres | Juno and the Paycock[65] | Play | 2024-10-033 October 2024* | 2024-11-2323 November 2024* |
Gillian Lynne Theatre | Drury Lane | 1,118 | LW Theatres | The Wizard of Oz | Musical | 2024-08-1515 August 2024 | 2024-09-088 September 2024* |
Harold Pinter Theatre | Panton Street | 796 | ATG Entertainment | Macbeth[66] | Play | 2024-10-011 October 2024* | 2024-12-1414 December 2024 |
His Majesty's Theatre | Haymarket | 1,216 | LW Theatres | The Phantom of the Opera | Musical | 1986-10-99 October 1986 | Open-ended |
London Palladium | Argyll Street | 2,286 | LW Theatres | Hello, Dolly![67] | Musical | 2024-07-1818 July 2024 | 2024-09-1414 September 2024* |
Lyceum Theatre | Wellington Street | 2,100 | ATG Entertainment | The Lion King | Musical | 1999-10-1919 October 1999 | Open-ended |
Lyric Theatre | Shaftesbury Avenue | 915 | Nimax Theatres | Hadestown[68] | Musical | 2024-02-2121 February 2024 | Open-ended |
Noël Coward Theatre | St. Martin's Lane | 942 | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres | Slave Play[69] | Play | 2024-06-2929 June 2024 | 2024-09-2121 September 2024* |
Novello Theatre | Aldwych | 1,146 | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres | Mamma Mia! | Musical | 1999-04-066 April 1999 | Open-ended |
Palace Theatre | Shaftesbury Avenue | 1,400 | Nimax Theatres | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Play | 2016-07-2525 July 2016 | Open-ended |
Phoenix Theatre | Charing Cross Road | 1,012 | ATG Entertainment | Stranger Things: The First Shadow[70] | Play | 2023-12-1414 December 2023 | Open-ended |
Piccadilly Theatre | Denman Street | 1,232 | ATG Entertainment | Moulin Rouge! The Musical | Musical | 2022-01-2020 January 2022 | Open-ended |
Playhouse Theatre | Craven Street | 550 | ATG Entertainment | Cabaret | Musical | 2021-12-1212 December 2021 | Open-ended |
Prince Edward Theatre | Old Compton Street | 1,727 | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres | MJ the Musical[71] | Musical | 2024-03-2727 March 2024 | Open-ended |
Prince of Wales Theatre | Coventry Street | 1,148 | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres | The Book of Mormon | Musical | 2013-03-2121 March 2013 | Open-ended |
Savoy Theatre | Strand | 1,150 | ATG Entertainment | Mean Girls[72] | Musical | 2024-06-2626 June 2024 | Open-ended |
Shaftesbury Theatre | Shaftesbury Avenue | 1,416 | DLT Entertainment | Mrs. Doubtfire | Musical | 2023-06-2222 June 2023 | Open-ended |
@sohoplace | Charing Cross Road | 602 | Nimax Theatres | Death of England[73] | Play | 2024-07-1515 July 2024 | 2024-09-2828 September 2024 |
Sondheim Theatre | Shaftesbury Avenue | 1,137 | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres | Les Misérables | Musical | 1985-10-88 October 1985 | Open-ended |
St Martin's Theatre | West Street | 550 | Stephen Waley-Cohen | The Mousetrap | Play | 1952-11-2525 November 1952 | Open-ended |
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | Catherine Street | 1,996 | LW Theatres | Frozen | Musical | 2021-09-088 September 2021 | 2024-09-088 September 2024* |
Theatre Royal Haymarket | Haymarket | 888 | Access Entertainment | Farm Hall | Play | 2024-08-077 August 2024 | 2024-08-3131 August 2024* |
Trafalgar Theatre | Whitehall | 630 | Trafalgar Entertainment Group | The 39 Steps | Play | 2024-08-1616 August 2024 | 2024-09-2828 September 2024* |
Vaudeville Theatre | Strand | 690 | Nimax Theatres | Six | Musical | 2021-09-2929 September 2021 | Open-ended |
Victoria Palace Theatre | Victoria Street | 1,557 | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres | Hamilton | Musical | 2017-12-2121 December 2017 | Open-ended |
Wyndham's Theatre | St. Martin's Court | 799 | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres | Next to Normal[74] | Musical | 2024-06-2626 June 2024 | 2024-09-2121 September 2024* |
Upcoming productions
"Theatre is such an important part of British history and British culture"
—Dame Helen Mirren after receiving the Evening Standard Award in 2013 for her performance as the Queen in The Audience.[75]
The following shows are confirmed as future West End productions. The theatre in which they will run is either not yet known or currently occupied by another show.
Production | Type | Theatre | Opening | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Musical | Ambassadors Theatre | 2024-10-1010 October 2024 | [76] |
The Devil Wears Prada | Musical | Dominion Theatre | 2024-10-2424 October 2024 | [77] |
Dr. Strangelove | Play | Noël Coward Theatre | 2024-10-088 October 2024 | [78] |
The Duchess | Play | Trafalgar Theatre | 2024-10-055 October 2024 | [79] |
Hercules | Musical | Theatre Royal Drury Lane | Summer 2025 | [80] |
Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright | Play | Wyndham's Theatre | 2025-01-1818 January 2025 | [81] |
The Lehman Trilogy | Play | Gillian Lynne Theatre | 2024-09-2424 September 2024 | [82] |
Much Ado About Nothing | Play | Theatre Royal Dury Lane | 2025-02-1010 February 2025 | [83] |
My Neighbour Totoro | Play | Gillian Lynne Theatre | 2025-03-088 March 2025 | [84] |
Oliver! | Musical | Gielgud Theatre | 2024-12-14 14 December 2024 | [85] |
Oedipus | Play | Wyndham's Theatre | 2024-10-044 October 2024 | [86] |
Robin Hood | Pantomime | London Palladium | 2024-12-017 December 2024 | [87] |
Shucked | Musical | TBA | 2024-12-312025 | [88] |
Some Like It Hot | Musical | TBA | 2025-12-312025 | [89] |
The Tempest | Play | Theatre Royal Drury Lane | 2024-12-077 December 2024 | [90] |
Waiting for Godot | Play | Theatre Royal Haymarket | 2024-09-1313 September 2024 | [91] |
London's non-commercial theatres
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Old_Vic_theatre_London_Waterloo.jpg/220px-Old_Vic_theatre_London_Waterloo.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/RoyalDissocia.jpg/220px-RoyalDissocia.jpg)
The term "West End theatre" is generally used to refer specifically to commercial productions in Theatreland. However, the leading non-commercial theatres in London enjoy great artistic prestige. These include the National Theatre, the Barbican Centre, Shakespeare's Globe (including the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), the Old Vic, Royal Court Theatre, Sadler's Wells Theatre, and the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. These theatres stage a high proportion of straight drama, Shakespeare, other classic plays and premieres of new plays by leading playwrights—for example David Hare's play Pravda starring Anthony Hopkins which was described by The Telegraph as "one of the biggest hits in the history of the National Theatre."[93] Successful productions from the non-commercial theatres sometimes transfer to one of the commercial West End houses for an extended run.[94]
The Royal Opera House is widely regarded as one of the greatest opera houses in the world, comparable with the Palais Garnier and La Scala. Commonly known simply as Covent Garden due to its location, it is home to the Royal Opera, Royal Ballet and a resident symphony orchestra, and hosts guest performances from other leading opera, ballet and performance companies from around the world. In 1735 its first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel, began and many of his English oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres here.[95]
Likewise, the London Coliseum is the resident home to the English National Opera. The theatre is also the London base for performances by the English National Ballet, who perform regular seasons throughout the year when not on tour. The Peacock Theatre is located on the edge of the Theatreland area. Now owned by the London School of Economics and Political Science, it is used in the evenings for dance performances by Sadler's Wells, who manage the theatre on behalf of the school.[96]
Other London theatres
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/DonmarWarehouse.png/170px-DonmarWarehouse.png)
There is a great number of stage productions in London outside the West End. Much of this is known as fringe theatre (referred to as Off West End) which is the equivalent of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatre in New York City. Among these are the Menier Chocolate Factory, Bush Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse. Fringe venues range from well-equipped small theatres to rooms above pubs, and the performances range from classic plays, to cabaret, to plays in the languages of London's ethnic minorities. The performers range from emerging young professionals to amateurs. Productions at the Donmar included the 1980 play Educating Rita which starred Julie Walters in the title role before she reprised the role in the 1983 film.[97]
There are many theatres located throughout Greater London, such as the Lyric Hammersmith, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Rose Theatre, Kingston, New Wimbledon Theatre, the Rudolph Steiner Theatre in Westminster, the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon, Secombe Theatre in Sutton, the Churchill Theatre in Bromley and the Hackney Empire in Hackney.[98]
London theatres outside the West End also played an important role in the early history of drama schools. In 1833, actress Frances Maria Kelly managed the Royal Strand Theatre in Westminster where she funded and operated a dramatic school, the earliest record of a drama school in England.[99] In 1840 she financed the Royalty Theatre in Soho which opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School.[100]
Awards
There are a number of annual awards for outstanding achievements in London theatre:
- Laurence Olivier Awards
- Evening Standard Theatre Awards
- WhatsOnStage Awards
- Critics' Circle Theatre Awards
- National Dance Awards
- West End Cares Awards
- West End Frame Awards
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Christopher Innes, "West End" in The Cambridge Guide to Theatre (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, ISBN 0-521-43437-8
- ^ "Stars on stage". London theatre. Retrieved 23 June 2015
- ^ Orlova-Alvarez, Tamara; Alvarez, Joe (30 January 2019). "John Malkovich Is Coming To West End". Ikon London Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ^ Kenton, Tristram (18 November 2020). "Nicole! Gwyneth! Orlando! Hollywood stars on the West End stage – in pictures". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Editorial (9 April 2023). "The Guardian view on stars on the stage: theatre's recovery should be applauded". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Addley, Esther (10 February 2024). "Tom Holland is latest superstar name in bumper year for London theatre". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "London's 10 oldest theatres". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ "Shakespeare's indoor Globe to glow by candlelight". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ "2018 BOX OFFICE FIGURES RELEASED BY SOCIETY OF LONDON THEATRE AND UK THEATRE". Society of London Theatre. March 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "New Figures Reveal West End Theatre is Thriving". London Box Office. February 2020.
- ^ Milling, Jane; Thomson, Peter (23 November 2004). The Cambridge History of British Theatre. Cambridge University Press. pp. 439, 440. ISBN 978-0-521-65040-3.
- ^ a b "From pandemics to puritans: when theatre shut down through history and how it recovered". The Stage.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Schoch, Richard (2016). Writing the History of the British Stage 1660-1900. Cambridge University Press. p. 64.
- ^ "When Christmas carols were banned". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "London's Vibrant West End Theatre SCENE". TheatreHistory.com. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ a b "London pub trivia – Ten oldest London theatres". Timeout London. 12 December 2006. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ Howe, Elizabeth (1992). The First English Actresses: Women and Drama, 1660–1700. Cambridge University Press. p. 66.
- ^ "London's Lost Tea-Gardens: I". Story of London. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ "Sadler's Wells Theatre". LondonTown.com. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ "Royal Opera House". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ Carlson, Marvin (1975). "A Fresh Look at Hogarth's 'Beggar's Opera'". Educational Theatre Journal. 27 (1): 31–39. doi:10.2307/3206338. JSTOR 3206338.
- ^ Parker, John, ed. (1925). Who's Who in the Theatre (fifth ed.). London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons. p. 1196. OCLC 10013159.
- ^ "Tom and Jerry; or, Life in London". The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press. 2004. ISBN 978-0-19-516986-7.
- ^ Davis, Jim; Emeljanow, Victor (1 April 2005). Reflecting the Audience: London Theatregoing, 1840–1880. University of Iowa Press. pp. 55–70. ISBN 978-1-58729-402-0. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi: Laughter, Madness and the Story of Britain's Greatest Comedian". The Times. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ a b "The Savoy Theatre", The Times, 3 October 1881. "An interesting experiment was made at a performance of Patience yesterday afternoon, when the stage was for the first time lit up by the electric light, which has been used in the auditorium ever since the opening of the Savoy Theatre. The success of the new mode of illumination was complete, and its importance for the development of scenic art can scarcely be overrated. The light was perfectly steady throughout the performance, and the effect was pictorially superior to gas, the colours of the dresses – an important element in the “æsthetic” opera – appearing as true and distinct as by daylight. The Swan incandescent lamps were used, the aid of gaslight being entirely dispensed with".
- ^ "The Savoy is one of the best places to stay in London". USA Today. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
The first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electricity, The Savoy has a history rich in both invention and scandal.
- ^ Standiford, Les (2008). "The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits", Crown, New York, p. 168.
- ^ Playbill advertising Edward Stirling's adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Collection of the British Library
- ^ Carroll, Lewis (1979). The Letters of Lewis Carroll, Volumes 1–2. Oxford University Press. p. 657.
Dec. 30th.—To London with M—, and took her to "Alice in Wonderland," Mr. Savile Clarke's play at the Prince of Wales's Theatre... as a whole, the play seems a success.
- ^ "Mr Barrie's New Play. A Christmas Fairy Tale". The Glasgow Herald. 28 December 1904. p. 7. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Lillie Langtry British actress". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "Famous People – Ellen Terry". BBC. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ Markowitz, Judith A. (2019). Robots That Kill: Deadly Machines and Their Precursors in Myth, Folklore, Literature, Popular Culture and Reality. McFarland. p. 105.
- ^ Herbert Beerbohm Tree. Archived 2 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine PeoplePlayUK, accessed 12 February 2008.
- ^ The Book of Dance. Dorling Kindersley. 2012. p. 100.
- ^ "Harrison, Sir Reginald Carey [Rex]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Theatres Act 1968". www.legislation.gov.uk
- ^ "1.8 million views of Lion King". Theatre Views Newsletter. October 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ Michael Billington "Snooty about musicals? Sheila Hancock should change her tune", The Guardian. (blog), 16 March 2001
- ^ Giles Worsley "Falling Houses", The Daily Telegraph, 6 December 2003
- ^ Michael Billington "Crisis in the West End", The Guardian, 2 August 2007
- ^ a b "Victoria Palace Theatre". Time Out. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ Sarah Jane Griffiths "How safe is London's Theatreland?", BBC News, 20 December 2013
- ^ At the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2004, 15 people were injured when part of the ceiling fell on to them; see the Sarah Jane Griffiths article above.
- ^ Alice Philipson, and Andrew Marszal "Apollo Theatre ceiling in London's West End collapses: scores injured", The Daily Telegraph, 20 December
- ^ "The Dominion Theatre, home to An American in Paris, completes £6M refurbishment". mr.carlwoodward.com. 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ "Society of London Theatre reports robust 2012 Box Office figures despite challenges" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Singh, Anita (29 January 2014). "West End audiences hit record high thanks to Twitter". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "West End Theatre Ticket Sales at Record High". Sky (United Kingdom). 29 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "West End Has Another Record Year, With Increases in Both Attendance and Revenue". Playbill. 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Theatre closures to help slow the spread of Coronavirus". UK Theatre. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "Theatres will be allowed to open at full capacity on 19th July". Planet Radio. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "London's West End gets first purpose-built theatre in 50 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Agatha Christie's: The Mousetrap". St. Martin's Theatre. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
Here you will find all the information you need about the longest running show, of any kind, in the world.
- ^ "The Mousetrap at 60: why is this the world's longest-running play?". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Matilda musical breaks Olivier awards record". BBC. 15 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ "Olivier Awards: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child wins record nine prizes". BBC. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ "'Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder!' to transfer to the West End". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Fawlty Towers stage show heads to London's West End". BBC News. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ Rook, Olivia (12 January 2024). "'Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)' to transfer to the West End". London Theatre. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Sister Act to run in the West End with Beverley Knight and Alexandra Burke | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ "Benedict Lombe's 'Shifters' to open in the West End". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ Wax, Kenny (1 February 2024). "'A Big Fancy Musical". Kenny Wax Productions. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Mark Rylance and J. Smith-Cameron to star in 'Juno and the Paycock' in the West End". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ "Macbeth West End". 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "Imelda Staunton to lead 'Hello, Dolly!' London revival". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ "Hadestown to open in the West End | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ Wood, Alex (26 February 2024). "Slave Play to run in the West End – with cast to include Fisayo Akinade, Kit Harington, Olivia Washington and more".
- ^ Wiegand, Chris (1 March 2023). "Stranger Things due in West End as stage spinoff of Netflix hit announced". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "MJ to open in the West End | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ Russo, Gillian (3 October 2023). "'Mean Girls' musical to open in the West End in 2024". London Theatre. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ Bakare, Lanre; Arts, Lanre Bakare; correspondent, culture (17 May 2024). "Grief, guilt and white working-class 'fury': Death of England heads to London's West End". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
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has generic name (help) - ^ "'Next to Normal' to transfer to the West End". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Dame Helen Mirren wins Standard award for The Audience". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to transfer to the West End". 20 March 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "The Devil Wears Prada musical to have UK premiere and West End run". 13 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ Hussen, Dahaba Ali (15 July 2023). "Armando Iannucci to adapt Stanley Kubrick's film Dr Strangelove for stage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "'Doctor Who' star Jodie Whittaker to return to the stage in 'The Duchess'". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "'Hercules' musical to premiere in the West End". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 23 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ Wiegand, Chris (3 May 2024). "Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith announce stage version of Inside No 9". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "'The Lehman Trilogy' to return to Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ Rook, Olivia (30 July 2024). "Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston, and Hayley Atwell to star in Jamie Lloyd Shakespeare season". London Theatre. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "My Neighbour Totoro transfers to London's West End". 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Oliver! to return to the West End later this year". 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Mark Strong and Lesley Manville to star in 'Oedipus' in the West End". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ "Jane McDonald, Julian Clary to lead 'Robin Hood' panto in December". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Shucked to close on Broadway, scheduled for 2025 West End opening | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ "Some Like It Hot announces West End plans". 28 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ Rook, Olivia (30 July 2024). "Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston, and Hayley Atwell to star in Jamie Lloyd Shakespeare season". London Theatre. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Tickets go on sale for Lucian Msamati and Ben Whishaw-led 'Waiting for Godot' in the West End". londontheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Rocky Horror Show opens in London – archive, 1973". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ Lee, Alex Sierz and Marc (25 August 2006). "Return to the street of shame". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "London Theatre Is Playing the Transfer Game". Playbill. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "G. F. Handel's Compositions". The Handel Institute. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Peacock theatre history Archived 9 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 6 May 2024
- ^ "Julie Walters' best film performances – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ Billington, Michael (11 December 2006). "Cinderella, Hackney Empire, London". the Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Burwick, Frederick (2015). British Drama of the Industrial Revolution. Cambridge University Press. p. 46.
- ^ An earlier theatre, also named the Royalty, existed in Wells Street, Wellclose Square, London from 1787 until the early part of the nineteenth century. See Wilmot-Buxton, Harry John. "William Clarkson Stanfield", Chapter IX, English Painters, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington (1883), accessed 22 November 2013
External links
- Society of London Theatre Archived 23 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine – trade body for the London theatre industry
- London's West End Theatres Information and archive material on London's historic West End Theatres.
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