West End theatre
The Theatre opened its doors in Shoreditch on 1576, marking the first permanent public playhouse in London. James Burbage constructed this wooden structure to host performances by William Shakespeare's company. The Curtain theatre soon joined it, creating a small district beyond the City corporation's control. In 1599, workers dismantled The Theatre and moved its timber to Southwark to build the Globe Theatre. Puritans closed all theatres in 1642, viewing them as sinful activities. Actors protested this ban by writing a pamphlet titled "The Actors remonstrance or complaint for the silencing of their profession" on the 24th of January 1643. After the Restoration in 1660, two companies received licenses: the Duke's Company and the King's Company. Thomas Killigrew designed the Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, which opened on the 7th of May 1663. This venue burned down nine years later and was replaced by Christopher Wren's design. Nell Gwyn became one of the first actresses to achieve stardom during this era. Outside the West End, Sadler's Wells Theatre opened in Islington on the 3rd of June 1683 as a Musick House. John Gay's ballad opera The Beggar's Opera ran for 62 performances in 1728, holding London's longest run record for nearly a century.
The Strand gained another venue when the Vaudeville theatre opened on the 16th of April 1870. Richard D'Oyly Carte built the Savoy Theatre specifically to showcase Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. It opened in October 1881 as the first public building lit entirely by electricity using Sir Joseph Swan's incandescent light bulbs. The Times reported that "the success of the new mode of illumination was complete" during its debut performance. Five days after the Savoy opened, the Comedy Theatre debuted on Panton Street in Leicester Square. Lewis Carroll attended a performance of Alice in Wonderland seven days after it premiered at the Prince of Wales Theatre on the 23rd of December 1886. Ellen Terry joined Henry Irving's company in 1878 and remained his leading lady for over two decades. Her Majesty's Theatre hosted George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion in 1914 with Mrs Patrick Campbell originating the role of Eliza Doolittle. Many West End theatres feature grand neo-classical or Victorian façades from late Victorian or Edwardian construction periods. Leg room often remains cramped due to the age of these buildings. Audience facilities like bars and toilets are frequently much smaller than modern standards allow.
Agatha Christie's murder mystery play The Mousetrap has been performed continuously since 1952 at St Martin's Theatre. Cameron Mackintosh produced Les Misérables which began running in London in October 1985. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats closed in 2002 after 8,949 performances spanning 21 years. On the 9th of October 2006, Les Misérables overtook Cats as the longest-running musical in West End history. Matilda the Musical won a record seven Olivier Awards in 2012 after running since 2011. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child secured nine Olivier Awards in 2017 following its 2016 debut. The Palace Theatre opened in 1891 and currently hosts Spamalot, an adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Lyceum Theatre has hosted The Lion King since October 1999. Victoria Palace Theatre underwent refurbishment in 2017 during Billy Elliot's run. The Dominion Theatre unveiled a new double-sided LED screen in 2017, described as the largest and highest resolution projecting screen on any West End theatre exterior.
The Society of London Theatre announced that 2018 attendance topped 15.5 million for the first time since data collection began in 1986. Box office revenues exceeded £765 million that same year. Attendance slipped 1.4% the following year while box office revenues reached a record £799 million. In 2023, audiences reached a record 17.1 million. Most West End theatres are owned by five major groups: ATG Entertainment, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, Nimax Theatres, LW Theatres, and the Nederlander Organization. Delfont Mackintosh Theatres owns eight London venues and refurbished all of them beginning with the Prince Edward Theatre in 1992. Sir Cameron Mackintosh later produced Mary Poppins in the same theatre after acquiring rights from author P.L. Travers. In 2012, gross sales reached £529,787,692 representing a 0.27% increase over the previous year. Sales rose again in 2013 to £585,506,455 despite slightly fewer performances occurring that year. On the 16th of March 2020, all West End theatres closed due to government advice regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Theatres reopened on the 17th of May 2021 with social distancing measures before allowing full capacity from the 19th of July.
Starting in 2004, several incidents involved falling plasterwork or urgent building repairs requiring performance cancellations. The partial collapse of the Apollo Theatre ceiling occurred in December 2013. At the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2004, fifteen people were injured when part of the ceiling fell upon them. Seventy-six people needed medical treatment following injuries at the Apollo Theatre incident. Delfont Mackintosh Theatres refurbished all eight of their venues beginning with the Prince Edward Theatre in 1992. The Victoria Palace Theatre underwent refurbishment in 2017 after Billy Elliot's run concluded. In 2003, the Theatres Trust estimated an investment of £250 million over fifteen years was required for modernisation. Sixty percent of theatres had seats from which the stage remained not fully visible according to a 2003 estimate. @sohoplace opened in October 2022 as the first new West End theatre in fifty years. These historic buildings face challenges maintaining comfort levels due to protected status and confined urban locations combined with financial constraints.
The National Theatre, Barbican Centre, Shakespeare's Globe, Old Vic, Royal Court Theatre, Sadler's Wells Theatre, and Regent's Park Open Air Theatre represent leading non-commercial houses. David Hare's play Pravda starring Anthony Hopkins was described by The Telegraph as "one of the biggest hits in the history of the National Theatre." Successful productions sometimes transfer from non-commercial venues to commercial West End houses for extended runs. The Royal Opera House opened its current incarnation in 1858 and hosts guest performances from global opera and ballet companies. George Frideric Handel began his first season of operas at Covent Garden in 1735. The London Coliseum serves as home to the English National Opera and English National Ballet. The Peacock Theatre sits on Theatreland's edge and is now owned by the London School of Economics and Political Science. Menier Chocolate Factory, Bush Theatre, and Donmar Warehouse constitute major fringe venues known as Off West End. Julie Walters starred in Educating Rita at the Donmar in 1980 before reprising the role in a 1983 film adaptation. Frances Maria Kelly managed the Royal Strand Theatre in Westminster in 1833 where she funded England's earliest recorded drama school.
Common questions
When did the first permanent public playhouse in London open?
The Theatre opened its doors in Shoreditch on 1576, marking the first permanent public playhouse in London. James Burbage constructed this wooden structure to host performances by William Shakespeare's company.
What happened to West End theatres during the Puritan closure of 1642?
Puritans closed all theatres in 1642, viewing them as sinful activities. Actors protested this ban by writing a pamphlet titled The Actors remonstrance or complaint for the silencing of their profession on the 24th of January 1643.
Which theatre was the first public building lit entirely by electricity?
Richard D'Oyly Carte built the Savoy Theatre specifically to showcase Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. It opened in October 1881 as the first public building lit entirely by electricity using Sir Joseph Swan's incandescent light bulbs.
How many people were injured when the Apollo Theatre ceiling collapsed in December 2013?
Seventy-six people needed medical treatment following injuries at the Apollo Theatre incident. The partial collapse of the Apollo Theatre ceiling occurred in December 2013.
When did Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap begin its continuous run at St Martin's Theatre?
Agatha Christie's murder mystery play The Mousetrap has been performed continuously since 1952 at St Martin's Theatre.
What major event caused all West End theatres to close in March 2020?
On the 16th of March 2020, all West End theatres closed due to government advice regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Theatres reopened on the 17th of May 2021 with social distancing measures before allowing full capacity from the 19th of July.