The Queen's Theatre, 5 Star Hotels in London City near The Queen's Theatre, West End Theatres

The Queen's Theatre

City of Westminster, London W1D 6BA

The Queen’s Theatre can be found on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster in London’s famous West End. It has a capacity of 1102 seats on 3 levels. In 1972 it was Grade II listed by the English Heritage. The theatre was built and designed in the Edwardian style by architect W.G.R. Sprague and opened its doors to the public on 8 October 1907. It was a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened 10 months earlier. Originally the theatre was to be named the Central Theatre but after much debate it was named the Queen’s Theatre and as such a portrait of Queen Alexandra was hung in the foyer.

The theatre’s opening with its first production a comedy by Madeline Lucette Ryley called The Sugar Bowl was not successful and ran for only 36 performances. Despite this set back the theatre itself received glowing reviews. Throughout the early years an array of equally short-lived plays and comedies were to follow. Success for the theatre would arrive in April 1914 with the production of Potash and Perlmutter by Montague Glass and showcased over 600 performances. Many of the most famous stars of the 20’s and 30’s were to perform at the venue.

In September 1940 the theatre was hosting the production of the famous Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca starring Celia Johnson and Margaret Rutherford when it was struck by a German bomb. This was to be a fatal strike with the destruction of the stone dome, grand staircase and foyer spaces and as a result the Queen’s Theatre would not open its doors again for the next twenty years.
The newly reconstructed theatre opened once again on 8 July 1959 at a cost of £250,000. The foyers, bars and the theatre exterior were rebuilt in a modern style while the auditorium retained its Edwardian decor and atmosphere. The opening show with John Gielgud’s solo performance in Shakespearse speeches and sonnets, Ages of Man won critical acclaim also.
The Queen’s Theatre London is now infamous for its production of the longest running musical of all time namely Les Misérables by Cameron Mackintosh. The show transferred to the theatre in April 2004 after 18 years at the nearby Palace Theatre.

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