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Playhouse Theatre

Coordinates:51°30′25″N0°07′25″W/ 51.506944°N 0.123611°W/51.506944; -0.123611
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the theatre in the West End of London. For other theatres of this name and related uses, seePlayhouse Theatre (disambiguation).

Playhouse Theatre
Royal Avenue Theatre
Avenue Theatre
My Name Is Rachel Corrieat the Playhouse Theatre in 2006
Map
AddressCraven Street
London,WC2
United Kingdom
Coordinates51°30′25″N0°07′25″W/ 51.506944°N 0.123611°W/51.506944; -0.123611
Public transitLondon UndergroundCharing Cross;Embankment
National RailCharing Cross
OwnerATG Entertainment
OperatorATG Entertainment
DesignationGrade II listed[1]
TypeWest End theatre
Capacity550 on 3 levels (as the Kit Kat Club)
ProductionCabaret
Construction
Opened11 March 1882;142 years ago(1882-03-11)
Rebuilt1907 (Blow and Billerey)
ArchitectF. H. Fowler & Hill
Website
Playhouse Theatre at Ambassador Theatre Group
George Bernard Shaw

ThePlayhouse Theatreis aWest End theatrein theCity of Westminster,located inNorthumberland Avenue,nearTrafalgar Square,central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with aseating capacityof 1,200. It was rebuilt in 1907 and still retains its original substage machinery. As of November 2021, the theatre has been refurbished and advertised as theKit Kat Clubwhile it is hosting a revival of the musicalCabaret.

History

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Early years

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Built bySefton Henry Parryas theRoyal Avenue Theatre,it opened on 11 March 1882 with 1,200 seats. The first production at the theatre wasJacques Offenbach'sMadame Favart.In its early seasons, the theatre hostedcomic operas,burlesquesand farces for several years. For much of this time, the low comedianArthur Roberts,a popular star of themusic halls,starred at the theatre. By the 1890s, the theatre was presenting drama, and in 1894Annie Horniman,the tea heiress, anonymously sponsored the actressFlorence Farrin a season of plays at the theatre. Farr's first production was unsuccessful, and so she prevailed upon her friend,George Bernard Shaw,to hurry and make hisWest Enddébut at the theatre withArms and the Manin 1894. It was successful enough to allow him to discontinue music criticism to focus full-time on play writing. The actressGladys Coopermanaged the theatre for some years.[citation needed]

The theatre was rebuilt in 1905 to the designs of Blow and Billerey. During the work, part of the roof of the adjacentCharing Cross railway stationcollapsed. The roof and girders fell across the train lines but part of the station's western wall also fell and crashed through the roof and wall of the theatre. This resulted in the deaths of three people in the station, and three workmen on the theatre site and injuries to many more. The theatre was repaired and re-opened asThe Playhouseon 28 January 1907 with a one-act play calledThe Drums of Oudhand a play calledToddles,byTristan Bernardand Andre Godferneaux. Shaw wrote a sketch entitledThe Interlude at the Playhousefor the occasion.

The new theatre had a smallerseating capacityof 679.W. Somerset Maugham'sHome and Beautypremièred at the Playhouse on 30 August 1919, running for 235 performances, andHenry Daniellappeared here in February 1926 as the Prince of Karaslavia inMr. Abdulla.Nigel Bruceappeared in February 1927 as Robert Crosbie in Somerset Maugham'sThe Letter,and again in May 1930 as Robert Brennan inDishonoured Lady.Alec Guinnessmade his stage début here in Ward Dorane's playLibel!on 2 April 1934. Daniell returned in November that year as Paul Miller inHurricane.

BBC studio

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In 1951 it was taken over by theBBCas a recording studio for live performances.The Goon Showand the radio versions ofHancock's Half HourandSteptoe and Sonwere recorded here, although at least the first two shows were also recorded at other venues during their runs. The stage also hosted live performances byKISS,Queen,Led Zeppelin,The Who,The BeatlesandThe Rolling Stones.On 3 April 1967, a livePink Floydconcert was broadcast from the theatre.[2]

When the BBC left around 1976, the theatre went dark and was in danger of demolition.

Other uses

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In 1986, rock bandQueenused the Playhouse Theatre as the set for their "A Kind of Magic"music video.

1987 return to theatre usage

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The theatre was restored to its 1907 design by impresario Robin Gonshaw, opening again in October 1987 with the musicalGirlfriends.A commercial building, Aria House, was erected above the theatre.

In 1988, novelist and politicianJeffrey Archerbought the Playhouse for just over £1 million. The following year, the theatre was offered commercial sponsorship by a financial services' company, and for a while it was known as the MI Group Playhouse. In 1991, the Playhouse became home to thePeter HallCompany, and a number of critically and commercially successful plays were performed there, includingTennessee Williams'The Rose Tattoo(1991), starringJulie WaltersandMoliere'sTartuffe(1991), starringPaul EddingtonandFelicity Kendal.Around this time the basement bar area of the theatre was converted into a private restaurant, Shaws, but the enterprise was unsuccessful and the space was later converted back into a bar/cafe.

In 1992, Archer sold the Playhouse to the writer and impresarioRay Cooneyfor just over £2 million. That year Cooney staged the West End premiere of his latest farceIt Runs in the Familyat the Playhouse. This was followed byJane Eyre(1993), adapted byFay Weldonand starringTim Pigott-Smith;Frederick Lonsdale'sOn Approval,(1994), starringSimon Ward,Martin JarvisandAnna Carteret;andRay Cooney'sFunny Moneyin 1995.

In 1996, Cooney sold the Playhouse to American investment banker Patrick Sulaiman Cole, whose first production was a critically acclaimed revival ofHenrik Ibsen'sA Doll's Housein 1996, directed by Anthony Page and starringJanet McTeer.Later that year, the theatre was closed for complete refurbishment under the direction ofEnglish Heritage,with the auditorium luxuriously decorated, with grandiose murals,caryatids,golden pillars, carvedbalustrades,and shining gold decoration. It reopened in 1997 with Sulaiman Cole's production and the West End première ofAnton Chekhov'sThe Wood Demon.This was followed by Sulaiman Cole's production of a first ever West EndSnoo Wilsonpremiere, "HRH", directed bySimon Callow,about theBritish Royal Family'sDukeandDuchess of Windsor,which opened the day after the death ofDiana, Princess of Wales.The play was harshly reviewed as anti-Royal. The theatre returned to life as a commercialreceiving housewith several seasons ofAlmeida TheatreandCheek by Jowlproductions, including the popular but critically panned premiere of David Hare'sThe Judas Kiss.

Interior of the theatre

Successes at the Playhouse since the late 1990s have includedNaked(1998);J. B. Priestley'sAn Inspector Calls(2001) andJourney's End,directed by David Grindley.

American theatrical producers Ted and Norman Tulchin's Maidstone Productions purchased the theatre at the end of 2002,[3]with the venue managed byATG Entertainment.The Playhouse hostedRichard Eyre's 2003Olivier Award-winning production ofVincent in Brixton,starringClare Higgins;Eyre's 2005 production ofHedda Gabler,starringEve Best;andMegan Doddsin a transfer ofMy Name Is Rachel CorriebyAlan RickmanandKatharine Vinerin 2006.

More recent successes include the musicalDancing in the Streets,The Adventures of Tintinbased on the famous comic-book detective,The Harder They Come,andLa Cage Aux Folles.

In December 2013, ATG had acquired 100 percent ownership of the Playhouse.[4]

From December 2019, it was announced thatThe Jamie Lloyd Companywould take up residence with a series of revivals, beginning withCyrano de BergeracstarringJames McAvoy,The SeagullstarringEmilia ClarkeandA Doll's HousestarringJessica Chastain.The SeagullandA Doll's Housewere cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Following renovations to the theatre during the pandemic, the theatre re-opened as the Kit Kat Club to house a new revival ofCabaretstarringEddie RedmayneandJessie Buckleywhich began previews on 15 November 2021. The renovations included converting the theatre into anin-the-roundlayout and reducing the capacity to 550.

Recent and present productions

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Historic England(9 January 1970)."The Playhouse Theatre (1356962)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved9 October2014.
  2. ^Pink Floyd timelineaccessed 27 March 2007
  3. ^thisistheatrePlayhouse theatre historyaccessed 28 March 2007
  4. ^Shenton, Mark."U.K.'s Ambassador Theatre Group Acquires Complete Ownership of West End's Savoy and Playhouse Theatres"Archived7 April 2014 at theWayback MachinePlaybill.com, 3 December 2013
  5. ^"Spamalot cast update at Playhouse Theatre".LondonTheatre.co.uk.London Theatre. 1 August 2013.Retrieved12 January2014.
  6. ^"Spamalot closing, Pasquale to return for last four weeks".whatsonstage.com.Whats on Stage. 10 January 2014.Retrieved12 January2014.
  7. ^Bannister, Rosie (7 March 2014)."Headlong's 1984 takes over from Spamalot at Playhouse Theatre from April".What's on Stage.Retrieved25 March2014.
  8. ^"1984 transfers Headlong to Playhouse".Official London Theatre.Retrieved21 March2014.
  9. ^"1984 Enters Final Two Weeks in the West End".Broadway World.Retrieved19 August2014.
  10. ^Mitford, Oliver."Tamsin Greig to make her West End musical debut"londonboxoffice.co.uk, 23 June 2014
  11. ^Mitford, Oliver."Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown extends West End run"bestoftheatre.co.uk, 12 March 2015
  12. ^Shenton, Mark."London 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' To Shutter Early"playbill.com, 23 April 2015
  13. ^"Stephen Fry, Emma Bunton and Mel Giedroyc to join Rocky Horror cast".WhatsOnStage.com.Retrieved9 March2016.
  14. ^"Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games"londonboxoffice.co.uk, 18 December 2015
  15. ^"The End Of Longing"londonboxoffice.co.uk, 18 December 2015

References

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