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Playhouse Theatre

November 26, 2023

This article is about the theatre in the West End of London. For other theatres of this name and related uses, see Playhouse Theatre (disambiguation).

The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in 1907 and still retains its original substage machinery. As of November 2021, the theatre has been refurbished and is home to a revival of the musical Cabaret with a seating capacity of 550.

Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
Royal Avenue Theatre
Avenue Theatre
My Name Is Rachel Corrie at the Playhouse Theatre in 2006
AddressCraven Street
London, WC2
United Kingdom
Coordinates51°30′25″N 0°07′25″W / 51.506944°N 0.123611°W / 51.506944; -0.123611
Public transit Charing Cross; Embankment
Charing Cross
OwnerAmbassador Theatre Group
OperatorAmbassador Theatre Group
DesignationGrade II listed[1]
TypeWest End theatre
Capacity550 on 3 levels (as the Kit Kat Club)
ProductionCabaret
Construction
Opened11 March 1882; 141 years ago (1882-03-11)
Rebuilt1907 (Blow and Billerey)
ArchitectF. H. Fowler & Hill
Website
Playhouse Theatre at Ambassador Theatre Group
George Bernard Shaw

History edit

Early years edit

Built by Sefton Henry Parry as the Royal Avenue Theatre, it opened on 11 March 1882 with 1200 seats. The first production at the theatre was Jacques Offenbach's Madame Favart. In its early seasons, the theatre hosted comic operas, burlesques and farces for several years. For much of this time, the low comedian Arthur Roberts, a popular star of the music halls, starred at the theatre. By the 1890s, the theatre was presenting drama, and in 1894 Annie Horniman, the tea heiress, anonymously sponsored the actress Florence Farr in 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 his West End début at the theatre with Arms and the Man in 1894. It was successful enough to allow him to discontinue music criticism to focus full-time on play writing. The actress Gladys Cooper managed 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 adjacent Charing Cross railway station collapsed. 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 as The Playhouse on 28 January 1907 with a one-act play called The Drums of Oudh and a play called Toddles, by Tristan Bernard and Andre Godferneaux. Shaw wrote a sketch entitled The Interlude at the Playhouse for the occasion.

The new theatre had a smaller seating capacity of 679. W. Somerset Maugham's Home and Beauty premièred at the Playhouse on 30 August 1919, running for 235 performances, and Henry Daniell appeared here in February 1926 as the Prince of Karaslavia in Mr. Abdulla. Nigel Bruce appeared in February 1927 as Robert Crosbie in Somerset Maugham's The Letter, and again in May 1930 as Robert Brennan in Dishonoured Lady. Alec Guinness made his stage début here in Ward Dorane's play Libel! on 2 April 1934. Daniell returned in November that year as Paul Miller in Hurricane.

BBC studio edit

In 1951 it was taken over by the BBC as a recording studio for live performances. The Goon Show and the radio versions of Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son were recorded here, although at least the first two shows were also recorded at other venues during their runs. The stage also hosted live performances by KISS, Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. On 3 April 1967, a live Pink Floyd concert was broadcast from the theatre.[2]

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

Other uses edit

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

1987 return to theatre usage edit

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

In 1988, novelist and politician Jeffrey Archer bought 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 the Peter Hall Company, and a number of critically and commercially successful plays were performed there, including Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo (1991), starring Julie Walters and Moliere's Tartuffe (1991), starring Paul Eddington and Felicity 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 impresario Ray Cooney for just over £2 million. That year Cooney staged the West End premiere of his latest farce It Runs in the Family at the Playhouse. This was followed by Jane Eyre (1993), adapted by Fay Weldon and starring Tim Pigott-Smith; Frederick Lonsdale's On Approval, (1994), starring Simon Ward, Martin Jarvis and Anna Carteret; and Ray Cooney's Funny Money in 1995.

In 1996, Cooney sold the Playhouse to American investment banker Patrick Sulaiman Cole, whose first production was a critically acclaimed revival of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House in 1996, directed by Anthony Page and starring Janet McTeer. Later that year, the theatre was closed for complete refurbishment under the direction of English Heritage, with the auditorium luxuriously decorated, with grandiose murals, caryatids, golden pillars, carved balustrades, and shining gold decoration. It reopened in 1997 with Sulaiman Cole's production and the West End première of Anton Chekhov's The Wood Demon. This was followed by Sulaiman Cole's production of a first ever West End Snoo Wilson premiere, "HRH", directed by Simon Callow, about the British Royal Family's Duke and Duchess of Windsor, which opened the day after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The play was harshly reviewed as anti-Royal. The theatre returned to life as a commercial receiving house with several seasons of Almeida Theatre and Cheek by Jowl productions, including the popular but critically panned premiere of David Hare's The Judas Kiss.

 
Interior of the theatre

Successes at the Playhouse since the late 1990s have included Naked (1998); J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls (2001) and Journey'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 by the Ambassador Theatre Group. The Playhouse hosted Richard Eyre's 2003 Olivier Award-winning production of Vincent in Brixton, starring Clare Higgins; Eyre's 2005 production of Hedda Gabler, starring Eve Best; and Megan Dodds in a transfer of My Name Is Rachel Corrie by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner in 2006.

More recent successes include the musical Dancing in the Streets, The Adventures of Tintin based on the famous comic-book detective, The Harder They Come, and La Cage Aux Folles.

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

From December 2019, it was announced that The Jamie Lloyd Company would take up residence with a series of revivals, beginning with Cyrano de Bergerac starring James McAvoy, The Seagull starring Emilia Clarke and A Doll's House starring Jessica Chastain. The Seagull and A Doll's House were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following renovations to the theatre during the pandemic, the theatre re-opened as the Kit Kat Club to house a new revival of Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley which began previews on 15 November 2021. The renovations included converting the theatre into an in-the-round layout and reducing the capacity to 550.

Recent and present productions edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Historic England (9 January 1970). "The Playhouse Theatre (1356962)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  2. ^ Pink Floyd timeline accessed 27 March 2007
  3. ^ thisistheatre Playhouse theatre history accessed 28 March 2007
  4. ^ Shenton, Mark. "U.K.'s Ambassador Theatre Group Acquires Complete Ownership of West End's Savoy and Playhouse Theatres" 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, 3 December 2013
  5. ^ "Spamalot cast update at Playhouse Theatre". LondonTheatre.co.uk. London Theatre. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Spamalot closing, Pasquale to return for last four weeks". whatsonstage.com. Whats on Stage. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  7. ^ Bannister, Rosie (7 March 2014). "Headlong's 1984 takes over from Spamalot at Playhouse Theatre from April". What's on Stage. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  8. ^ "1984 transfers Headlong to Playhouse". Official London Theatre. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  9. ^ "1984 Enters Final Two Weeks in the West End". Broadway World. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  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. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  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 edit

  • Guide to British Theatres 1750–1950, John Earl and Michael Sell pp. 131 (Theatres Trust, 2000) ISBN 0-7136-5688-3
  • Who's Who in the Theatre, edited by John Parker, 10th edition revised, London, 1947.
  • Playhouse Theatre history and images at the Arthur Lloyd site

External links edit

  •   Media related to Playhouse Theatre, London at Wikimedia Commons
  • 2003 news article about the theatre

November 26, 2023
playhouse, theatre, this, article, about, theatre, west, london, other, theatres, this, name, related, uses, disambiguation, club, west, theatre, city, westminster, located, northumberland, avenue, near, trafalgar, square, central, london, theatre, built, fowl. This article is about the theatre in the West End of London For other theatres of this name and related uses see Playhouse Theatre disambiguation The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster located in Northumberland Avenue near Trafalgar Square central London The Theatre was built by F H Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1 200 It was rebuilt in 1907 and still retains its original substage machinery As of November 2021 the theatre has been refurbished and is home to a revival of the musical Cabaret with a seating capacity of 550 Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse TheatreRoyal Avenue TheatreAvenue TheatreMy Name Is Rachel Corrie at the Playhouse Theatre in 2006AddressCraven StreetLondon WC2United KingdomCoordinates51 30 25 N 0 07 25 W 51 506944 N 0 123611 W 51 506944 0 123611Public transitCharing Cross Embankment Charing CrossOwnerAmbassador Theatre GroupOperatorAmbassador Theatre GroupDesignationGrade II listed 1 TypeWest End theatreCapacity550 on 3 levels as the Kit Kat Club ProductionCabaretConstructionOpened11 March 1882 141 years ago 1882 03 11 Rebuilt1907 Blow and Billerey ArchitectF H Fowler amp HillWebsitePlayhouse Theatre at Ambassador Theatre GroupGeorge Bernard Shaw Contents 1 History 1 1 Early years 1 2 BBC studio 1 3 Other uses 1 4 1987 return to theatre usage 2 Recent and present productions 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksHistory editEarly years edit Built by Sefton Henry Parry as the Royal Avenue Theatre it opened on 11 March 1882 with 1200 seats The first production at the theatre was Jacques Offenbach s Madame Favart In its early seasons the theatre hosted comic operas burlesques and farces for several years For much of this time the low comedian Arthur Roberts a popular star of the music halls starred at the theatre By the 1890s the theatre was presenting drama and in 1894 Annie Horniman the tea heiress anonymously sponsored the actress Florence Farr in 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 his West End debut at the theatre with Arms and the Man in 1894 It was successful enough to allow him to discontinue music criticism to focus full time on play writing The actress Gladys Cooper managed 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 adjacent Charing Cross railway station collapsed 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 as The Playhouse on 28 January 1907 with a one act play called The Drums of Oudh and a play called Toddles by Tristan Bernard and Andre Godferneaux Shaw wrote a sketch entitled The Interlude at the Playhouse for the occasion The new theatre had a smaller seating capacity of 679 W Somerset Maugham s Home and Beauty premiered at the Playhouse on 30 August 1919 running for 235 performances and Henry Daniell appeared here in February 1926 as the Prince of Karaslavia in Mr Abdulla Nigel Bruce appeared in February 1927 as Robert Crosbie in Somerset Maugham s The Letter and again in May 1930 as Robert Brennan in Dishonoured Lady Alec Guinness made his stage debut here in Ward Dorane s play Libel on 2 April 1934 Daniell returned in November that year as Paul Miller in Hurricane BBC studio edit In 1951 it was taken over by the BBC as a recording studio for live performances The Goon Show and the radio versions of Hancock s Half Hour and Steptoe and Son were recorded here although at least the first two shows were also recorded at other venues during their runs The stage also hosted live performances by KISS Queen Led Zeppelin The Who The Beatles and The Rolling Stones On 3 April 1967 a live Pink Floyd concert was broadcast from the theatre 2 When the BBC left around 1976 the theatre went dark and was in danger of demolition Other uses edit In 1986 rock band Queen used the Playhouse Theatre as the set for their A Kind of Magic music video 1987 return to theatre usage edit The theatre was restored to its 1907 design by impresario Robin Gonshaw opening again in October 1987 with the musical Girlfriends A commercial building Aria House was erected above the theatre In 1988 novelist and politician Jeffrey Archer bought 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 the Peter Hall Company and a number of critically and commercially successful plays were performed there including Tennessee Williams The Rose Tattoo 1991 starring Julie Walters and Moliere s Tartuffe 1991 starring Paul Eddington and Felicity 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 impresario Ray Cooney for just over 2 million That year Cooney staged the West End premiere of his latest farce It Runs in the Family at the Playhouse This was followed by Jane Eyre 1993 adapted by Fay Weldon and starring Tim Pigott Smith Frederick Lonsdale s On Approval 1994 starring Simon Ward Martin Jarvis and Anna Carteret and Ray Cooney s Funny Money in 1995 In 1996 Cooney sold the Playhouse to American investment banker Patrick Sulaiman Cole whose first production was a critically acclaimed revival of Henrik Ibsen s A Doll s House in 1996 directed by Anthony Page and starring Janet McTeer Later that year the theatre was closed for complete refurbishment under the direction of English Heritage with the auditorium luxuriously decorated with grandiose murals caryatids golden pillars carved balustrades and shining gold decoration It reopened in 1997 with Sulaiman Cole s production and the West End premiere of Anton Chekhov s The Wood Demon This was followed by Sulaiman Cole s production of a first ever West End Snoo Wilson premiere HRH directed by Simon Callow about the British Royal Family s Duke and Duchess of Windsor which opened the day after the death of Diana Princess of Wales The play was harshly reviewed as anti Royal The theatre returned to life as a commercial receiving house with several seasons of Almeida Theatre and Cheek by Jowl productions including the popular but critically panned premiere of David Hare s The Judas Kiss nbsp Interior of the theatreSuccesses at the Playhouse since the late 1990s have included Naked 1998 J B Priestley s An Inspector Calls 2001 and Journey 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 by the Ambassador Theatre Group The Playhouse hosted Richard Eyre s 2003 Olivier Award winning production of Vincent in Brixton starring Clare Higgins Eyre s 2005 production of Hedda Gabler starring Eve Best and Megan Dodds in a transfer of My Name Is Rachel Corrie by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner in 2006 More recent successes include the musical Dancing in the Streets The Adventures of Tintin based on the famous comic book detective The Harder They Come and La Cage Aux Folles In December 2013 ATG had acquired 100 percent ownership of the Playhouse 4 From December 2019 it was announced that The Jamie Lloyd Company would take up residence with a series of revivals beginning with Cyrano de Bergerac starring James McAvoy The Seagull starring Emilia Clarke and A Doll s House starring Jessica Chastain The Seagull and A Doll s House were cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic Following renovations to the theatre during the pandemic the theatre re opened as the Kit Kat Club to house a new revival of Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley which began previews on 15 November 2021 The renovations included converting the theatre into an in the round layout and reducing the capacity to 550 Recent and present productions editThree Sisters 3 April 2003 29 June 2003 by Anton Chekhov translated by Christopher Hampton starring Kristin Scott Thomas Vincent in Brixton 19 July 2003 23 August 2003 by Nicholas Wright Les Liaisons Dangereuses 12 December 2003 10 January 2004 by Christopher Hampton Journey s End 3 May 2004 2 October 2004 by R C Sherriff Romeo and Juliet 18 November 2004 9 January 2005 by William Shakespeare The RSC House of Desires 1 February 2005 21 March 2005 by Sor Juana de la Cruz The RSC Dog in the Manger 2 February 2005 26 March 2005 by Lope de Vega translated by David Johnston The RSC Pedro The Great Pretender 17 February 2005 12 March 2005 by Miguel de Cervantes translated by Philip Osment The Postman Always Rings Twice 8 June 2005 3 September 2005 by James M Cain adapted by Andrew Rattenbury starring Val Kilmer As You Desire Me 27 October 2005 22 January 2006 by Luigi Pirandello starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Bob Hoskins The Creeper 9 February 2006 18 March 2006 by Pauline Macaulay starring Ian Richardson My Name is Rachel Corrie 30 March 2006 21 May 2006 by Alan Rickman and Katherine Vilner starring Megan Dodds The Rocky Horror Show 4 July 2006 22 July 2006 by Richard O Brien starring David Bedella and Suzanne Shaw Dancing in the Streets 1 August 2006 14 July 2007 Footloose The Musical 17 August 2007 6 December 2007 The Adventures of Tintin 9 December 2007 12 January 2008 adapted from Herge s novels Ring Round the Moon 19 February 2008 29 March 2008 by Christopher Fry adapted from Jean Anouilh s L Invitation au Chateau directed by Sean Mathias starring Angela Thorne The Harder They Come 23 March 2008 13 September 2008 by Perry Henzel La Cage aux Folles 20 October 2008 2 January 2010 by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein starring Roger Allam Douglas Hodge Graham Norton and Philip Quast Dreamboats and Petticoats 6 January 2010 4 August 2012 Monty Python s Spamalot 14 November 2012 5 12 April 2014 6 7 1984 28 April 2014 23 August 2014 8 9 Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 12 January 2015 23 May 2015 10 11 12 1984 12 June 2015 5 September 2015 The Rocky Horror Show 11 September 2015 16 September 2015 by Richard O Brien starring David Bedella Ben Forster Haley Flaherty and Richard O Brien broadcast live on 17 September as The Rocky Horror Show Live with O Brien Stephen Fry Adrian Edmondson Emma Bunton Mel Giedroyc and Anthony Head as guest narrators 13 Lord of the Dance Dangerous Games 10 October 2015 24 January 2016 14 The End of Longing 2 February 2016 14 May 2016 15 1984 14 June 2016 29 October 2016 An Inspector Calls 4 November 2016 25 March 2017 David Baddiel My Family Not The Sitcom 28 March 2017 3 June 2017 The Kite Runner 8 June 2017 26 August 2017 Glengarry Glen Ross 9 November 2017 3 February 2018 by David Mamet starring Christian Slater and Kris Marshall The Best Man 5 March 2018 26 May 2018 by Gore Vidal starring Martin Shaw and Maureen Lipman The Jungle 16 June 3 November 2018 Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson directed by Stephen Daldry Caroline Or Change 20 November 2018 9 February 2019 Book and lyrics by Tony Kushner Music by Jeanine Tesori Directed by Michael Longhurst Starring Sharon D Clarke Fiddler on the Roof 27 March 2019 2 November 2019 Cyrano de Bergerac 6 December 2019 29 February 2020 starring James McAvoy Cabaret 15 November 2021 Present starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie BuckleySee also editList of London theatres List of West End musicals List of notable musical theatre productions Musical theatre O Donnell v Shanahan a legal case in concerning the fifth floor above the theatreNotes edit Historic England 9 January 1970 The Playhouse Theatre 1356962 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 9 October 2014 Pink Floyd timeline accessed 27 March 2007 thisistheatre Playhouse theatre history accessed 28 March 2007 Shenton Mark U K s Ambassador Theatre Group Acquires Complete Ownership of West End s Savoy and Playhouse Theatres Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Playbill com 3 December 2013 Spamalot cast update at Playhouse Theatre LondonTheatre co uk London Theatre 1 August 2013 Retrieved 12 January 2014 Spamalot closing Pasquale to return for last four weeks whatsonstage com Whats on Stage 10 January 2014 Retrieved 12 January 2014 Bannister Rosie 7 March 2014 Headlong s 1984 takes over from Spamalot at Playhouse Theatre from April What s on Stage Retrieved 25 March 2014 1984 transfers Headlong to Playhouse Official London Theatre Retrieved 21 March 2014 1984 Enters Final Two Weeks in the West End Broadway World Retrieved 19 August 2014 Mitford Oliver Tamsin Greig to make her West End musical debut londonboxoffice co uk 23 June 2014 Mitford Oliver Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown extends West End run bestoftheatre co uk 12 March 2015 Shenton Mark London Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown To Shutter Early playbill com 23 April 2015 Stephen Fry Emma Bunton and Mel Giedroyc to join Rocky Horror cast WhatsOnStage com Retrieved 9 March 2016 Lord of the Dance Dangerous Games londonboxoffice co uk 18 December 2015 The End Of Longing londonboxoffice co uk 18 December 2015References editGuide to British Theatres 1750 1950 John Earl and Michael Sell pp 131 Theatres Trust 2000 ISBN 0 7136 5688 3 Who s Who in the Theatre edited by John Parker 10th edition revised London 1947 Playhouse Theatre history and images at the Arthur Lloyd siteExternal links edit nbsp Media related to Playhouse Theatre London at Wikimedia Commons 2003 news article about the theatre Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Playhouse Theatre amp oldid 1184176829, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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