Fortune Theatre
Book The Woman In Black at the Fortune Theatre
Theatre build date:
1922
History:
The first entertainment venue to be built in London after the end of the First World War, the Fortune’s construction was dogged with problems and although building began in 1922, the Fortune Thriller Theatre didn’t open its doors to the public until late 1924, its first production a comedy play called Sinners. A unique design in the West End, the Fortune was one of the first buildings to be designed with an exposed concrete frontage. With its small, medieval inspired windows and famous figurine of Terpsichore, the Fortune is a striking little treasure tucked away on Russell Street behind the enormous Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Production wise, the Fortune has had something of a chequered past, with more notable shows including On Approval (1927), Flanders and Swann’s At the Drop of a Hat (1957), Beyond The Fringe (1961) featuring Alan Bennett, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, and Murder In The Vicarage (1979).
Hauntings:
One of London’s most haunted theatres, the Fortune incidentally has its own apparition of a woman in black, who frequently visits a hospitality bar and is often seen from the stalls watching the stage from one of the boxes.
Previously called:
Fortune Thriller Theatre
Previously showing:
Forbidden Broadway (1989)
Re: Joyce (1988)
Dangerous Obsession (1988)
Nunsense (1987)
Close to:
Covent Garden Piazza
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Contact Details
Fortune Theatre
Russell Street
WC2B 5HH
For all ticket enquiries, call:
0871 789 1004
Map
Facilities
Theatre capacity:
432
Stage door location:
The Fortune Theatre’s stage door is located on a small side street to the right of the building.
Theatre layout:
Arranged on three levels, the Dress Circle and Upper Circle are high set so there are no overhang restrictions at all in the Fortune Theatre. All three levels have aisles, although strangely, the aisles run from front to back about a third of the way across each level, rather than in the middle. Because the auditorium is rather narrow, the end two seats in all rows are affected slightly by sidelined views.
Air conditioned:
Yes
