Hammersmith Apollo
History:
Opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace as one of London’s original super cinemas, the Hammersmith Apollo is one of London’s largest theatrical venues with a seating capacity of over 3,500.
As super cinema, the venue has always had the versatility to be able to host live performances, becoming one of Britain’s most important concert venues. In 1962, the cinema was renamed the Hammersmith Odeon (or ‘Hammy-O’) and played host to such legendary and influential artists as the Beatles, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Black Sabbath, Louis Armstrong, Queen, Blondie, Ella Fitzgerald and Bob Dylan. David Bowie performed Ziggy Stardust’s infamous final concert here in 1973, and Soft Cell also played their farewell shows here in 1984.
In 2006, a renovation made the stalls seats removable, bringing the Apollo’s capacity up to over 5,000 for some performances. Notable theatrical productions staged at the Hammersmith Apollo have included Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (1996) and Dr Doolittle (1998).
Previously called:
Gaumont Palace
Hammersmith Odeon
Labbatt’s Apollo
Carling Apollo
Map
Facilities
Theatre capacity:
3,362
Box office location:
The box office is at the far right of the first, smaller foyer that meets you as you enter.
Stage door location:
The stage door is down the right hand side of the building. However, there is a guarded security gate.
Theatre layout:
The cavernous Hammersmith Apollo is arranged on two levels, stalls and circle. The circle offers comfortable views throughout due to its excellent distance from the stage, overhanging the stalls at row U. However, the rear section of the circle (G-Z) is raked very steeply so the back few rows are at a dizzying height. However, this arrangement is remnant from the theatre’s days as a cinema and the height does allow for clear views. There is also a barrier in front of row G in the circle which may affect the view for younger theatre-goers in rows G and H. Because of the good height of the circle, the only seats with views affected by any over hand are in the two very back rows (AA and BB), and the obstruction is minimal. The proscenium is quite narrow compared to the seating area, so there are some sidelined views in the front section of the stalls (rows A-H). However, the curvature of the seats allows for comfortable viewing angles and clear views everywhere else.
Air conditioned:
No
