Garrick Theatre
Book Zorro at the Garrick Theatre
Theatre build date:
1889
History:
Named in honour of the legendary eighteenth century actor and playwright David Garrick, the Garrick Theatre has encountered a number of ups and downs even from its inception. During building, an Roman river was discovered during the construction of the underground stalls area and the entire project was very nearly abandoned altogether.
However, the theatre eventually opened with a reasonably well received play called The Profligate in 1889. The auditorium was initially very cramped with a capacity of up to 1,500 which is remarkable bearing in mind the current capacity is 656. In 1934, plans were made to demolish the theatre in favour of a new seper-cinema, even to the stage where an architect was commissioned, but the plan never came to be. The Garrick was also saved by a campaign by Equity in 1968 after a proposed redevelopment of Covent Garden threatened the Garrick and a number of nearby theatres with demolition.
Notable productions at the Garrick Theatre have included The Fairy’s Dilemma (1904), No Sex Please, We’re British (1982) and An Inspector Calls (1995). Although the Garrick Theatre has housed a great variety of productions, it is known mostly for its comedy and comedy-drama.
Previously showing:
Derren Brown’s Mind Reader (2008)
Peter Pan: El Musical (2008)
Absurd Person Singular (2007)
Bad Girls: The Musical (2007)
Treats (2007)
Close to:
Leicester Square
Trafalgar Square
The National Gallery
Contact Details
Garrick Theatre
Charing Cross Road
WC2R 0HH
For all ticket enquiries, call:
0871 789 1004
Map
Facilities
Theatre capacity:
656
Stage door location:
The Garrick Theatre stage door is located at the left of the building, although an iron gate beside the theatre’s main entrance separates it from the public.
Theatre layout:
Arranged on three levels: stalls, Dress Circle and Upper Circle (a balcony level has been closed to the public for many years), many seats in the Garrick Theatre auditorium do suffer from restricted views. A narrow proscenium means that a number of end seats in the circles and from row C and beyond in the stalls are restricted by sidelined viewing angles. In rows M-X in the stalls, end of row seats do not have aisle room as they are against the wall. However, the side sections here are a maximum of six seats wide so getting to these seats is not difficult.
The views from seats numbered 7 and 18 in rows N to Q and T to X in the stalls are obscured by pillars that support the Dress Circle. A good, low stage means that the view from all central seats in the stalls and Dress Circle is completely unrestricted.
All seats on the central aisle in the Upper Circle have views restricted by crash barriers at the front. The six boxes available at Dress Circle and Upper Circle levels are all severely sidelined.
Air conditioned:
Yes
