Piccadilly Theatre
Sections:
Theatre build date:
1928
History:
The Piccadilly Theatre opened in April 1928 as a base for the Piccadilly Theatre Company, whose first production at the theatre, the Jerome Kern musical Blue Eyes, starring legendary actress Evelyn Laye, continued a successful run at the Daly’s Theatre when Warner Brothers bought the theatre in August of the same year.
The Piccadilly became one of many West End theatres to spend time as a cinema, and it was in the Piccadilly that Warner used their new Vitaphone system to show the first ever ‘talkie’ in the UK, Al Jolson’s The Singing Fool. Despite this landmark, the theatre was back to its original function a year later, having its first real resident success with James Bridie’s comedy Folly To Be Wise in 1931.
This success was difficult to recreate and since 1934, the Piccadilly Theatre has played host to an eclectic mix of entertainments, including bawdy revues, comedy skits, repertory companies and even Disney films, with varying degrees of success.
Notable productions at the Piccadilly Theatre have included Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, the West End’s most commercially successful ballet season, the London debuts of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1963) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1974) and in 1942 a sensationally ill-fated production of Macbeth starring Sir John Gielgud, marred by the death of four cast members, the suicide of a designer and to cap it all, the Piccadilly Theatre was hit by a stray German bomb.
Hauntings:
There have been numerous reports of poltergeist activity at the Piccadilly Theatre, and a number of areas are said to be haunted by the Evelyn Laye who worked at the theatre when it first opened. A few years ago, a photograph of the actress was taken down in the theatre’s offices and the theatre was dogged by violent poltergeist activity until it was replaced a few days later.
Previously showing:
Guys & Dolls (2005-2007)
Jailhouse Rock (2004-2005)
Jumpers (2003-2004)
Close to:
Piccadilly Circus
The Trocadero
Fortnum & Mason
Contact Details
Piccadilly Theatre
Denman Street
W1V 8DY
For all ticket enquiries, call:
0871 789 1004
Map
Facilities
Theatre capacity:
1,232
Stage door location:
The Piccadilly Theatre stage door is up a small side street off Denman Street, just to the right of the theatre building.
Theatre layout:
The seating in the Piccadilly Theatre is in the traditional, three-tier arrangement. Of course, the ground level is the stalls, which curves so that wherever you are positioned centrally, your seat will be facing towards the centre of the stage. Only the back row is affected by the overhang from the Royal Circle above, but the effect is minimal and there is no restriction on the view of the stage at all.
The Royal Circle offers the same excellent views as the stalls, again with only the back row slightly affected by overhang from the level above.
The Grand Circle, because of the height allowed to the Stalls and the Royal Circle below, suffers in places from curvature and height restrictions, but only towards the sides. The three clear price bands in the Grand Circle are based entirely on height and distance from the stage.
Air conditioned:
No
