Her Majesty's Theatre

About the Her Majesty's Theatre

Phantom of the Opera is one of the West End’s most popular shows and it's home is one of London’s oldest theatres, Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Her Majesty’s Theatre is the fourth theatre to have stood on this site. The first was named The Queen’s Theatre after Queen Anne and opened in 1705. Handel produced his first opera in England, ‘Rinaldo’, here to great acclaim.

When Queen Anne died it was renamed King’s Theatre and remodelled on a couple of occasions before burning down in 1789. The rebuilt King’s Theatre was the largest in England and became renowned for Italian Opera and Ballet. This building also burned down in 1867 and reopened as Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1877 with Bellini’s opera ‘Norma’. It also saw the inaugural performance of Bizet’s ‘Carmen’.

This third theatre was also demolished and the present incarnation of Her Majesty's Theatre opened in 1897. It became the home of musicals and large-scale productions including ‘Chu Chin Chow’ (1916), Noel Coward’s ‘Bitter Sweet’ (1929), ‘West Side Story’ (1958) and now Phantom of the Opera (1986).

OPENED: 28th April 1897
LISTED: Grade II*
SEATS: 1,210 on 4 levels
ARCHITECT: C J Phipps