Playhouse Theatre
At Nothumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5DE
About the Playhouse Theatre
The Playhouse opened in London’s West End in March 1882 as the Royal Avenue Theatre. The first production was Jacques Offenbach’s ‘Madame Favart’. The Royal Avenue Theatre was rebuilt in 1905 and reopened as The Playhouse in January 1907.
W.Somerset Maugham’s ‘Home and Beauty' premiered at The Playhouse in 1919 and Alex Guiness made his stage debut here in ‘Libel!’ in 1934. The BBC took over The Playhouse in 1951 and it became a recording studio for live performances including ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’, ‘Steptoe and Son’ and ‘The Goon Show’. There were also live performances from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.
When the BBC vacated, The Playhouse’s opulent interior was restored and the theatre was reopened in 1987. Acclaimed shows featured since include Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Dolls House’ (1996) starring Janet McTeer, the West End premiere of ‘The Wood Demon’ by Anton Chekov (1997) and J.B Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’.
OPENED: 11th March 1882
LISTED: Grade II
SEATS: 782 on 3 levels
ARCHITECT: Blow and Billery
How to get there
Loading Map
The nearest Tube Station is Charing Cross
See Transport for London's Tube Map or Journey Planner
