PIN Duchess Theatre

Small, intimate and infamous

This is a smaller theatre one of the smallest proscenium based theatres in the West End seating only 470 people. It has a record as well for having the shortest run in history when the audience walked out before the end of the first performance of The Intimate Review. All subsequent performances were cancelled. The theatre became well-known for a number of intimate plays. However, this changed when it hosted and gained notoriety for The Dirtiest Show in Town in 1971 and Oh Calcutta three years later. The Oh Calcutta was a nude review which ran for six years. More recent productions include Don`t Dress for Dinner, a Marc Camoletti production, followed by The Herbal Bed, a Royal Shakespeare Company production.

History

Ewen Barr, who designed the building, was not considered to be a particularly successful architect, but he overcame many of the challenges of the awkwardly shaped site to create a relatively successful theatre. He overcame the 'Ancient Lights' problem which prevented new buildings blocking the light of nearby buildings by designing his new Theatre with the upper storeys set back and the rest of the building low to the ground. Much of it, including the stage and stalls, is below ground level. The front of the circle is consequently at street level. This design has proved problematic for the Theatre ever since as ground-level water has to be permanently pumped out of the basement by several dedicated pumps, rather like the bilge pumps on a boat.

The Duchess Theatre was constructed by F. G. Minter Ltd. in a 'Modern Tudor Gothic' style and the auditorium was built on two different size levels, the Circle being narrower than the Stalls. This small playhouse has a capacity of only 479 and the sight-lines are excellent due to the Circle being suspended from the roof. The Theatre has concealed lighting throughout. The Theatre opened on the 25th of November 1929 with the play 'Tunnel Trench' by Hubert Griffith. The site the Theatre was built on was a WW1 Zeppelin-raid bomb site owned by Mabel Ainsworth until about 1927, and then latterly by Willy Clarkson

TripTide Thoughts

London's Duchess Theatre is a real gem of a theatre. Although it's one of London's smallest theatres, it is a much more friendly and inviting place than a few other nearby theatres - and definitely the best theatre toilets in London! We sat in the stalls for 'The Play that Goes Wrong' and the sight lines and legroom were excellent.

How to get there

The Duchess Theatre is located on Catherine Street, an area of the West End that is densely populated with theatres. Catherine Street is situated just off the Strand/Aldwych junction and has a wealth of transportation links.

RAIL
The nearest rail station to the Duchess Theatre is Charing Cross. From Charing Cross rail Station, cross the road at the traffic lights and head right up the strand. Once you reach the Stand/Aldwych junction then take the second left onto Catherine Street.

TUBE
The closest tube stations are Covent Garden (Piccadilly line) and Charing Cross (Northern and Bakerloo lines).
From Covent Garden: Head up Long Acre towards Bow Street. Turn right down Bow Street until you hit Russell Street. Then bear left and head straight down Catherine Street.

From Charing Cross: For directions to Charing Cross please see the directions in the rail section above.

Owner

Lucy TripTide

Lucy is a TripTide stalwart and has been with the company since inception. She is a font of knowledge of all things in our metropolis but she has a special penchant for London's historical past. She says:"London is a multi-layered confection of hi...