PIN The Dominion Theatre

Plenty of space, champagne and brass rails

This central London theatre is said to have at least two ghosts – one a giggling child and the other a drowned brewery worker.

The auditorium has two levels – the Stalls and Circle. It is a very large space, and each offers excellent views of the stage. The Stalls offer good views and plenty of leg room and the views are only improved from the Circle.

Over several years, the theatre has been constantly refurbished which has included reclaiming the area above the main foyer as a studio for rehearsals and reclaiming the offices in Nederlander House - originally part of the theatre.

History

The Dominion was built on the site of a former Leper Hospital and the Meux Brewery, which saw eight people die in a beer flood (see above reference to the ghost). In the 1930's the venue was used as a cinema, screening films such as The Phantom of The Opera, The Sound of Music and West Side Story right up until the 1980’s, where is began to house large live musicals.

A series of major theatrical extravaganzas have played at the theatre, including The Judy Garland Show (1957) and Jackie Mason: Brand New! (1993). Quickly, popular musicals began to arrive at the Dominion, including Grease (1993-1996), Scrooge (1996-1997) and Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1997-1999), with smaller shows such as Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and Tango Passion (2000) also gracing the stage.

The Dominion Theatre has also hosted the prestigious Royal Variety Performance on four separate occasions, and has been regularly used for the Hillsong Sunday Service since 2005.

In 2002, the venue finally made its name, hosting the unprecedented smash-hit success of Queen's musical We Will Rock You, which played at the theatre for an impressive twelve years until 2014. Following the musical's closure, a disappointingly brief revival of Evita (2014) played, before embarking on a UK tour. Irving Berlin's White Christmas played until the end of 2014.

2015 saw a range of eclectic productions pass through the theatre, including Frozen Sing-Along, Aliens Love Underpants, Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games and Elf! The Musical (2015-2016), starring Ben Forster and Kimberley Walsh.

2016 productions included Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds and The Bodyguard, starring pop superstar Beverley Knight.

Broadway musical An American in Paris transfers to the Dominion Theatre in March 2017, featuring music by George and Ira Gershwin.

TripTide Thoughts

This theatre is one of the bigger ones in West End with plenty of wide access to the circle. The seats are very comfortable and a bit more room than many of its neighbours. It is comfortable, well laid out and with more than a touch of class with a luxury Champagne bar for that special night out. There is plenty of other bar service for Stalls and Circle. There is plenty of leg-room and great views

How to get there

The theatre is well served by public transport and is a minutes walk from Tottenham Court Rd. Underground and 15 minutes to Charing Cross

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...