PIN The Adelphi Theatre

History

The Adelphi was built by architect Ernest Schaufelberg, the Adelphi theatre opened on 3rd December 1930. The theatre has had many iterations and like many London venues, there has been a theatre on the site for years, way before the current building arrived. In this case, the Sans Pareil theatre opened in 1806, soon becoming the Adelphi theatre in 1819 then the Theatre Royal Adelphi in 1829.

The original venue was imensely popular in the 1820s but fell into disrepair and was eventually demolished in 1850. It was rebuilt and opened to a great acclaim in December 1858. After 40 years of success, the building was gutted and rebuilt and renamed the Century Theatre in September 1901. However, after massive public pressure, the theatre reverted back to its old name of the Royal Adelphi.

The current design has been noted for its Art Deco style. The first show in December 1930 was the musical Evergreen. Other acclaimed shows from the time included Noel Coward's Word and Music and Cole Porter's Nymph Errant. In 1942 a revival of Ivor Novello's musical comedy The Dancing Years, enjoyed a massive run of 969 performances.

The 1950s saw the venue presenting a number of revue-style shows, often headlined by entertainment stars from the radio. In 1985 it scored a huge hit when Stephen Fry’s adaptation of Noel Gay’s Me and My Girl opened. The production ran for more than eight years and kept audiences delighted with renditions of Underneath the Arches and The Lambeth Walk.

In 1997, a revival of Bob Fosse’s Chicago went on to become the Adelphi's longest-running show, eventually making way for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita in 2006. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat arrived in 2007 and Love Never Dies in 2010. In a break from the current trend of larger-scale musicals, the theatre was also home to the West End premier of the National Theatre’s production of One Man Two Guvnors in 2011, which then moved to the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

In 2012, The Bodyguard musical made its world debut at the Adelphi. The venue is owned and run by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group.

TripTide Thoughts

The Theatre is a typical West End London Theatre with classic décor, three floors of seating, little bars for interval drinks and very comfortable seating space with good views of the stage throughout. The is nice and accessible and although refreshment and drinks can get a little pricey they all add to an all round extravaganza.

How to get there

Being in the centre of Centre London the place is well served by public transport. The nearest underground stations to the Adelphi Theatre are Covent Garden (Piccadilly line) and Charing Cross (Northern and Bakerloo lines), Embankment (District and Circle lines).

If you are coming in from outer London the theatre is a brisk walk from Waterloo Station (20 minutes) or Victoria (20 minutes)

Tags

• Theatreland
• , Downtown Westminster
• , theatre