PIN The Lyric Theatre

Shaftesbury Avenue`s most venerable theatre

The Lyric Theatre is located on Shaftesbury Avenue, near to Piccadilly Circus in London`s West End. The theatre is owned and operated by Nimax Theatres and has 915 seats over four levels.

History

The Lyric Theatre is the oldest West End theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, having opened in December 1888. Designed by architect C J Phipps, it was originally built for impresario Henry J Leslie as a home for operetta. Since then the building has successfully hosted drama, comedy and musicals and the theatre has a rich history of West End folk-lore.

The Theatre initially staged mostly light operettas when it first opened before subsequently staging light comedies and straight drama. In 1950 Andre Roussin's The Little Hut ran for 1,261 performances with Robert Morley in the first cast. 1972 saw Alan Ayckbourn's How the Other Half Loves run for 869 performances. More recently Five Guys Named Moe, a musical based on the songs of Louis Jordan, had a very successful run here - opening 14 December 1990 and running until March 1995.

TripTide Thoughts

This is a lovely old place.The theatre itself is both beautiful and traditional, nothing like the modern theatres. Well worth seeing a show here.

How to get there

How to get there:

By car:

Masterpark - Chinatown, Newport Place

Public Transportation:

Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo, Piccadilly)

Bus Routes:

14, 19, 22B, 38, 53, 88, 94, 159

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...