 The Gillian Lynne Theatre (July 2021) | |
 Interactive map of Gillian Lynne Theatre | |
| Former names | New London Theatre (1973–2018) |
|---|---|
| Address | 166Drury Lane Holborn,London,WC2B 5PW United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′55″N00°07′21″W / 51.51528°N 0.12250°W /51.51528; -0.12250 |
| Public transit |  Holborn |
| Owner | LW Theatres |
| Type | West End theatre |
| Capacity | 1,118 on 2 levels |
| Production | My Neighbour Totoro |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2 January 1973; 53 years ago (1973-01-02) |
| Rebuilt | 1911 (Frank Matcham) |
| Architect | Paul Tvrtkovic |
| Website | |
| lwtheatres | |
TheGillian Lynne Theatre (formerly theNew London Theatre) is aWest End theatre located on the corner ofDrury Lane and Parker Street inCovent Garden in theLondon Borough of Camden. TheWinter Garden Theatre occupied the site until 1965. On 1 May 2018, the theatre was officially renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre in honour of choreographerGillian Lynne. It is the first theatre in theWest End of London to be named after a non-royal woman.[1][2]
The modern theatre is built on the site of previous taverns andmusic hall theatres, where a place of entertainment has been located sinceElizabethan times.Nell Gwynn was associated with the tavern, which became known as the Great Mogul by the end of the 17th century, and presented entertainments in an adjoining hall, including "glee clubs" and "sing-songs". The Mogul Saloon was built on the site in 1847, which was sometimes known as the "Turkish Saloon" or the "Mogul Music Hall." In 1851, it became theMiddlesex Music Hall, known as The Old Mo. This in turn was rebuilt as theNew Middlesex Theatre of Varieties in 1911 byFrank Matcham forOswald Stoll.[3]
In 1919, the theatre was sold toGeorge Grossmith Jr. andEdward Laurillard, refurbished and reopened as theWinter Garden Theatre. They producedKissing Time (1919, with a book byP. G. Wodehouse andGuy Bolton and music byIvan Caryll), followed byA Night Out (1920), both starringStanley Holloway.[4] Grossmith and Laurillard also became managers of theApollo Theatre in 1920.[5] However, expanding their operation caused Grossmith and Laurillard to end their partnership, with Grossmith retaining control of the Winter Garden.[6]
Grossmith then partnered withGeorge Edwardes's former associate, Pat Malone, to produce a series of mostly adaptations of imported shows at the Winter Garden between 1920 and 1926:Sally (1921),The Cabaret Girl (1922, with book by Wodehouse and music byJerome Kern),The Beauty Prize (1923, with Wodehouse and Kern), a revival ofTonight's the Night (1923),Primrose (1924, with music byGeorge Gershwin),Tell Me More (1925, with words by Thompson and music by George Gershwin)[7] andKid Boots (1926 with music by Harry Tierney),[8] many of them featuringLeslie Henson.[9] Grossmith co-wrote some of the Winter Garden pieces, directed many of his own productions and starred in several, notably as Otis inSally. Several of the later productions lost money, and Grossmith and Malone ended the partnership.[6]
The Vagabond King was produced here in 1927, and in 1929,Fred andAdele Astaire starred inFunny Face. In 1930,Sophie Tucker played in theVivian Ellis musicalFollow a Star, and in 1931,Gracie Fields appeared here inWalk This Way. In 1933, the theatre hostedLewis Casson inGeorge Bernard Shaw'sOn the Rocks, followed in 1935 byLove on the Dole, starringWendy Hiller. The theatre was temporarily closed in the late 1930s, reopening in 1942. In 1945, it hosted aDonald Wolfit season, and in 1953,Agatha Christie'sWitness for the Prosecution played there. 1956 sawThe Water Gypsies by Vivian Ellis andA P Herbert;Hotel Paradiso starringAlec Guinness,Douglas Byng,Irene Worth andBillie Whitelaw; andTyrone Power starred in George Bernard Shaw'sThe Devil's Disciple. 1958 includedThe Iceman Cometh.[10]
The theatre closed permanently in 1959,[11] when it was sold to a developer byThe Rank Organisation.[10] It was then gutted and remained vacant until 1965 when it demolished, to be replaced in 1973 by the current building.[12]
Designed by architect Paul Tvrtkovic and scenic designerSean Kenny (Blitz!,Oliver!,Pickwick (musical)), modelled after the Walter Gropius Total-Theater, and seating 960 on 2 levels, the theatre's auditorium first opened with a television recording ofMarlene Dietrich's one-woman show.[13] The theatre officially opened on 2 January 1973 with a production ofThe Unknown Soldier and His Wife starringPeter Ustinov. It then hostedGrease, starringRichard Gere as Danny andElaine Paige as Sandy. Beginning in 1977, the theatre was used as a television studio for several years and then returned to use as a theatre.[13] The theatre's biggest hit was theAndrew Lloyd Webber andTrevor NunnmusicalCats, choreographed byGillian Lynne which premièred in the theatre on 11 May 1981. Closing in 2002, this production became the then longest running musical in West End history, although it has since been overtaken byPhantom of the Opera andLes Misérables.
The theatre also hosted the 1977BBC Sports Personality of the Year and theMasters snooker between 1976 and 1978. In 1977, the theatre hosted theBBC'sA Song For Europe contest, the preliminary heat to choose the UK entry for theEurovision Song Contest. However, the show was blacked out on TV due to a last minute strike by technicians. The music video for the song "We Are the Champions" byQueen was shot there in October 1977, following a 70-minute concert.[14]
Between 2003 and September 2005, the theatre hostedBill Kenwright's revival ofAndrew Lloyd Webber's musicalJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The venue played host to the London transfer of theoff-Broadway production,Blue Man Group, which closed in June 2007 to make way for theRoyal Shakespeare Company's repertory productions ofThe Seagull andKing Lear, starringIan McKellen. In spring 2008, a new musical adaptation ofGone with the Wind ran for only two months. New musicalImagine This closed after only being open for one month.
TheNational Theatre production ofWar Horse transferred into the theatre from 28 March 2009, where it stayed until 12 March 2016, after over 3,000 performances.
The theatre was home to theSheffield Crucible's production of the musicalShow Boat, which opened on 9 April 2016. Despite positive reviews, the production closed early, on 27 August 2016. On 22 October 2016, the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber'sSchool of Rock opened, direct fromBroadway, and closed after a three-and-a-half-year run, before the theatre underwent a refurbishment.
Lloyd Webber'sCinderella had its world premiere on 14 July 2021, with previews starting on 25 June.[15] The opening, originally scheduled for August 2020, was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[16] The production closed on 12 June 2022.[17][18][19][20]
Following seasons at theLeeds Playhouse, theBridge Theatre, and a UK and Ireland tour, the new adaptation ofThe Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe byC. S. Lewis opened at the theatre from 18 July 2022, running until 9 January 2023.[21] The 2022Chichester Festival production ofCrazy for You was scheduled to play at the theatre for a limited 30-week West End engagement beginning 24 June 2023, prior to an official opening on 3 July.[22][needs update]
The theatre has been owned since 1991 by Lloyd Webber'sReally Useful Group.[23] The theatre building also contains an underground car park, a cabaret venue, a basement nightclub, shops, and a residential tower.[10] In 2014, Lloyd Webber reorganized the group; the entity that owns the theatre is Really Useful Theatres.[24]
