Fortune Thriller Theatre | |
 ShowingThe Woman in Black, 2006 | |
 Interactive map ofFortune Theatre | |
| Address | Russell Street London,WC2 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°30′47″N0°07′16″W / 51.513°N 0.121°W /51.513; -0.121 |
| Public transit |  Covent Garden |
| Owner | ATG Entertainment |
| Designation | Grade II |
| Type | West End theatre |
| Capacity | 432 on 3 levels |
| Production | Operation Mincemeat |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 8 November 1924; 101 years ago (1924-11-08) |
| Years active | 1924 – present |
| Architect | Ernest Schaufelberg |
| Website | |
| Fortune Theatre website | |
TheFortune Theatre is a 432-seatWest End theatre in Russell Street, nearCovent Garden, in theCity of Westminster. From 1989 until 2023 the theatre hosted the long running playThe Woman in Black.
The site was acquired by author, playwright andimpresario Laurence Cowen, and had previously been the location of the old Albion Tavern, apublic house that was frequented byGeorgian andVictorian actors. The theatre is situated next toCrown Court Church, and dwarfed by theTheatre Royal, Drury Lane on the opposite side of the road.
Cowen commissioned architect Ernest Schaufelberg to design the theatre in anItalianate style. Constructed from 1922 to 1924, it was the first theatre to be built in London after the end of theFirst World War. One of the first buildings in London to experiment with concrete, its façade is principally made of bush hammered concrete, with brick piers supporting the roof. Since the demolition of the originalWembley Stadium, the theatre is now the oldest remaining public building designed wholly using concrete as a textured and exposed façade. The theatre's famous figurine,Terpsichore (perched high above the entrance) was sculpted by M. H. Crichton of theBromsgrove Guild, a noted company of artisans fromWorcestershire. The theatre is entered through bronze double doors, and internally there is a foyer of grey and red marble, with a beaten copper ticket booth.
With 432 seats in the auditorium, it is believed to be the second smallest West End theatre. It was refurbished in 1960,[1] andGrade II listed byEnglish Heritage in May 1994.[2]
The theatre opened, as theFortune Thriller Theatre, on 8 August 1924, withSinners by Lawrence Cowen. During theSecond World War, the theatre hosted performances byENSA, entertainers drawn from the armed forces. Since the war, the theatre has been areceiving house, with actors such as DameJudi Dench,Dirk Bogarde andMaureen Lipman appearing. The Fortune also hosted shows fromFlanders and Swann andBeyond the Fringe.Nunsense played at the theatre in 1987.
From 1989 until 2023 the theatre hosted the long running playThe Woman in Black, which was adapted byStephen Mallatratt fromthe book of the same name bySusan Hill. A celebration was held in 2001 to mark the 5,000th performance. On 9 November 2022 it was announced that the show would close at the Fortune theatre, with the final performance taking place on 4 March 2023.
From 9 to 13 September 2008, the show was performed inJapanese by Takaya Kamikaya and Haruhito Saito, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Japan.[3]
The theatre was also used to record theLily Savage video "Paying the Rent" in 1993, which was later broadcast byChannel 4 in the UK in 1996.[4][circular reference]
On 29 March 2023, a new production opened at the Fortune Theatre for the first time since 1989:Operation Mincemeat.
On 11 December 2023, a plaque was installed at the Fortune Theatre in commemoration ofHester Leggatt; Leggatt was portrayed as a character inOperation Mincemeat, which played at the Fortune Theatre.[5][6]
The Fortune Theatre is notable for having a bar in the seating area of the Stalls.
Media related toFortune Theatre, London at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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