 Garrick Theatre in 2017 | |
 Interactive map of Garrick Theatre | |
| Address | Charing Cross Road London,WC2 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°30′36″N0°7′40″W / 51.51000°N 0.12778°W /51.51000; -0.12778 |
| Public transit |  Charing Cross;Leicester Square Charing Cross |
| Owner | Nimax Theatres |
| Designation | Grade II* |
| Type | West End theatre |
| Capacity | 718[1] on 3 levels (currently) 800 on 4 levels (originally) |
| Production | The Producers |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 24 April 1889; 136 years ago (1889-04-24) |
| Architect | Walter Emden, withC. J. Phipps |
| Website | |
| nimaxtheatres | |
TheGarrick Theatre is aWest End theatre, located inCharing Cross Road, in theCity of Westminster, named after the stage actorDavid Garrick.[2] It opened in 1889 withThe Profligate, a play byArthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play,The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith, was an early success at the theatre. In its early years, the Garrick appears to have specialised in the performance ofmelodrama. The theatre later became associated with comedies, includingNo Sex Please, We're British, which played for four years from 1982 to 1986.
There was previously another theatre that was sometimes called theGarrick in London, in Leman Street, opened in 1831 and demolished in 1881.[3]
The new Garrick Theatre was financed in 1889 by the playwrightW. S. Gilbert, the author of over 75 plays, including theGilbert and Sullivancomic operas. It was designed byWalter Emden, withC. J. Phipps brought in as a consultant to help with the planning on the difficult site after an underground river was discovered in the excavation. Originally the theatre had 800 seats on four levels, but the gallery (top) level has since been closed and theseating capacity reduced to 656.[4]
The theatre's first manager was Gilbert's friendJohn Hare.[4] The first play at the theatre,The Profligate, byArthur Wing Pinero and starring Hare, opened on 24 April 1889.Sydney Grundy's long-running French-style comedyA Pair of Spectacles opened here in February 1890.Mrs Patrick Campbell starred five years later in Pinero'sThe Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith.[3] Afterwards, the theatre suffered a short period of decline until it was leased byArthur Bourchier for six years, whose wife,Violet Vanbrugh, starred in a series of successful productions ranging from farce toShakespeare.[5]
In 1900, the theatre hostedJ. M. Barrie'sThe Wedding Guest.Rutland Barrington presented several stage works at the Garrick, including his popular "fairy play" calledWater Babies in 1902, based onCharles Kingsley'sbook, with music byAlfred Cellier, among others. The only piece actually premiered by W. S. Gilbert here wasHarlequin and the Fairy's Dilemma (retitledThe Fairy's Dilemma after a few days), a "Domestic Pantomime" (1904). In 1921,Basil Rathbone played Dr. Lawson inThe Edge o' Beyond at the Garrick, and the following year SirSeymour Hicks appeared in his own play,The Man in Dress Clothes. In 1925,Henry Daniell played there as Jack Race inCobra and appeared there again as Paul Cortot inMarriage by Purchase in March 1932.
A proposed redevelopment ofCovent Garden by theGLC in 1968 saw the theatre under threat, together with the nearbyVaudeville,Adelphi,Lyceum, andDuchess Theatres. An active campaign byEquity, theMusicians' Union, and theatre owners under the auspices of theSave London Theatres Campaign led to the abandonment of the scheme.[6] The gold-leaf auditorium was restored in 1986 by the stage designerCarl Toms, and in 1997 the front façade was renovated.
The theatre has mostly been associated with comedies or comedy-dramas. More recent productions are listed below and includeNo Sex Please, We're British (1982), which played for four years at the theatre before transferring to theDuchess Theatre in 1986. In 1995, theRoyal National Theatre's multi-award-winning production ofJ. B. Priestley'sAn Inspector Calls opened here, having played successful seasons at the Royal National Theatre's Lyttelton and Olivier theatres as well as theAldwych Theatre and a season onBroadway.
In 1986, the Garrick was acquired by theStoll Moss Group, and in 2000 it became aReally Useful Theatre whenAndrew Lloyd Webber'sReally Useful Group andBridgepoint Capital purchased Stoll Moss Theatres Ltd. In October 2005,Nica Burns and Max Weitzenhoffer purchased the Garrick Theatre, and it became one of five playhouses operating under their company name ofNimax Theatres Ltd, alongside theLyric Theatre,Apollo Theatre,Vaudeville Theatre andDuchess Theatre.
The interior retains many of its original features, and wasGrade II* listed byEnglish Heritage in September 1960.[7]
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