 The Sondheim Theatre in 2011 (then the Queen's), showingLes Misérables | |
 Interactive map of Sondheim Theatre | |
| Address | Shaftesbury Avenue London,WC2 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°30′43″N0°07′58″W / 51.511944°N 0.132778°W /51.511944; -0.132778 |
| Public transit |  Leicester Square;Piccadilly Circus |
| Owner | Delfont Mackintosh Theatres |
| Designation | Grade II |
| Capacity | 1137 on 3 levels |
| Production | Les Misérables |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
TheSondheim Theatre (formerly theQueen's Theatre) is aWest End theatre located inShaftesbury Avenue on the corner ofWardour Street in theCity of Westminster, London. It opened as the Queen's Theatre on 8 October 1907, as a twin to the neighbouring Hicks Theatre (now theGielgud Theatre) which had opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed byW. G. R. Sprague. The theatre wasGrade II listed byEnglish Heritage in June 1972.[1]
In 2019 the theatre's name was changed from the Queen's to the Sondheim Theatre (afterStephen Sondheim) after a 20-week refurbishment. The theatre reopened on 18 December 2019.
The original plan was to name the venue theCentral Theatre. However, after lengthy debate, it was named the Queen's Theatre and a portrait ofQueen Alexandra was hung in the foyer.[2]
The first production at the Queen's Theatre was a comedy byMadeleine Lucette Ryley calledThe Sugar Bowl. Although it was poorly received and ran for only 36 performances, the theatre received glowing reviews.The Stage on 10 October 1907 described the theatre as:
A two-tier house, the Queen's holds about 1200 persons, representing some £300 in money. The colour scheme of the walls and roof is white and gold, while green is the hue of the carpets, hangings and upholstery, and of the very charming velvet tableau curtain. From a spacious and lofty entrance-hall, with passages leading down into the stalls, one ascends by a handsome marble staircase to the dress circle, which runs out over the pit; and there is a fine and roomy saloon at the top.Mr Vedrenne makes a point that 7/6 will be charged for seats in the first three rows only of the dress circle, while but 5/- will be the price of the remaining eight rows, also unreserved, in which evening dress will be optional. On the second tier of the Queen's, which is in the Old ItalianRenaissance style and in the building of which thecantilever principle has been adopted, are the upper circle and the shilling gallery. The auditorium is lighted up agreeably with electric lamps and an electrolier, and ample refreshment room and other accommodation will be found to have been provided[3]
In September 1940, aGerman bomb landed directly on the theatre, destroying thefacade and lobby areas. The production at the time was Daphne du Maurier'sRebecca starringCelia Johnson,Owen Nares andMargaret Rutherford. The theatre remained closed until, almost 20 years later, a £250,000 restoration was completed by Westwood Sons & Partners. The auditorium retained its Edwardian decor, while the lobbies and exterior were rebuilt in amodern style. The reconstructed theatre opened on 8 July 1959 with John Gielgud's solo performance inShakespeare speeches and sonnets, Ages of Man.[2]
From April 2004 to July 2019, the theatre played host toCameron Mackintosh's production ofLes Misérables which transferred after 18 years at the nearbyPalace Theatre. The musical celebrated its 20th anniversary at the venue on 8 October 2005, and overtookCats as the West End's longest-running musical of all time a year later on 8 October 2006.[4]
In 2019,Cameron Mackintosh announced that the original production ofLes Misérables would close on 13 July 2019 while the theatre underwent a £13.8 million restoration, but would return in a new production from 18 December 2019, when the Queen's Theatre would be renamed as theSondheim Theatre in honour of composer and lyricistStephen Sondheim.[5]
The theatre was extensively refurbished during the 20-week period.[6] The Edwardian auditorium was recreated from the 1950s reconstruction with the addition of a curved rail and new boxes at dress circle level, named afterMaggie Smith andJudi Dench. Overhangs and ceilings on each tier were also redecorated with a recurring Sprague-inspired cherub design in carved plaster and "fifteen colours and seven shades of gold".[7] In total, approximately 70% of the plastering in the building was redone and a new, custom-made chandelier was hung.
The stage was lowered 30cm to be closer to the audience, and the famous revolving stage used inLes Misérables was also notably removed. 32 additional toilets were installed in a void space next door to the theatre. Additional space on every floor from the basement up was also reclaimed from a former electricity substation leased to the electric board in 1907. This allowed for more space on stage as well as additional dressing rooms on several floors, now fitted with showers. Finally, new seating was installed to improve audience comfort and sight-lines.[8]
Following completion, the Sondheim Theatre re-opened on 16 January 2020 for its first performance ofLes Miserables in the 2009 touring staging.
