Whitehall Theatre (prior to 2004), Trafalgar Studios (2004-2020) | |
 Trafalgar Theatre in October 2024 | |
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| Address | Whitehall London,SW1 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Public transit |  Charing Cross Charing Cross |
| Owner | Trafalgar Entertainment |
| Designation | Grade II |
| Type | West End theatre |
| Capacity | 630 seats |
| Production | Clueless: The Musical |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 29 September 1930; 94 years ago (1930-09-29) |
| Rebuilt | 2004 (Tim Foster and John Muir) / 2020 (Foster Wilson Architects) |
| Architect | Edward A. Stone |
| Website | |
| Trafalgar Theatre website | |
Trafalgar Theatre is aWest End theatre inWhitehall, nearTrafalgar Square, in theCity of Westminster,London. TheGrade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as theWhitehall Theatre; it regularly staged comedies and revues. It was converted into a television and radio studio in the 1990s, before returning to theatrical use in 2004 asTrafalgar Studios, the name it bore until 2020, with the auditorium converted to two studio spaces. It re-opened in 2021 following a major multi-millionpound project to reinstate it to its original single-auditorium design.
The original Whitehall Theatre, built on the site of the 17th centuryYe Old Ship Tavern was designed by Edward A. Stone, with interiors in theArt Deco style by Marc-Henri and Laverdet. It had 634 seats.[1] The theatre opened on 29 September 1930 withThe Way to Treat a Woman byWalter Hackett, who was the theatre's licensee. In November 1933Henry Daniell appeared there as Portman inAfterwards. Hackett presented several other plays of his own before leaving in 1934, and the theatre built its reputation for modern comedies throughout the rest of the decade. DuringWorld War II it housedrevues, which had become commonplace entertainment throughout the West End. In 1942,The Whitehall Follies, featuringPhyllis Dixey, the firststripper to perform in the theatre district, opened with great fanfare and became an immediate success. Dixey leased the theatre and remained in it for the next five years.
A series of five long-runningfarces, presented under the umbrella title "Whitehall farce" by the actor-managerBrian Rix, were staged at the theatre from 1950 to 1966:Reluctant Heroes, byColin Morris (1950–54);Dry Rot, byJohn Chapman (1954–58);Simple Spymen (1958–61);One For the Pot, byRay Cooney and Tony Hilton (1961–64); andChase Me, Comrade, by Cooney (1964–66). Excerpts from the shows were televised by the BBC.[2][3][4]
The building was acquired in 1971 byPaul Raymond who was producer of a nude review that had opened there in 1969 calledPyjama Tops, it ran for five years after which productions includingIpi Tombi andAnyone for Denis? had successful runs. The building was shuttered until July 1982 when a production ofPrivate Dick starringRobert Powell ran for 16 weeks. It then briefly housed an exhibition ofWorld War II memorabilia known asThe Whitehall Theatre of War. Acquired from the Paul Raymond Organisation in 1985 by Maybox Theatres the Theatre came under the direction ofIan Albery. After considerable refurbishment that retained most of itsArt Deco features, it reopened on 5 March 1986 with a successful revival ofJ.B. Priestley'sWhen We Are Married. Subsequent productions includedWhen I Was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout bySharman Macdonald,The Importance of Being Earnest,The Foreigner,Run For Your Wife,Absurd Person Singular,Travels with My Aunt, tributes toPatsy Cline,Roy Orbison and theBlues Brothers, and solo performances byEnnio Marchetto andMaria Friedman.
Between 1997 and 1999, the theatre was converted into a television and radio studio used primarily to broadcastJack Docherty's talk show andBBC Radio 4'sLive from London. It returned to theatrical use, with such productions asThree Sisters,Puppetry of the Penis,"Art",Rat Pack Confidential, andSing-a-Long-a-ABBA, before its owner, theAmbassador Theatre Group, announced the building would be reconfigured and reopen with a new name.
The building was converted to consist of two intimate theatres designed byarchitects Tim Foster and John Muir. Studio 1, the larger of the two spaces with 380 seats, opened on 3 June 2004 with theRoyal Shakespeare Company's production ofOthello. Studio 2, with 100 seats, opened in October 2005 with the playCyprus.[5][6]
After 2004, Trafalgar Studios presented short runs of revivals of classic plays and musicals, includingSweeney Todd (2004);Losing Louis (2005); a season by theRSC repertory season, from December 2005 to February 2006, of plays includingSir Thomas More,Sejanus: His Fall andBelieve What You Will; an adaptation ofJane Eyre byPolly Teale (2006);Bent (2006–07);Elling (2007);Dealer's Choice (2007–08);Fat Pig (2008, transferring to theComedy Theatre);Entertaining Mr Sloane (2009) andA Christmas Carol (2010–11).Three Days in May showed at the theatre from November 2011 to March 2012.
The theatre wasGrade II listed byEnglish Heritage in December 1996, noting "The auditorium has a decorative cohesion and prettiness rare in theatres of its day, and has the best surviving original fabric of this type of theatre".[7]
In May 2016,Howard Panter andRosemary Squire, founders and former owners ofAmbassador Theatre Group, announced they were stepping down from ATG to set up their own production company called Trafalgar Entertainment Group (TEG), which would take control of Trafalgar Studios.[8]
In May 2020, planning permission was granted to return the premises to a 630-seat theatre. Since the building's listed status meant the 2004 changes had to be reversible, it was possible for the theatre to be restored to its previous form.[9]Westminster City Council granted the necessary planning permission and listed building consents to carry out the work. The venue closed earlier than expected in March 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, and building work on the theatre began in the summer. On 27 October, Trafalgar Entertainment announced that the theatre would re-open as Trafalgar Theatre in Spring 2021. The restoration resulted in the restoration of a new single auditorium at an increased capacity and a larger stage, matching other theatre venues such as the Duke of York's andVaudeville theatres. All seats at Trafalgar Theatre are on just two levels, stalls and dress circle. The redevelopment was overseen by Foster Wilson Architects.[10][11][12] On 30 October, it was announced thatJersey Boys would be opening the new Trafalgar Theatre in April 2021.[13] However, its opening was delayed to July 2021.[14]
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51°30′24″N0°07′39″W / 51.5066°N 0.1275°W /51.5066; -0.1275
