Prince Edward Theatre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Prince Edward Theatre | |
 |
|
| Prince Edward Theatre in 2005, with Mary Poppins posters | |
|---|---|
| Address |
Old Compton Street
|
| City | |
| Designation | Grade II listed |
| Architect | Edward Stone |
| Owned by | Delfont Mackintosh |
| Capacity | 1618 |
| Type | West End theatre |
| Opened | 1930 |
| Rebuilt | 1946 T. and B. Braddock 1978 RHWL Architects |
| Previous names | 1935 London Casino 1942 Queensberry All Services Club 1954 Casino Cinerama Theatre |
| Production | Jersey Boys |
| www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/theatres/prince-edward/ | |
| Coordinates: | |
The Prince Edward Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Old Compton Street, just north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster.
The theatre was designed in 1930 by Edward A. Stone,[1] with an interior designed by Marc-Henri Levy and Gaston Laverdet.[2] Named for Prince Edward (then the Prince of Wales, briefly Edward VIII and later Duke of Windsor), it opened on April 3, 1930 with a performance of the musical Rio Rita.[3]
In 1935, Stone converted the theatre to a dance and cabaret hall, being renamed the "London Casino". In 1942, stage alterations were undertaken by Thomas Braddock, re-opening as the "Queensberry All Services Club" in 1942 – a club for servicemen, the shows were broadcast on the BBC. After the war, the architects T. and B. Bradock restored the building to theatrical use, becoming the "London Casino"[2] once again — when the King of Yiddish Music Leo Fuld hit the stage.[citation needed] In 1954, the same architects converted it to a cinema, reopening as the "Casino Cinerama Theatre".[2]
In 1974, the theatre was acquired by impresario Bernard Delfont, and a new screen installed at a cost of £150,000.[3] In 1978, it was converted back to a theatre, by RHWL Architects and given its original name, reopening with the world première of the musical Evita on 21 June 1978. Further renovations were undertaken by RHWL in 1992–93,[2] increasing the size of the stage, reopening 3 March 1993 with a revival of Crazy for You. The ABBA musical, Mamma Mia! premièred here on 6 April 1999, transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre, after a five year run.[3]
Owned by the Delfont Mackintosh Group, and with a capacity of 1,618, it currently hosts Jersey Boys which opened 18 March 2008. Until January 12, 2008 it hosted Mary Poppins, before the show toured.
[edit] Recent and present productions
- Evita (21 January 1978 - 8 February 1986) by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, starring Elaine Paige and David Essex
- Chess (14 May 1986 - 8 April 1989) by Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson, starring Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson
- Anything Goes (4 July 1989 - 25 August 1990) by Cole Porter, starring Elaine Paige,John Barrowman and Louise Gold.
- Children of Eden (8 January 1991 - 6 April 1991) by Stephen Schwartz and John Caird
- The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (14 May 1991 - 25 May 1991), starring Sarah Brightman
- The Hunting of the Snark (24 October 1991 - 14 December 1991) by Mike Batt
- Some Like it Hot (19 March 1992 - 20 June 1992) by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, starring Tommy Steele
- Crazy for You (3 March 1993 - 24 February 1996) by George and Ira Gershwin and Ken Ludwig, starring Ruthie Henshall and Kirby Ward
- Martin Guerre (10 July 1996 - 28 February 1998) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Stephen Clarke
- Show Boat (28 April 1998 - 19 September 1998) by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II
- West Side Story (6 October 1998 - 9 January 1999) by Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents
- Mamma Mia! (6 April 1999 - 27 May 2004) by Catherine Johnson and Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, starring Siobahn McCarthy, Louise Plowright, and, Jenny Galloway
- Mary Poppins (15 December 2004 - 12 January 2008), starring Laura Michelle Kelly, Scarlett Strallen, Gavin Lee and Gavin Creel
- Jersey Boys (18 March 2008 - ) by Bob Gaudio based on the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
[edit] References
- Guide to British Theatres 1750-1950, John Earl and Michael Sell pp. 132 (Theatres Trust, 2000) ISBN 0-7136-5688-3
