Palace Theatre
Venue Information
- How to book (Phone)
- 0330 333 4815
- [email protected]
- Guide dogs
- Guide dogs allowed inside the auditorium, alternatively staff can dog-sit (maximum of 4 guide dogs per performance).
- Wheelchairs
- No steps to the auditorium through a side EXIT on Shaftesbury Avenue. One 3cm step into the theatre and a slight incline to the Stalls which has 1 space for a wheelchair/scooter user and their companion at W27. Transfer seating available to any Stalls aisle seat (maximum of 4 wheelchairs and 1 scooter can be stored at back of Stalls).
- Sound amplification
- Andrews system with 20 headsets. Induction loop at box office.
- Audio description
- 2 steps up to the foyer, through a set of double swing doors. Box Office level access through first door on Shaftesbury Avenue. Box office with lowered counter for easy wheelchair access. All stairs have highlights and handrails on both sides. 3 steps down from the foyer to the Stalls, 30 steps up to the Dress Circle, 56 to the Upper Circle, 77 to the Balcony, which is very steep. Theatre open 45 mins before performance.
- Street to foyer
- Steps
- Foyer to seat
- 23 to Stalls from Foyer, 30 to Dress Circle, 49 to Grand Circle, 70 to Balcony
- Level access
- Stalls
- Bars
- 4 licensed bars. No level access to bars - drinks brought to disabled customers in the auditorium. All bars have moveable seats. Stalls bar down 15 steps from the Stalls; the Dress Circle bar is level with the Dress Circle. Further bars at Upper Circle and Balcony levels. Drinks can be brought to disabled customers in the auditorium.
- Toilets
- Adapted toilet by wheelchair users’ entrance.
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Yes
- Accepts Theatre Tokens
- Yes
Palace Theatre opened in 1891 and was designed by the architect Thomas Edward Collcutt. It was originally built for opera and opened as the Royal English Opera House with a lavish production of Arthur Sullivan’s Ivanhoe. It was then converted into a Musical Hall and renamed the Palace Theatre Of Varieties.
The theatre later became known for its musicals, the first long-running production being the 1925 musical comedy No, No, Nanette. Since then The Palace has been home to The Sound Of Music (2,385 performances), Jesus Christ Superstar (1972 until 1980) and Les Misérables, which played there for nineteen years before moving to the Queen’s Theatre.
For many years, the Palace was owned by Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group but was later sold to, and is currently operated by, Nimax Theatres.
Under Lloyd Webber’s direction, the theatre underwent improvements in 1983 which included efforts to restore it to its original grandeur. For example, in the auditorium, the paint was removed to reveal the original face of the marble and onyx panels. The outside of the theatre was also improved when, somewhat controversially, the neon sign was removed to show off the terracotta exterior which gives the venue its distinctive red appearance.
Palace Theatre is currently home to the world-wide phenomenon Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. The play opened in 2016 and holds the record for most Olivier Awards for a single production (9), won at the 2017 ceremony.