My 10 Favourite Theatres to visit

The experience of any visit to see a show is enhanced by the venue itself. It is not just the beauty of the decor or the comfort of the seats or quality of the site lines but also the history and heritage of the venue that increases the anticipation of seeing the show even before the curtain rises. My top ten theatres which inspire this anticipation and deliver on the experience are:

Richmond Theatre, The Green – seats 840

Built in 1899 by architect Frank Matcham with one of the first cantilever circles and set perfectly on the Green in Richmond, it a wonderfully atmospheric Playhouse. Above the Proscenium arch the central plaque inspires the audience with “To wake the soul by the tender strokes of art". As a regular visitor I see the annual pantomime, but recent highlights include Wipers times, Best man and Pressure.

The Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross Road- seats 759

The beautifully decorated interior was designed c.1898 by W.G.R Sprague and opened under the management of Charles Wyndham. My first visit was in the seventies when on the set of Godspell (1972-1974) I saw a lighting lecture by Frederick Bentham. My most recent visits were to see Alfred Molina in Red and Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins in Height of the storm.

The London Palladium, Argyll street – seats 2275

Originally opened in 1910, it was redesigned by Frank Matcham and is almost as famous for the impresarios who have programmed the grand venue .1928 to 1945 George Black as the World’s leading variety theatre and featured the Crazy Gang. 1945 to 1966 Val Parnell programmed headline American stars and then became the home for Sunday night from London Palladium. This was followed by Louis Benjamin of Stoll Moss until 2000 when Andrew Lloyd Webber acquired the venue. I have seen Ken Dodd, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Sound of Music and King and I there.

Victoria Palace, Victoria street - seats 1550 

It was designed by theatre architect Frank Matcham, and opened 6 November 1911 and has recently been beautifully renovated by Cameron Mckintosh . I saw Elizabeth Taylor there in Little Foxes in 1982, and of course it is now home for Hamilton: an American Musical. 

Theatre Royal Drury Lane - seats 2196

The fourth venue on the site was designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt and opened on 10 October 1812. It became famous for its spectacular shows such as the 1909 play The Whip, which featured not only a train crash, but also twelve horses recreating a race on an on-stage treadmill. Now owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber it has recently undergone a spectacular major refurbishment. I saw productions of A Chorus Line (1976–1979), The Lord of the Rings (2007–2008), Oliver! (2009–2011), Shrek The Musical (2011–2013), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical (2013-2017) and Frozen (2022).

The Old Vic, The Cut - seats 1000

Opened in 1818 and redesigned by Frank Matcham in 1922-27. It is famous as the home for great companies like Lillian Baylis (1912-1927), Sir John Gielgud's Old Vic Company (1929 - 1963) and Sir Lawrence Olivier's National Theatre (1963-1976). More recently the Old Vic Theatre Company had great success there. I have seen over the last few years The Crucible, Ground hog day, Hedda Gabler and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.

London Coliseum, St Martin's lane - seats 2359

Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre of Varieties, it was designed by architect Frank Matcham. It is a spectacular venue and home for English National Opera but recently has seen summer rentals including Bat out of hell in 201, the Gloria Estefan musical On your feet in 2019 and an excellent revival of My Fair Lady in 2022

Olivier Theatre, NT South Bank -seats 1160

Denys Lasdun’s iconic concrete home 

of the National Theatre on the South Bank has 3 theatres but my favourite is the Olivier based on the Greek stage at Epidaurus with its amazing drum revolve stage. Over the years we have seen  many fine (and one not so fine) productions there including  Brand  (1978), Romans In Britain  (1980) , The Oresteia ( 1981), Guys and Dolls (1982), Pravda (1985) , Anthony and Cleopatra (1987), An Inspector Calls (1992), Racing Demon (1993), War Horse (2007-2009),  Frankenstein (2011), One man , two guvnors (2011) , Folllies (2017) and Network ( 2017).

Watermill Theatre, Newbury - seats 220

This 1830 built mill was saved and converted to a theatre by Jill Fraser in the eighties and now boosts a fine reputation as both a welcoming theatre and an excellent producing house where the cast stay on site in a farm building. In each show the intimate space is transformed by some of the cleverest small sets designs you will see and the standard is universally high. Recent productions include Sweet Charity, Jerusalem, House and Garden, Faust x2, Wipers Times and The Ladykillers. In 2022 they staged a wonderful new Musical The Wicker Husband, a fascinating new play Spike about Spike Milligan and a very clever reinvention of Othello.

Theatre Royal Bath - seats 900

One of the oldest and most beautiful theatres in the country set in this wonderful City is was designed by C J Phipps, built on the current site since 1805, the current theatre opened in 1863 and was renovated in 1981. 

Recent productions seen are Mrs Henderson presents, Mary Stuart and The Height of the storm. In 2022 we have seen Murder on the Orent express, Into the Woods and Mrs Warrens Profession.

It is a perfect venue for an annual Christmas pantomime trip