About

A Grade II listed Edwardian theatre in the heart of London's West End

The Aldwych today

A mainstay of the West End, the Aldwych Theatre is a Grade II listed
building with a rich history

The theatre is currently home to the world premiere production of the acclaimed Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, which opened in March 2018 becoming the longest running show at the Aldwych so far, with six wonderful years at the theatre.

Find out more about the rich history of the theatre below.

Restoration

As the curtain set on Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in summer 2017, we seized the opportunity to fully restore the theatre to its former glory with 14 weeks of busy work.

Along the way we found hidden gems, recreated missing original features and worked tirelessly to ensure that our theatre is the best that it can be for visitors.

Find out more about how various areas of the building have been lovingly restored and updated below.

Front of House

All public areas were fully redecorated, with decadent original plasterwork highlighted in sumptuous gold.

The Auditorium

When stripping back layers of paint in the auditorium, we discovered marble walls hidden underneath. We loved this previously concealed feature, so decided to give it a good clean and restore as much of it as possible, leaving us with beautiful marble along either side of the rear stalls.

The Carpet

Bespoke carpets throughout the theatre take elements from around the building, with every curve and line in the design carefully selected from various plaster, wood and metalwork details around the theatre.

Foyer staircase

Over the years, we also lost the grand finials which once topped the bannisters of the main foyer staircase. We spotted the original finials when looking at old photographs of the theatre, and decided to recreate and reinstate them.

The new finials were carved from wood, based on a cast from other plaster features in the foyer, and painted to match the rest of the staircase.

Front of House

All public areas were fully redecorated, with decadent original plasterwork highlighted in sumptuous gold.

Aldwych 4

The Auditorium

When stripping back layers of paint in the auditorium, we discovered marble walls hidden underneath. We loved this previously concealed feature, so decided to give it a good clean and restore as much of it as possible, leaving us with beautiful marble along either side of the rear stalls.

The Carpet

Bespoke carpets throughout the theatre take elements from around the building, with every curve and line in the design carefully selected from various plaster, wood and metalwork details around the theatre.

About 4

Foyer staircase

Over the years, we also lost the grand finials which once topped the bannisters of the main foyer staircase. We spotted the original finials when looking at old photographs of the theatre, and decided to recreate and reinstate them.

The new finials were carved from wood, based on a cast from other plaster features in the foyer, and painted to match the rest of the staircase.

About 11

Lovely theatre, with lots of its original features.

Caroline K, Theatre Guest

July 2024

History of the Aldwych

1905
The Aldwych Theatre, built as a companion to the Novello, opened in December with the 'musical dream play' Blue Bell
Ralph Lynn (centre) with Cecilia Gold and Will Deming in the Aldwych Farce, 'It Pays to Advertise'
1923 - 1933
The theatre gained popularity housing a series of twelve farces by Ben Travers, which became known as 'The Aldwych Farces'
1949- 50
The first London production of A Streetcar Named Desire opened, directed by Laurence Olivier and starring Vivien Leigh
1958
Peter Sellers starred in an acclaimed new comedy Brouhaha, directed by Peter Hall
Peter Hall and the Aldwych staff in 1961
1960
The Aldwych became the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company for 21 years
1982
The Aldwych was bought by the Nederlander Organization
1985
Jumpers by Tom Stoppard opened at the theatre, starring Felicity Kendal
About 17
1988
Rowan Atkinson starred in Chekhov’s The Sneeze, adapted by Michael Frayn
Dame Judi Dench in The Cherry Orchard
1989
Sam Mendes directed a production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, starring Dame Judi Dench and Lesley Manville
1990
Joan Collins starred in Noel Coward’s Private Lives
1992
Jim Cartwright’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice had its West End debut
1993
Dame Maggie Smith starred as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest
About 12
1995
Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink had its London premiere.
1997
David Suchet and Diana Rigg starred in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
About 16
1998
The UK premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down The Wind ran at the Aldwych for three years
2006
Smash-hit musical Dirty Dancing opened, going on to be one of the longest running shows in the theatre's history, staying for five years
Top Hat ensemble on the Aldwych stage
2012
Olivier Award-winning musical Top Hat opened, featuring music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
2013
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Stephen Ward made its world premiere
2014
The RSC returned to the Aldwych with stage adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s best-selling novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies
About 14
2015
The European premiere of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which went on to win two Olivier Awards, with eight nominations.
About 15
2018
TINA - The Tina Turner Musical made its world premiere, starting its reign at the Aldwych as the longest-running show in the theatre’s history

FAQS

Find answers to commonly asked questions about the Aldwych.

About 6

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