Her Majesty’s Theatre
Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4QL
Nearest underground:
Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly Line, Bakerloo Line)
Nearest rail:
Charing Cross
Either His or Her Majesty’s Theatre, according to whoever is on the throne, the theatre has one of the longest histories of any London theatre. Not only that, but it seems to have had a knack of securing exceptionally long runs. Since 1986 it has been showing the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Charles Hart musical smash hit The Phantom Of The Opera which shows no signs of tiring. In 1916 Chu Chin Chow began a record-breaking run at the theatre, incidentally, watched over 10 times by a 12-year-old John Gielgud.
The first playhouse on the site, the Queen’s Theatre was built as far back as 1705 by the celebrated dramatist-architect Sir John Vanbrugh. It was destroyed by fire on two occasions and then demolished in 1891 for construction of the present building to begin. The grandeur of its majestic French Renaissance edifice certainly reflects its illustrious past. Musical giants Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Bizet and Wagner all had operas premiered here. From 1888 to 1914 it established a name as one of Europe’s greatest playhouses under the direction of Herbert Beerbohm-Tree. Throughout the 20th Century many critically lauded productions continued the theatre’s successful streak, which shows no signs of ending.
What's on at Her Majesty's Theatre
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