The Shaftesbury Theatre was the last theatre to be built on Shaftesbury Avenue which was originally named The Princes Theatre. To its initial owners, Walter and Frederick Melville, it stood as a vision to host fashionable melodrama, much like their other theatre, The Lyceum. On Boxing Day 1911, the theatre opened with a production of The Three Musketeers.  The theatre changed its name to the New Princes Theatre in 1914 and the repertoire was slowly broadened under new manager Seymour Hicks in 1916 as light operettas such as Andre Messager's Monsieur Beaucaire starring the famous soprano Dame Maggie Teyte were introduced.

The theatre underwent extensive changes in the early 1960's and under the new management of Charles Clore and EMI, the theatre was renamed the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1962. Its new name brought the theatre luck as it reopened with the Broadway success How to Succeed in Business Without Trying which ran for over 500 performances. To mark the end of theatre censorship in September 1968, the revolutionary musical Hair opened. It played for over 5 years and was about to celebrate its record-breaking 2000th performance when the need to carry out renovation work forced the Theatre to close its doors. Only prolonged and passionate opposition from members of the actor's union and members of the entertainment industry saved the building from redevelopment and it is now a Grade II listed building.

What's On

Thursday 24th May 2012, 7:30pm
Rock of Ages
ROCK OF AGES is the “insanely fun” (New York Time Out ) worldwide smash hit that features a raucous…
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Friday 25th May 2012, 5:30pm
Rock of Ages
ROCK OF AGES is the “insanely fun” (New York Time Out ) worldwide smash hit that features a raucous…
Read More