Mayflower Theatre

The Mayflower Theatre stands in the centre of Southampton, a Grade II listed building that once opened as the Empire Theatre in 1928. It occupies a site close to Southampton Central railway station, a position that made it easy for audiences to reach but limited the scale of its early productions. The building’s size once made it the largest theatre south of London, a title it retains today. After years as a cinema it became the Gaumont Theatre in 1950, hosting concerts by artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. The theatre’s stage has witnessed performances by Queen, Jimi Hendrix and Iron Maiden, among many others. The theatre’s survival was not guaranteed. In the 1970s and 1980s it faced plans to turn it into a bingo hall, but the city council refused permission. Instead, the council bought the building and funded a £3 million refurbishment, completed in 1989. The theatre closed again in 1986 for major redevelopment and reopened in 1987 as the Mayflower Theatre. Its first production, Peter Pan, starred Bonnie Langford, and the official gala was televised the following May. Inside, the Mayflower offers a large auditorium with 2,300 seats arranged in stalls, circle and balcony. The 2018 refurbishment replaced all seats in the stalls and circle with 1,659 wider seats and reupholstered the balcony seats. The auditorium now wears a royal red and gold colour scheme, replacing the former green tones. The foyer was extended in 2013 to provide more space, a bigger box office and street-level wheelchair access. Recent seasons have included touring productions of The Lion King, Wicked and Mary Poppins the Musical.