Shaftesbury Theatre

The Shaftesbury Theatre stands in the London Borough of Camden on Shaftesbury Avenue, the last West End theatre built there. The building opened in 1911 as the New Prince’s Theatre with a steel frame and no obstructing pillars inside. Its terracotta and brick exterior rises three storeys above the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and High Holborn. The auditorium once held 2,500 seats, now reduced to 1,416. Bertie Crewe designed the façade with vertically aligned windows and a pillared cupola above the entrance. The theatre has hosted companies such as the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, the Ballets Russes and Sadler’s Wells Ballet. It premiered Broadway musicals including Hair in the 1960s and Hairspray more recently. In the 1970s a campaign saved the building from demolition and secured listed status. Ray Cooney’s Theatre of Comedy later leased and bought the venue, expanding from farce to musicals. DLT Entertainment now owns the theatre and programmes a wide range of productions. Visitors find a three-tier auditorium with cream and gold detailing. The entrance is marked by a pillared cupola above the façade. Inside, the steel frame keeps sightlines clear across the stalls. The theatre’s programme mixes comedy, musicals and occasional opera. Shaftesbury Avenue’s busy junction frames the theatre’s entrance, linking it to London’s theatreland.