Palace Theatre

The Palace Theatre stands on the west side of Cambridge Circus in the City of Westminster, its red-brick façade rising behind a small plaza where Shaftesbury Avenue meets Charing Cross Road. Built in the late 1880s for impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte, it was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt to host grand opera. The theatre opened in January 1891 as the Royal English Opera House with Arthur Sullivan’s Ivanhoe, running for 160 performances before financial difficulties forced a change of direction. After a brief season as a music hall under Sir Augustus Harris and Charles Morton, the venue began showing films in 1897, pioneering large-format screenings with 70 mm projectors. By the 1920s it had become a leading home for musical comedies, hosting long-running successes such as No, No, Nanette and later major productions including The Sound of Music and Jesus Christ Superstar. Andrew Lloyd Webber acquired the theatre in 1983 and led its refurbishment a decade later. Visitors find a theatre praised for its clear sightlines, thanks to Collcutt’s steel cantilevers that eliminate obstructing pillars. The façade still bears the foundation stone laid in 1888, and the interior retains concrete staircases and landings designed to reduce fire risk. Today the stage hosts Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, while the auditorium seats 1,400 beneath ornate detailing from its music-hall era.