Gillian Lynne Theatre

Last updated

Gillian Lynne Theatre
Cinderella London 2021.jpg
The Gillian Lynne Theatre (July 2021)
Gillian Lynne Theatre
Former namesNew London Theatre (1973–2018)
Address166 Drury Lane
Holborn, London, WC2B 5PW
United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°30′55″N00°07′21″W / 51.51528°N 0.12250°W / 51.51528; -0.12250
Public transit Underground no-text.svg Holborn
Owner LW Theatres
Type West End theatre
Capacity 1,118 on 2 levels
Production Standing at the Sky's Edge
Construction
Opened2 January 1973;51 years ago (1973-01-02)
Rebuilt1911 (Frank Matcham)
ArchitectPaul Tvrtkovic
Website
lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/gillian-lynne/

The Gillian Lynne Theatre (formerly New London Theatre) is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden in the London Borough of Camden. The Winter Garden Theatre formerly occupied the site until 1965. On 1 May 2018, the theatre was officially renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre in honour of choreographer Gillian Lynne. It is the first theatre in the West End of London to be named after a non-royal woman. [1] [2]

Contents

Previous buildings

The modern theatre is built on the site of previous taverns and music hall theatres, where a place of entertainment has been located since Elizabethan times. Nell Gwynn was associated with the tavern, which became known as the Great Mogul by the end of the 17th century, and presented entertainments in an adjoining hall, including "glee clubs" and "sing-songs". The Mogul Saloon was built on the site in 1847, which was sometimes known as the "Turkish Saloon" or the "Mogul Music Hall." In 1851, it became the Middlesex Music Hall, known as The Old Mo. This in turn was rebuilt as the New Middlesex Theatre of Varieties, in 1911 by Frank Matcham for Oswald Stoll. [3]

In 1919, the theatre was sold to George Grossmith Jr. and Edward Laurillard, refurbished and reopened as the Winter Garden Theatre. They produced Kissing Time (1919, with a book by P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton and music by Ivan Caryll), followed by A Night Out (1920), both starring Stanley Holloway. [4] Grossmith and Laurillard also became managers of the Apollo Theatre in 1920. [5] But expanding their operation caused Grossmith and Laurillard to end their partnership, with Grossmith retaining control of the Winter Garden. [6]

Grossmith then partnered with George Edwardes's former associate, Pat Malone, to produce a series of mostly adaptations of imported shows at the Winter Garden between 1920 and 1926: Sally (1921), The Cabaret Girl (1922, with book by Wodehouse and music by Jerome Kern), The Beauty Prize (1923, with Wodehouse and Kern), a revival of Tonight's the Night (1923), Primrose (1924, with music by George Gershwin), Tell Me More (1925, with words by Thompson and music by George Gershwin) [7] and Kid Boots (1926 with music by Harry Tierney), [8] many of them featuring Leslie Henson. [9] Grossmith co-wrote some of the Winter Garden pieces, directed many of his own productions and starred in several, notably as Otis in Sally. Several of the later productions lost money, and Grossmith and Malone ended the partnership. [6]

The Vagabond King was produced here in 1927, and in 1929, Fred and Adele Astaire starred in Funny Face . In 1930, Sophie Tucker played in the Vivian Ellis musical Follow a Star, and in 1931, Gracie Fields appeared here in Walk This Way. In 1933, the theatre hosted Lewis Casson in George Bernard Shaw's On the Rocks, followed in 1935 by Love on the Dole, starring Wendy Hiller. The theatre has been temporarily closed in the late 1930s, reopening in 1942. In 1945, it hosted a Donald Wolfit season, and in 1953, Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution played. 1956 saw The Water Gypsies by Vivian Ellis and A P Herbert; Hotel Paradiso starring Alec Guinness, Douglas Byng, Irene Worth and Billie Whitelaw; and Tyrone Power starred in Shaw's The Devil Disciple. 1958 included The Iceman Cometh . [10]

The theatre closed permanently in 1959 [11] when it was sold by the Rank Organisation to a developer. [10] It was then gutted and remained vacant until 1965 to be replaced in 1973 by the current building. [12]

New London and Gillian Lynne

The New London Theatre (2007) New London Theatre 2007 RSC.jpg
The New London Theatre (2007)

Designed by architect Paul Tvrtkovic and scenic designer Sean Kenny ( Blitz! , Oliver! , Pickwick (musical) ), modelled after the Walter Gropius Total-Theater, and seating 960 on 2 levels, the theatre's auditorium first opened with a television recording of Marlene Dietrich's one-woman show. [13] The theatre officially opened on 2 January 1973 with a production of The Unknown Soldier and His Wife starring Peter Ustinov. It then hosted Grease , starring Richard Gere as Danny and Elaine Paige as Sandy. Beginning in 1977, the theatre was used as a television studio for several years and then returned to use as a theatre. [13] The theatre's biggest hit was the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn musical Cats , choreographed by Gillian Lynne which premièred in the theatre on 11 May 1981. Closing in 2002, this production became the then longest running musical in West End history, although it has since been overtaken by Phantom Of The Opera and Les Misérables.

The theatre also hosted the 1977 BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the Masters snooker between 1976 and 1978. Also in 1977, the theatre hosted the BBC's A Song For Europe contest, the preliminary heat to choose the UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest . However, the show was blacked out on TV due to a last minute strike by technicians. The music video for the song "We Are the Champions" by Queen was shot there in October 1977, following a 70-min. concert. [14]

Between 2003 and September 2005 the theatre hosted Bill Kenwright's revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat . The venue played host to the London transfer of the off-Broadway production, Blue Man Group , which closed in June 2007, to make way for the Royal Shakespeare Company's repertory productions of The Seagull and King Lear , starring Ian McKellen. In spring 2008, a new musical adaptation of Gone with the Wind ran for only two months. New musical Imagine This closed after only being open for one month.

The National Theatre production of War Horse transferred into the theatre from 28 March 2009 where it stayed until 12 March 2016 after over 3,000 performances.

The theatre was home to the Sheffield Crucible's production of the musical Show Boat which opened on 9 April 2016. Despite positive reviews, the production closed early, on 27 August 2016. On 22 October 2016 the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock the musical opened, direct from Broadway, and closed after a three and a half year run before undergoing a refurbishment.

Lloyd Webber's Cinderella had its world premiere on 14 July 2021 with previews starting 25 June. [15] The opening, originally scheduled for August 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [16] The production closed on 12 June 2022. [17] [18] [19] [20]

Following seasons at the Leeds Playhouse, the Bridge Theatre, and a UK and Ireland tour, the new adaptation of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis opened at the theatre from 18 July 2022 running until 9 January 2023. [21] The 2022 Chichester Festival production of Crazy for You is scheduled to play at the theatre for a limited 30-week West End engagement beginning 24 June 2023, prior to an official opening July 3. [22]

The theatre has been owned since 1991 by Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group. [23] The theatre building also contains an underground car park, a cabaret venue, a basement nightclub, shops and a residential tower. [10] In 2014, Lloyd Webber reorganized the group; the entity that owns the theatre is Really Useful Theatres. [24]

Recent and present productions

2024: the Wizard of Oz

Nearby tube stations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Kern</span> American composer

Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A Fine Romance", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Song Is You", "All the Things You Are", "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Long Ago ". He collaborated with many of the leading librettists and lyricists of his era, including George Grossmith Jr., Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Lloyd Webber</span> British theatre composer (born 1948)

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Palladium</span> West End theatre in London

The London Palladium is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many with televised performances. Between 1955 and 1969 Sunday Night at the London Palladium was staged at the venue, produced for the ITV network. The show included a performance by the Beatles on 13 October 1963. One national paper's headlines in the following days coined the term "Beatlemania" to describe the increasingly hysterical interest in the band.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1986 musical) 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the tragic story of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.

<i>Crazy for You</i> (musical) 1992 musical with songs by George and Ira Gershwin

Crazy for You is a romantic comedy musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team's 1930 musical Girl Crazy, but also incorporates songs from several other productions. It won the 1992 Tony Award (Broadway), the 1993 Olivier Award (London), and the 1994 Dora Award (Toronto) for Best Musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Bolton</span> Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical comedies (1884–1979)

Guy Reginald Bolton was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. Bolton preferred working in collaboration with others, principally the English writers P. G. Wodehouse and Fred Thompson, with whom he wrote 21 and 14 shows respectively, and the American playwright George Middleton, with whom he wrote ten shows. Among his other collaborators in Britain were George Grossmith Jr., Ian Hay and Weston and Lee. In the US, he worked with George and Ira Gershwin, Kalmar and Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II.

<i>Sally</i> (musical) Musical by Jerome Kern, Clifford Grey and Guy Bolton

Sally is a musical comedy with music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Clifford Grey and book by Guy Bolton, with additional lyrics by Buddy De Sylva, Anne Caldwell and P. G. Wodehouse. The plot hinges on a mistaken identity: Sally, a waif, is a dishwasher at the Alley Inn in New York City. She poses as a famous foreign ballerina and rises to fame through joining the Ziegfeld Follies. There is a rags to riches story, a ballet as a centrepiece, and a wedding as a finale. "Look for the Silver Lining" continues to be one of Kern's most familiar songs. The song is lampooned by another song, "Look for a Sky of Blue," in Rick Besoyan's satirical 1959 musical Little Mary Sunshine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Really Useful Group</span> English media company

The Really Useful Group Ltd. (RUG) is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing. The name is inspired by a phrase from the children's book series The Railway Series in which Thomas the Tank Engine and the other locomotives are referred to as "Really Useful Engines".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillian Lynne</span> English dancer, choreographer (1926–2018)

Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne was an English ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director, noted for her theatre choreography associated with two of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. At age 87, she was made a DBE in the 2014 New Year Honours List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Grossmith Jr.</span> British actor and theatre producer (1874–1935)

George Grossmith Jr. was an English actor, theatre producer and manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies. Grossmith was also an important innovator in bringing "cabaret" and "revues" to the London stage. Born in London, he took his first role on the musical stage at the age of 18 in Haste to the Wedding (1892), a West End collaboration between his famous songwriter and actor father and W. S. Gilbert.

<i>The New Aladdin</i>

The New Aladdin is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and W. H. Risque, with music by Ivan Caryll, Lionel Monckton, and additional numbers by Frank E. Tours, and lyrics by Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank, W. H. Risque, and George Grossmith, Jr. It was produced by George Edwardes at the Gaiety Theatre, opening on 29 September 1906 and running for 203 performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Laurillard</span> Theatrical producer

Edward Laurillard was a cinema and theatre producer in London and New York City during the first third of the 20th century. He is best remembered for promoting the cinema early in the 20th century and for Edwardian musical comedies produced in partnership with George Grossmith, Jr., including Tonight's the Night (1914), Theodore & Co (1916) and Yes, Uncle! (1917).

<i>Primrose</i> (musical) Musical composed by George Gershwin

Primrose is a musical in three acts with a book by Guy Bolton and George Grossmith Jr., lyrics by Desmond Carter and Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. It centres on a writer whose story-within-a-story forms the basis of the plot. It was written expressly for the London stage, where it ran for 255 performances in 1924 and 1925. The musical played in Australia, but it was not performed in the United States until more than half a century after it was written.

Victoria Hamilton-Barritt is an English actress and singer known primarily for her roles in musical theatre.

<i>The Cabaret Girl</i> Musical comedy by Jerome Kern, George Grossmith, Jr. and P. G. Wodehouse

The Cabaret Girl is a musical comedy in three acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by George Grossmith, Jr. and P. G. Wodehouse. It was produced by Grossmith and J. A. E. Malone at the Winter Garden Theatre in London's West End in September 1922 and featured Dorothy Dickson, Grossmith, Geoffrey Gwyther, and Norman Griffin in the leading roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Thompson (writer)</span> English writer, best known as a librettist (1884–1949)

Frederick A. Thompson, usually credited as Fred Thompson was an English writer, best known as a librettist for about fifty British and American musical comedies in the first half of the 20th century. Among the writers with whom he collaborated were George Grossmith Jr., P. G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton and Ira Gershwin. Composers with whom he worked included Lionel Monckton, Ivor Novello and George Gershwin.

<i>Kissing Time</i> Musical

Kissing Time, and an earlier version titled The Girl Behind the Gun, are musical comedies with music by Ivan Caryll, book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, and additional lyrics by Clifford Grey. The story is based on the 1910 play, Madame et son Filleul by Maurice Hennequin, Pierre Véber and Henry de Gorsse. The story is set in contemporary France, with a glamorous actress at the centre of a farcical plot of imposture, intrigue and mistaken identity.

Miss 1917 is a musical revue with a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, music by Victor Herbert, Jerome Kern and others, and lyrics by Harry B. Smith, Otto Harbach, Henry Blossom and others. Made up of a string of vignettes, the show features songs from such musicals as The Wizard of Oz, Three Twins, Babes in Toyland, Ziegfeld Follies and The Belle of New York.

<i>School of Rock</i> (musical) Rock musical

School of Rock is a rock musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellowes. Based on the 2003 film of the same name, written by Mike White, the musical follows Dewey Finn, an out-of-work rock singer and guitarist who pretends to be a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After identifying the musical talent in his students, Dewey forms a band of fifth-graders, in an attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands contest.

<i>Cinderella</i> (Lloyd Webber musical) Stage musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella, produced on Broadway as Bad Cinderella, is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by David Zippel, and a book by Emerald Fennell. Loosely adapted from the classic story of the same name, plot changes include recast gender relationships and thematic exploration of beauty shaming. Cinderella changes her appearance to secure love, but discovers it is better to be true to oneself.

References

  1. ↑ "West End theatre renamed after Cats choreographer Gillian Lynne". BBC News. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  2. ↑ New London Theatre to be renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre accessed 15 March 2018
  3. ↑ "STR Research: Interests C". Str.org.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  4. ↑ Stanley Holloway#Musical, theatre and concert party credits
  5. ↑ "Information about their management of the Apollo Theatre. Date accessed: 20 October 2007". Nimaxtheatres.com. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  6. 1 2 Gänzl, Kurt. "Grossmith, George (1874–1935)" in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press (2004) accessed 21 Oct 2007
  7. ↑ Tell Me More review in The Times, 27 May 1925 p. 14
  8. ↑ Kid Boots review in The Times 3 February 1926, p. 12
  9. ↑ "Biography of George Grossmith, Jr. containing information about the Winter Garden Theatre's productions from 1919–1926". Math.boisestate.edu. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 "Timeline of the theatre". Travel.coao.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  11. ↑ "Carthalia – London: Gillian Lynne Theatre". Andreas-praefcke.de. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  12. ↑ Lloyd, Matthew. "The Gillian Lynne Theatre, Drury Lane and Parker Street, London". ArthurLloyd.co.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  13. 1 2 "New London Theatre London – information and tickets". Thisistheatre.com. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  14. ↑ McLeod, Ken (2011). We are the Champions: The Politics of Sports and Popular Music. Ashgate Publishing. p. 124. ISBN   9781409408642.
  15. ↑ Wood, Alex (1 March 2021). "Andrew Lloyd Webber plans to open shows in the West End this summer with Cinderella to premiere in July". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  16. ↑ Wood, Alex (5 March 2020). "Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella delays opening until October". WhatsOnStage.
  17. ↑ Snow, Georgia. "Carrie Hope Fletcher to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella musical", The Stage, 14 February 2020
  18. ↑ Wiegand, Chris (10 January 2020). "Killing Eve's Emerald Fennell and Andrew Lloyd Webber create new Cinderella". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  19. ↑ "Victoria Hamilton-Barritt to join cast of Cinderella". LW Theatres. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  20. ↑ Edmonds, Lizzie (10 December 2020). "Dancer plucked from obscurity by Andrew Lloyd Webber wins lead role in Cinderella". Evening Standard.
  21. ↑ Bosanquet, Theo (20 May 2022). "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to transfer to the West End this summer". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Charlie Stemp Will Star in West End Revival of Crazy for You" . Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  23. ↑ "LW Theatres – Book tickets from the official website". LW Theatres. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  24. ↑ Dennys, Harriet (24 March 2014). "Lord Lloyd-Webber splits theatre group to expand on a global stage" . The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.