Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Theatre Royal Drury Lane accessibility information
Access phone number: 020 3925 2998
Access email address: [email protected]
Accessible toilets situated: Stalls, Royal Circle, Grand Circle
Number of Wheelchair spaces: Available on all levels except balcony
Sound amplification: Induction Loop & Sennheiser Infrared
Access from street to foyer: Level access
Access from theatre foyer to seats (number = stairs): 0 to Stalls, Lift to Royal and Grand Circle, 2 to Balcony
Level access: To Stalls Row M, Royal Circle Row L, Grand Circle Row E, Balcony Row B
Stair lift, lift or ramp available: Lift to all levels
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane is owned or operated by LW Theatres
What date did the Theatre Royal Drury Lane open?
10 October 1812
Who designed the Theatre Royal Drury Lane?
Benjamin Dean Wyatt
What was the first production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane?
Hamlet starring Robert Elliston
Other Theatre Royal Drury Lane facts
<p>First theatre opened 7 May 1663 as Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, destroyed by fire in 25 January 1672; Second theatre opened 26 March 1674, demolished in 1791; Third theatre opened 12 March 1794, destroyed by fire in 24 February 1809</p>
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane is one of the most beautiful and historic theatres in all of London, if not the world.
The impressive venue has been completely renovated and restored, and reopened in 2021 by the theatre’s owner Andrew Lloyd Webber and his LW Theatres business.
With one of the largest stages in the world, the Lane has seen countless spectacles and extravaganzas staged over the centuries.
For over 100 years the theatre has become famous for staging spectacular musicals, including chariot races in Ben Hur, helicopters taking off in Miss Saigon, an earthquake in The Hope, and much more!
It’s also wehere the National Anthem and Rule, Britannia! had their debuts.
A theatre was first erected on the site in 1663 by Thomas Killigrew under a Royal Charter from King Charles II, but it was destroyed by fire in 1672. Killigrew then built a second theatre, opening in 1674, and this one managed to stay standing for 117 years.
This second theatre saw famous actors and actor managers such as Thomas Betterton, Charles Macklin, David Garrick, and Richard Sheridan run the show.
In 1794 Sheridan oversaw the demolition of the old building and the building of a brand new theatre, designed to seat 3,600 people. But alas, despite putting in the world’s first safety curtain, the theatre burnt down only 15 years later.
However, from the ashes of the third theatre came the fourth and final, designed by Benjamin Wyatt and opening in 1812.
Highlights of some of the lavish musicals and entertainments from the last 100 years to be staged at Drury Lane include The New Moon (1929) starring Evelyn Laye; in the 1930s Noël Coward staged Cavalcade with a huge cast of 400; composer and actor Ivor Novello staged a succession of his musicals including Glamorous Night (1935), Careless Rapture (1936), Crest of the Wave (1937) and The Dancing Years (1939); and the UK premieres of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1947-50), Carousel (1950-51), Mary Martin in South Pacific (1951-53) and The King and I (1953-56) with Valerie Hobson and Herbert Lom.
In 1958 My Fair Lady opened with the original Broadway cast of Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway, plus Cecil Beaton’s glamorous costumes. Camelot (1964-65) was a big success, as was Mary Martin and then Dora Bryan in Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! (1965-67), and then Ginger Rogers in Jerry Herman’sMame (1969). Also Harold Fielding produced The Great Waltz (1970-72) and Scarlett, a musical version of Gone with the Wind.
Other musicals to be staged at Drury Lane include Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd (1980) with Denis Quilley and Sheila Hancock; The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1981); 42nd Street (1984-89); and Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Miss Saigon (1989-99) which holds the record as the theatre’s longest-running show.
The 21st century has seen productions including The Witches of Eastwick (2000), The League of Gentlemen (2001), The Stars of the Bolshoi (2001), Trevor Nunn’s National Theatre production of Anything Goes (2003), The Producers (2004), The Lord of the Rings (2007), Shrek The Musical (2011),and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013). And Disney’s Frozen, which opened in 2021.
Past shows that have played at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane include:
The Last Ship
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
His Majesty's Theatre
Garrick Theatre
Lyceum Theatre
Sondheim Theatre
Criterion Theatre
