Westfield London’s long‑vacant Debenhams store is being reborn as the 620‑seat Capital Theatre, after councillors unanimously approved the final planning application this week.
The purpose‑built venue will raise its curtain on Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage from October 2025, with tickets already selling fast for some performances.
The new Capital Theatre was first announced in November 2024 as a home for Dirty Dancing, which returns to London following two record-breaking seasons in the West End in the last four years.
Developed by West End producers Karl Sydow and Adam Kenwright, the flexible 35,000‑square‑foot space within Westfield’s Shepherd’s Bush and White City shopping centre, was formerly a Debenhams department store. The venue will have a 12.30am licence meaning the show can segue into a post‑performance party, allowing audiences to keep dancing while crowds disperse gradually – a key condition that helped win over planners and nearby residents.
The immersive production will place spectators around the stage of the show, which brings the classic Dirty Dancing movie to life.
Contributions worth £275,000 have been pledged for local CCTV, law enforcement and public‑realm upgrades as part of the deal, and councillors praised the site’s public‑transport links for smoothing late‑night departures.
Karl Sydow and Adam Kenwright told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that they were “thrilled” with the council’s planning approval, and that the Capital Theatre will “add fresh energy to Westfield London and the wider Hammersmith & Fulham community.”
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage is playing at Capital Theatre in London from 23 October 2025, booking to 29 March 2026.
Book tickets to Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage at Capital Theatre in London
Capital Theatre, London
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