Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club)
Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club) accessibility information
Access phone number: 0800 912 6971
Access email address: [email protected]
Accessible toilets situated: Foyer
Number of Wheelchair spaces: Stalls x6
Sound amplification: N/A
Access from street to foyer: Ramp
Access from theatre foyer to seats (number = stairs): 28 to Dress Circle, 82 to Upper Circle
Level access: To Stalls
Stair lift, lift or ramp available: Ramp to Foyer
The Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club) is owned or operated by ATG
What date did the Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club) open?
11 March 1882
Who designed the Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club)?
F. H. Fowler / Detmar Blow and Fernand Billerey
What was the first production at the Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club)?
The Drums of Oudh, and Toddles
Other Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club) facts
The Playhouse was a reconstruction of the Royal Avenue Theatre (also known as the Avenue Theatre), designed by F. H. Fowler, which opened on 11 March 1882 but was damaged by the collapse of part of Charing Cross Station on 5 December 1905; the reconstructed theatre opened as the Playhouse Theatre, designed by Detmar Blow and Fernand Billerey on 28 January 1907.
The Playhouse Theatre was originally known as the Royal Avenue Theatre, and opened on 11 March 1882 with a production of Jacques Offenbach’s Madame Favart. It was commissioned by and designed by F. H. Fowler.
The theatre interior underwent a renovation in 1905 by architectsDetmar Blow and Fernand Billerey, but a terrible fire at Charing Cross Station led to part of the station roof collapsing into the theatre, killing six workman and damaging the renovations.
The theatre finally reopened on 28 January 1907, under the current name of the Playhouse Theatre.
In 1951 it was taken over by the BBC as a recording studio for live performances.
The theatre staged the premier of George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man and has hosted WS Gilbert, Gladys Cooper, The Almeida Theatre Company, The Peter Hall Company and many stars of stage and screen including Kristin Scott Thomas, Christian Slater, Bob Hoskins, Val Kilmer, John Malkovitch, James McAvoy, Emilia Clarke, Jessica Chastain, and Eddie Redmayne.
Past shows that have played at the Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club) include:
The Jungle
Novello Theatre
Apollo Victoria Theatre
Empress Museum
The Tom Stoppard Theatre (formerly the Duke of York's Theatre)
Savoy Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
