Oldest West End Theatres

With the news of new theatres opening up in and around the West End we thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the West End's oldest Theatres.

Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The Theatre Royal Drury Lane is the most recent of four theatres that have stood at the location since 1663, making it the oldest theatre in London still in use. The theatre is a Grade 1 listed building in Covent Garden and faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane.

The first theatre built on the site was during the English Restoration and was initially known as ‘Theatre Royal in Bridges Street’. Many prominent actors performed at the theatre on a regular basis, including Nell Gwyn and Charles Hart. In 1672 the theatre caught fire and a larger theatre was built on the same plot in 1674, renamed as the ‘Theatre Royal in Drury Lane’.

In 1791 the building was demolished for a larger theatre to open in 1794, this theatre only survived 15 years before burning down in 1809. The current theatre, which opened in 1812 has primarily hosted long-running musicals including 42nd Street, Miss Saigon, My Fair Lady, and Oklahoma! The theatre is currently owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and since January 2019 has gone through ongoing renovations. In July 2021 the theatre reopened after two years of extensive work a closures due to COVID.

The theatre up until 2024 was the home of Disney’s Frozen for 5 years and is welcoming another Disney classic, Hercules, to the venue this Summer.

Theatre Royal Haymarket

The Theatre Royal Haymarket is located on Haymarket in the City of Westminster. It is the third-oldest London playhouse still in use and dates back to 1720. The original building was further up the street but the theatre has been in its current location since 1821. The theatre holds up to 888 audience members and is a Grade I listed building.

Only Fools and Horses The Musical premiered at the theatre in February 2019 and ran until April 2023. The musical played over 1000 performances, which makes it the longest-running show in the Haymarket’s history. Since then the theatre has had a variety of plays come and go including Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Noises Off, The Picture of Dorian Gray, A View from the Bridge, Waiting For Godot and most recently The Score.

The Deep Blue Sea with Tamsin Greig is opening at the Theatre on 7 May 2025.

Adelphi Theatre

The Adelphi Theatre is located on the Strand in the City of Westminster and is a Grade II listed building. The present building is the fourth on the site. The original theatre was founded in 1806 and by 1809 was licensed for musical entertainment, pantomime, and burletta. In the 1840s many dramatisations of Dickens were performed at the theatre including A Christmas Carol.

The original theatre was demolished and in December 1858, The New Adelphi opened which could seat 1500 people, with standing room for another 500. The building was renovated in 1879 and then again in 1887.

An actor who performed regularly at the theatre in the late 19th century, William Terris was murdered during the run of ‘Secret Service’. He was stabbed in 1897 when entering the Theatre and there is now a plaque on the wall by the stage door to commemorate his death. It has been said that his ghost still haunts the theatre to this day.

The third theatre opened in 1901 as The Century Theatre but eventually reverted back to its original name. The current theatre opened in 1930 redesigned in the Art Deco style. The Adelphi Theatre is the current home to Back to the Future: The Musical.

The Vaudeville Theatre

The Vaudeville Theatre is also located on the Strand in the City of Westminster and first opened in 1870. The theatre has been rebuilt twice but each time has retained elements of the previous structure.  The current building as it stands dates from 1926, and the theatre’s capacity is now 690 seats. Some early-stage mechanisms, including rare thunder drums and lightning sheets, survive in the theatre today.

The Vaudeville Theatre is the current ‘forever home’ of SIX the Musical.

Savoy Theatre

The Savoy Theatre is another West End theatre on the Strand. It originally opened on 10 October 1881 on a site that was previously occupied by the Savoy Palace. Its intended purpose was to showcase the series of comic operas by Gilbert and Sullivan, which would then become known as the 'Savoy Operas'

Interestingly the Grade II listed building is the first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electricity. It was rebuilt and modernised in 1929 and then rebuilt again in 1993 after suffering a fire on site.

The Savoy is currently playing Mean Girls The Musical which is set to close in June. It has then been announced that Burlesque The Musical will take residence at the theatre.