About the Ambassadors Theatre

The Ambassadors is a small theatre on West Street, near Seven Dials, opened in 1913 and Grade II listed. It was designed by W. G. R. Sprague as one of a pair with St Martin's Theatre next door, and the two still stand shoulder to shoulder. Because a neighbour's light rights limited the building's height, the Stalls were dug below street level, which is why the Circle sits unusually close to the ground floor.

It's run by ATG, and there's a nice piece of trivia in that: the Ambassador Theatre Group took its name from this theatre, its first venue, and bought it back in 2018.

What is the Ambassadors Theatre's history?

The theatre opened on 5 June 1913, and Noël Coward's Hay Fever had its premiere here in 1925, with Vivien Leigh making her West End debut on this stage a decade later. Its defining tenant arrived in 1952: Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap opened here and ran for 21 years before moving next door, on its way to becoming the longest-running play in the world. In the late 1990s the Royal Court took up residence while its Sloane Square home was rebuilt, famously splitting the auditorium in two with a temporary floor, and the theatre spent a few years afterwards as the New Ambassadors before its original name was restored in 2007.

Notable past productions

  • 1536 (2026), Ava Pickett's play about the fall of Anne Boleyn, told through three ordinary women in an Essex field
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2024 to 2025), the folk musical's West End run
  • Harry Clarke (2024), Billy Crudup's one-man show
  • Stomp (2007 to 2018), the percussion hit's decade-long London home
  • Waiting for Godot (2006), a celebrated revival
  • The Mousetrap (1952 to 1974), the world's longest-running play, which started here
  • The Mask of Virtue (1935), Vivien Leigh's West End debut
  • Hay Fever (1925), the premiere of Noël Coward's comedy
  • The Emperor Jones (1925), with Paul Robeson

Other venues of similar size

  • Fortune Theatre, 433 seats on Russell Street, Covent Garden
  • Duchess Theatre, 505 seats on Catherine Street, another of the West End's smallest theatres, with the same two levels
  • St Martin's Theatre, 564 seats, next door on West Street

FAQs

Was The Mousetrap at the Ambassadors Theatre?

Yes, this is where it all started. The Mousetrap opened here on 25 November 1952 and ran for 21 years on this stage before transferring to St Martin's Theatre next door in 1974. It's still running there today, the longest-running play in the world.

When was the Ambassadors Theatre built?

It opened on 5 June 1913, designed by W. G. R. Sprague as a pair with St Martin's Theatre next door.