About the Duchess Theatre

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The Duchess is a small, Grade II listed theatre of 505 seats on Catherine Street, just off the Aldwych in Covent Garden. It opened in 1929, it's run by Nimax Theatres, and it's one of the smallest proscenium-arch theatres in the West End. Its Stalls were built below street level to fit the cramped site and protect the neighbours' light, and a clever roof structure means there are no pillars on the floor, so the sightlines are unusually clean for a theatre this size.

The Duchess opened on 25 November 1929, designed by the architect Ewen Barr and built for Arthur Gibbons. It made its name with straight plays: J. B. Priestley joined the management in the 1930s and premiered several of his works here, and the theatre has staged everything from T. S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral to Harold Pinter's first West End success, The Caretaker. Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit transferred in during the war and ran for 1,997 performances, and the long-running revue Oh! Calcutta! played here through the 1970s. It also holds a curious record: in 1930 The Intimate Revue closed on its opening night, the shortest run in West End history. Nimax Theatres has owned the theatre since 2005, and The Play That Goes Wrong has played here since 2014.

Notable past productions

  • Oh! Calcutta! (1974 to 1980), which ran for over 3,900 performances
  • Boeing-Boeing (1965), the Marc Camoletti farce, which ran for over 2,000 performances
  • Alfie (1963), Bill Naughton's play, later the famous film
  • The Caretaker (1960), Harold Pinter's first West End success
  • The Deep Blue Sea (1952), Terence Rattigan, with Peggy Ashcroft
  • Blithe Spirit (transferred 1942), Noël Coward, which reached 1,997 performances
  • Murder in the Cathedral (1936), T. S. Eliot
  • Tunnel Trench (1929), the play that opened the theatre

Other venues of similar size

  • Fortune Theatre, 433 seats on Russell Street, round the corner at the top of Catherine Street
  • Ambassadors Theatre, 410 seats in Seven Dials, over two levels
  • St Martin's Theatre, 564 seats next door to the Ambassadors on West Street

FAQs

When was the Duchess Theatre built?

It opened on 25 November 1929 with Tunnel Trench, designed by Ewen Barr, with the Stalls set below street level.

What shows have been at the Duchess Theatre?

Blithe Spirit, The Caretaker, Boeing-Boeing and Oh! Calcutta! among many others, and since 2014, The Play That Goes Wrong.

Who runs the Duchess Theatre?

Nimax Theatres, which has owned it since 2005 and also runs its Box Office and its access team.