About the Harold Pinter Theatre
The theatre opened on 15 October 1881 as the Royal Comedy Theatre, designed by Thomas Verity, and was known as the Comedy Theatre from 1884. Since 2011 it has carried the name of the Nobel-winning playwright Harold Pinter, in honour of his work for the theatre. In 2018 and 2019 it staged Pinter at the Pinter, a season of his one-act plays, and closed it with Betrayal.
It's a small Victorian playhouse, Grade II listed and run by ATG Entertainment, with around 800 seats over four levels and three horseshoe-shaped circles above the Stalls. It's best known as a star's theatre. Big names tend to commit for eight to sixteen weeks, so there are few long runs: mostly plays, with the occasional musical.
Notable past productions
- Romeo & Juliet (2026), with Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe, directed by Robert Icke
- Giant (2025)
- A Little Life (2023), with James Norton
- Dr Semmelweis (2023), with Mark Rylance
- Prima Facie (2022), with Jodie Comer
- Betrayal (2019), part of the Pinter at the Pinter season
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2017)
- Sunny Afternoon (2014), the Kinks musical
- The Rocky Horror Show, whose first West End run was here
Other venues of similar size
- Theatre Royal Haymarket, around 860 seats, a minute away on Haymarket, and another star's theatre
- Wyndham's Theatre, around 750 seats on Charing Cross Road
- Garrick Theatre, 733 seats on Charing Cross Road
About FAQs
What was the Harold Pinter Theatre called before?
The Comedy Theatre. It opened in 1881 as the Royal Comedy Theatre, became the Comedy Theatre in 1884, and was renamed after Harold Pinter in 2011.
When was the Harold Pinter Theatre built?
It opened on 15 October 1881, designed by Thomas Verity, and it's Grade II listed.
What shows have been at the Harold Pinter Theatre?
Recent seasons include Romeo & Juliet with Sadie Sink, Prima Facie with Jodie Comer, A Little Life and Dr Semmelweis. The Cherry Orchard, with Kristin Scott Thomas, runs from 3 October 2026 to 9 January 2027.
Who runs the Harold Pinter Theatre?
ATG Entertainment, which also runs the Box Office and the theatre's access team.