About Theatre Royal Drury Lane

There has been a theatre on this site since 1663, when the first one opened under a royal charter from King Charles II, which makes Drury Lane the oldest theatre site in continuous use in London. The building you visit today is the fourth, opened in 1812 to a design by Benjamin Dean Wyatt after fire destroyed its predecessor, with the colonnade and other additions following over the next decades. It's Grade I listed.

Across the centuries it grew into the West End's natural address for large-scale spectacle, from Georgian drama to the golden age of the musical, helped by its wide stage and tall proscenium. Stage effects here have run to shipwrecks, earthquakes, train crashes and a helicopter landing.

LW Theatres, Andrew Lloyd Webber's theatre group, runs the building. It closed for a £60m restoration and reopened in July 2021 with wider seats, more legroom, better access and the Regency public spaces and bars brought back, so it now works as an all-day destination as well as a theatre. Jesus Christ Superstar, by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, plays here from 16 October 2026 to 9 January 2027.

Is Theatre Royal Drury Lane haunted?

It has a reputation as one of the world's most haunted theatres. The best-known story is the Man in Grey: he's said to show up during matinees, and a sighting is thought to bring the production and its cast good luck. Guided tours of the building tell his story.

Notable past productions

  • The Last Ship (2026), Sting's musical about the Tyne shipyards, with Sting in the cast, for a twelve-day season in September and October 2026
  • Disney's Hercules (2025 to 2026), the musical of the Disney film, which closed in September 2026
  • Much Ado About Nothing (2025), directed by Jamie Lloyd, with Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell
  • The Tempest (2024 to 2025), with Sigourney Weaver in the lead
  • Frozen (2021 to 2024), Disney's stage musical of the film
  • 42nd Street (2017 to 2019), the Broadway tap-dancing classic
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013 to 2017), its original London run
  • Shrek The Musical (2011 to 2013)
  • Oliver! (2009 to 2011)
  • The Lord of the Rings (2007 to 2008), a huge-scale stage version of the books
  • The Producers (2004 to 2007), from Mel Brooks
  • Miss Saigon (1989 to 1999), the longest run in the theatre's history
  • Billy (1974 to 1976), Michael Crawford's first leading role in the West End
  • My Fair Lady (1958 to 1963), the first London production, with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, and costumes by Cecil Beaton, after whom the cocktail bar is named

Other venues of similar size

  • London Palladium, 2,292 seats, on Argyll Street, the other big LW theatre
  • London Coliseum, around 2,360 seats, on St Martin's Lane, the largest theatre in the West End
  • Dominion Theatre, 2,067 seats, a big musical theatre on Tottenham Court Road

About FAQs

When was Theatre Royal Drury Lane built?

In 1812. Benjamin Dean Wyatt designed the current building, which is the fourth theatre to stand here; there's been one on the site since 1663.

Why is it called the Theatre Royal?

The name comes from the royal charter King Charles II granted in 1663, when the first theatre opened on this site.

What's the longest-running show at Theatre Royal Drury Lane?

Miss Saigon, which ran from 1989 to 1999, almost a decade.