About the Victoria Palace Theatre

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Frank Matcham designed it, and it was the last London theatre he built. Matcham is also the architect behind the London Coliseum and the London Palladium. The Victoria Palace opened on 6 November 1911 with a variety bill, built for Alfred Butt at a cost of £12,000.

It replaced the Royal Standard Music Hall, which had stood on the site in one form or another since 1832, when it was a music hall above the stables of the Royal Standard Hotel. It was rebuilt more than once before the whole thing came down in 1910.

There's a gilded ballerina on the roof. A statue of Anna Pavlova was put on the cupola when the theatre opened. It was taken down for safekeeping during the Second World War and never seen again. The one up there now is a replica by Harry Franchetti, installed in 2006.

The restoration

Delfont Mackintosh bought the theatre in 2014 and closed it in April 2016 for a 20-month restoration. It reopened in December 2017 with Hamilton, which has been here ever since.

The refurbishment made a massive difference. It replaced the seating and improved the sightlines, and it added a lot of new space front of house, so drinks at the interval are no longer the crush they used to be. The auditorium is now world-class.

As a Grade II* listed building, it had to be restored rather than refitted.

Notable past productions

The variety years made its name, with Harry Lauder and Vesta Tilley on the bill.

  • Me and My Girl (1937), which gave the world The Lambeth Walk, a wartime morale song
  • The Crazy Gang (1947 to 1962), seven shows across fifteen years
  • The Black and White Minstrel Show (1962 to 1972), 4,344 performances
  • Annie (1978), its original London production
  • The Little Foxes (1982), Elizabeth Taylor's London stage debut
  • Barnum (1985), with Michael Crawford
  • Buddy (from 1989)
  • Kiss Me Kate (2001), which won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival
  • Billy Elliot the Musical (2005 to 2016), with music by Elton John, for eleven years. It's back in the West End for a limited season at the Adelphi Theatre, from 12 February to 31 July 2027: Billy Elliot the Musical has the details

Other venues of similar size

About FAQs

When was the Victoria Palace Theatre built?

It opened on 6 November 1911, designed by Frank Matcham for Alfred Butt, on a site that had held a music hall since 1832.

Who owns the Victoria Palace Theatre?

Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, which bought it in 2014 and restored it before Hamilton opened.

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