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     London Theatre Tickets » List of London Theatres » Adelphi Theatre » History
Adelphi Theatre - Information & History
The Adelphi Theatre is very conveniently situated in the West End in the heart of the city centre located between Trafalgar Square and the Aldwych on the Strand. Originally known as the Sans Pareil Theatre when it first opened in 1806, the site has always housed a theatre and has changed its name on several occasions. The first name change was in 1819 when it changed to The Adelphi Theatre and once again 10 years later in 1829 to the Theatre Royal Adelphi. The Theatre was the first venue in London to have a sinking stage and one of the first with gas lighting.
After a decision was made to demolish the original building and to build a new theatre with updated refurbishment in 1850 the Theatre was reopened once again in 1858 as the Theatre Royal and was able to seat up to 1,500 theatre goers. The theatre changed its name once again to the Royal Adelphi Theatre in 1867.
Theatre life during Victorian London was booming as the Theatre was the place to go for live entertainment for all ages and social classes, although it was mainly aimed at the lower and middle-classes. The Theatre was the focal point for people's entertainment.
The Theatre went through numerous modifications and refurbishments over the next 35 years which culminated in the major refurbishment at the turn of the century. This was a reduction in seating capacity and a change of name once again to The Century Theatre to capture the turn of the century, for a grand reopening in 1901. However, following public outcry, its name reverted back to The Royal Adelphi Theatre after only 6 months.
After the First World War and through the roaring twenties the Royal Adelphi Theatre continued in popularity and survived another 30 years, when the Royal Adelphi underwent an 'Art Deco' style refurbishment. This was engineered and designed by a leading Architect of the day, Ernest Schaufelberg, and culminated in the grand reopening with the musical production of 'Evergreen' starring Jessie Matthews, who also starred in the movie of the same name.
The theatre finally took one more change of name at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1940 to be simply known as The Adelphi Theatre which has stuck for the past 60+ years and seen the theatre through the next century.
The Adelphi Theatre has staged some world famous productions such as the famously successful Evergreen during the Thirties, through the 40's and 50's, which included World & Music, Nymph Errant & The Dancing Years. The musical Charlie Girl opened in the swinging sixties in 1965 and ran for more 2,000 performances and latterly in 1985 the huge hit of Me & My Girl opened and continued entertaining theatre goers and tourists alike for more than a staggering 8 years.
The most recent refurbishment took place in 1993 for the opening of Sir Andrew Lloyds Webber's production of Sunset Boulevard. Many TV stars take to the boards and more recently David Schwimmer, star of the American Sitcom 'Friends', trod the boards for the first time at the Adelphi Theatre, starring in the production of Some Girls. The children's classic stage adaptation of Wind in The Willows also ran here for a period of time.
All That Jazz had been blasting from the Adelphi Theatre's stage prior to the smash hit musical 'Chicago' which opened in November 1997. Chicago became the longest running production at The Adelphi Theatre in October 2005. The Adelphi Theatre was saved from demolition, when Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber invested in its future, and put on stage the musical Evita. This is a brief history of one of the West End's most famous theatres, The Adelphi.
Showing: One Man, Two Guvnors
Tuesday 8th November 2011 to Saturday 25th February 2012 Adelphi Theatre | Performances | Information | Directions | History
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