Spamalot at Playhouse Theatre

The Playhouse Theatre is situated in London’s Northumberland Avenue, close to Embankment tube station. Built in 1882, this 790 seat venue was the first theatre to stage a George Bernard Shaw play.

The first production at the Playhouse Theatre was The Drums of Oudh, a one act play which opened on January 28 1907.

Among the countless shows to have graced this venerable West End theatre’s stage since then are Home and Beauty, Jane Eyre, A Doll’s House, Three Sisters and The Rocky Horror Show.

Today, the Playhouse Theatre enjoys consistent success and has established a solid reputation for staging musicals, plays and a number of the RSC’s productions.   

The current Playhouse Theatre is a reconstruction of the old Avenue Theatre, which opened in 1883 but sustained a great deal of damage due to the collapse in 1905 of a part of Charing Cross Station that was situated above it.

From 1951 the Playhouse was used as a studio by the BBC; timeless Britcom classics including The Goon Show, Hancock’s Half Hour and Steptoe and Son were recorded there.

The Beeb continued to use the space over the next twenty-five years. During this period the theatre also hosted a number of concert performances by artists including Kiss, Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.

After the BBC departed in 1976 the Playhouse went dark for a number of years, and for a time it was earmarked for demolition. It was saved when a commercial development was erected above the theatre in 1987, which allowed it to be reopened and subsequently paid for its restoration.  

The layout, size and atmosphere of the Playhouse Theatre make it the perfect place to see small scale musicals and drama. Recent successes include The Adventures of Tintin, The Harder They Come, La Cage Au Folles and Dreamcoats and Petticoats.  

Whatever you decide to see at the Playhouse Theatre, we wish you an entertaining and rewarding visit.