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London
Theatre Guide
Queen's Theatre
Address: Shaftesbury Ave, W1V 8BA
Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Architect: W.G.R. Sprague
Opened: 8 October 1907
Capacity: 989 on two levels
The Queen’s Theatre was designed by W.G.R. Sprague as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre. As a result of bomb damage sustained in 1940 it has a modern façade but an Edwardian interior. It opened in October 1907 with a comedy called The Sugar Bowl by Madeleine Lucette Ryley.
The Queen's Theatre has seen such acting talents as Edith Evans, George Bernard Shaw, Henry Daniell, Basil Rathbone, John Gielgud, Noel Coward, Kenneth Branagh, Marlene Dietrich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Hawthorne, Jane Lapotaire, Alec Guinness, Fiona Shaw and Maggie Smith. Recent notable shows at the Queen's include the Tony award winning musical Contact.
Since April 2004, the theatre has played host to Cameron Mackintosh's production of Les Misérables , which transferred after 18 years at the nearby Palace Theatre. The musical celebrated its 20th anniversary at the venue on 8th October 2005 and overtook Cats as the longest running musical of all time a year later on 8th October 2006.
Past productions at the Queen’s:
- The Hobbit 28 November 2001 - 9 February 2002 by Glyn Robbins adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien's book
- Mysteries 26 February 2002 - 18 May 2002 adaptation by Speir Opera
- Umoja: The Spirit of Togetherness 18 June 2002 - 31 August 2002 by Todd Twala, Thenbi Nyandeni and Ian von Memerty
- Contact 23 October 2002 - 10 May 2003 by Susan Stroman and John Weildman
- The Rocky Horror Show 23 June 2003 - 5 July 2003 by Richard O'Brien, starring Jonathan Wilkes and John Stalker
- Cyberjam 23 September 2003 - 3 January 2004
- The RSC's The Taming of the Shrew 15 January 2004 - 6 March 2004 by William Shakespeare
- The RSC's The Tamer Tamed (22 January 2004 - 6 March 2004) by John Fletcher
- Les Misérables (3 April 2004 — ) by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schónberg
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