Leicester Square Theatre
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Notre Dame Hall Cavern in the Town The Venue | |
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| Address | Leicester Place London, WC2 United Kingdom |
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| Coordinates | 51°30′37″N 0°07′49″W / 51.5103°N 0.1303°W |
| Public transit |  Leicester Square |
| Owner | London International Arts Theatre |
| Capacity | 400 seats |
| Opened | 1953 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Leicester Square Theatre is a 400-seat theatre in Leicester Place, immediately north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It was previously known as Notre Dame Hall, Cavern in the Town and The Venue. The theatre hosts stand-up comedy, cabaret, music, plays and comedies.
History
The building originated as the Notre Dame Hall in 1953, replacing an earlier building that had been destroyed by
Productions at The Venue included the world premiere of the Boy George musical Taboo, which played a highly successful run in 2002 before transferring to Broadway; and Round the Horne (2003).
In 2008 the theatre was under new ownership and underwent refurbishment of the auditorium and bars and reopened in August with the new name of the Leicester Square Theatre. The opening season included American comedian Joan Rivers making her acting debut with her play Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress, which played a total of 75 performances to celebrate her birthday. A musical based on the comic strip Alex, by Charles Peattie and Russell Taylor, starring Robert Bathurst, finished the year 2008.
The theatre launched its New Comedian of the Year competition in 2009. This competition has seen many well-known acts come through to become finalists, including
The theatre has subsequently been host to many comedians, including Al Murray, Michael McIntyre, Arabella Weir, Dave Chappelle, Ed Gamble, Janey Godley, Jerry Sadowitz, Jim Gaffigan, Tim Vine, Mark Thomas, Michelle Wolf, Micky Flanagan, Rachel Parris, Ricky Gervais, Ruby Wax, Sean Lock, Tom Stade, and Stewart Lee. Theatre shows have included Tiddler, Scarecrows Wedding, Private Peaceful, An Evening With Joan Collins, and Musik (the Pet Shop Boys Musical). Music has been performed by Blake, Mark Kingswood, Macy Gray, Buddy Greco, Joe Longthorne, Hazel O'Connor, and Boy George.
Performers who have returned regularly to the venue include
The theatre is owned and managed by artistic director Martin Witts.
References
- ^ Ilson, Philip. "The Halloween Society". LuxOnline. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Witts, Martin. "History: The Talk of the Town – The Leicester Square Theatre". Leicester Square Theatre. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2012.