The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, London, at the corner of Rupert Street. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels.
The theatre was designed by W.G.R. Sprague and opened on 27 December 1906 as the Hicks Theatre, named after Seymour Hicks, for whom it was built. The first play at the theatre was a hit musical called The Beauty of Bath co-written by Hicks. Another big success was A Waltz Dream in 1908. In 1909, the American impresario Charles Frohman became manager of the theatre and renamed the house the Globe Theatre – a name that it retained for 85 years. Call It a Day opened in 1935 and ran for 509 performances, a long run for the slow inter-war years. There's a Girl in My Soup, opening in 1966, ran for almost three years, a record for the theatre that was not surpassed until Daisy Pulls It Off opened in April 1983 to run for 1,180 performances, the theatre's longest run. In 1987 Peter Shaffer's play Lettice and Lovage opened, starring Maggie Smith, and became a hit.
The Globe's theatre cat, named Beerbohm, became famous enough to receive a front page obituary in the theatrical publication, The Stage in 1995. Refurbished in 1987, the theatre has since presented several Alan Ayckbourn premieres, including 1990's Man of the Moment, as well as a notable revival of An Ideal Husband in 1992. During reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on the South Bank, in 1994 the theatre was renamed the Gielgud Theatre in honour of John Gielgud. Another refurbishment was completed in 2008.
Gielgud Theatre
Get involved with shows at the Gielgud Theatre:
- Wicked is holding auditions: in Random Location 41 from 17:45 to 17:45 on Wed 20th Nov - more details
- Measure for Measure is holding auditions: in Random Location 38 from 16:30 to 16:30 on Fri 22nd Nov - more details
- South Pacific is holding auditions: in Random Location 23 from 10:00 to 10:00 on Sun 24th Nov - more details
- Guys and Dolls is holding auditions: in Random Location 11 from 16:15 to 16:15 on Tue 26th Nov - more details
- South Pacific is holding auditions: in Random Location 38 from 19:45 to 19:45 on Tue 26th Nov - more details
- Sunday in the Park with George is holding auditions: in Random Location 8 from 10:15 to 10:15 on Wed 27th Nov - more details
- Follies is holding auditions: in Random Location 24 from 13:00 to 13:00 on Thu 28th Nov - more details
- Sunday in the Park with George is holding auditions: in Random Location 20 from 18:15 to 18:15 on Thu 28th Nov - more details
- Sunday in the Park with George is looking for: Set Designer, Publicity Designer, Publicist, Director, Costume Designer, Master Carpenter, Production Manager - more details
- Cats is looking for: Technical Director, Producer, Production Manager, Master Carpenter, Costume Designer - more details
- Measure for Measure is looking for: Production Manager, Costume Designer, Publicist, Set Designer, Lighting Designer, Technical Director, Publicity Designer, Master Carpenter - more details
- Follies is looking for: Production Manager, Director, Master Carpenter, Set Designer, Lighting Designer, Technical Director, Publicist, Costume Designer, Sound Designer - more details
- The Comedy of Errors is looking for: Director, Master Carpenter - more details
- Billy Elliot the Musical is looking for: Set Designer, Publicist, Technical Director, Production Manager, Director, Costume Designer, Lighting Designer - more details
- Funny Girl is looking for: Production Manager, Sound Designer, Producer, Director, Set Designer, Master Carpenter, Publicist, Lighting Designer - more details
- Cats has announced: Random text 85 - more details
- Measure for Measure has announced: Random text 62 - more details
- Sunday in the Park with George has announced: Random text 58 - more details
- Billy Elliot the Musical has announced: Random text 7 - more details
- Follies has announced: Random text 41 - more details
News
Gielgud Theatre
16:36 on 16th November
Gielgud Theatre has a really very long post. Rehersals are well underway for our very exciting new show. We're sure you'll want to hear all about it, and maybe come see it! So anyway our latest show is Waiting for Week 5.
Gielgud Theatre
14:32 on 5th November
Hi @Camdram! Gielgud Theatre is excited to announce The Merchant of Amsterdam.
Gielgud Theatre
08:02 on 31st October
Hi @Camdram! Gielgud Theatre has a really very long post. Rehersals are well underway for our very exciting new show. We're sure you'll want to hear all about it, and maybe come see it! So anyway our latest show is A Streetcar Named Oxford.
Gielgud Theatre
12:07 on 26th October
Hi @Camdram! Gielgud Theatre has some great news! We're performing Much Ado About the Van of Life.
Gielgud Theatre
18:05 on 25th October
Gielgud Theatre has a really very long post. Rehersals are well underway for our very exciting new show. We're sure you'll want to hear all about it, and maybe come see it! So anyway our latest show is Three Men in the Van of Life.
Gielgud Theatre
23:35 on 23rd October
Gielgud Theatre has a really very long post. Rehersals are well underway for our very exciting new show. We're sure you'll want to hear all about it, and maybe come see it! So anyway our latest show is Much Ado About Amsterdam.
Gielgud Theatre
03:57 on 18th October
Gielgud Theatre is excited to announce The Merchant of the Van of Life.
Shows
- Sun 19 Jan
- Mon 20 Jan
- Tue 21 Jan
- Wed 22 Jan
- Thu 23 Jan
- Fri 24 Jan
- Sat 25 Jan
- Sun 26 Jan
- Mon 27 Jan
- Tue 28 Jan
- Wed 29 Jan
- Thu 30 Jan
- Fri 31 Jan
- Sat 1 Feb
- Sun 29 Mar
- Mon 30 Mar
- Tue 31 Mar
- Wed 1 Apr
- Thu 2 Apr
- Fri 3 Apr
- Sat 4 Apr
- Sun 5 Apr
- Mon 6 Apr
- Tue 7 Apr
- Wed 8 Apr
- Thu 9 Apr
- Fri 10 Apr
- Sat 11 Apr
- Sun 12 Apr
- Mon 13 Apr
- Tue 14 Apr
- Wed 15 Apr
- Thu 16 Apr
- Fri 17 Apr
- Sat 18 Apr
- Sun 3 May
- Mon 4 May
- Tue 5 May
- Wed 6 May
- Thu 7 May
- Fri 8 May
- Sat 9 May
- Sun 25 Oct
- Mon 26 Oct
- Tue 27 Oct
- Wed 28 Oct
- Thu 29 Oct
- Fri 30 Oct
- Sat 31 Oct
Past shows
See all the shows that have been performed here at the venue history page.