A complete guide to Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Get to know this London icon: the world's oldest theatre still in use, and the West End's grand-scale star. Director Jamie Lloyd's Shakespeare season is currently playing at the venue.

One of the largest and most famous venues in the London’s West End, Theatre Royal Drury Lane also boasts the title of the world’s oldest theatre still in use. It has hosted shows since 1663, and the numerous stars who have trodden the boards range from Nell Gwyn and David Garrick to Dame Julie Andrews, and, in the theatre’s current season, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Hiddleston, and Hayley Atwell.

The venue has gone through plenty of its own drama too, including a fire and an attempted assassination. It has been rebuilt several times, and majestically refurbished in 2013 by its most recent owner, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Learn all about this venerable venue ahead of your trip to the grand dame of the West End, Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Get to know the history of Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The theatre first opened its doors on 7 May 1663. It was built under a royal charter issued by Charles II, by Thomas Killigrew, and specialised in “legitimate drama”. That meant Restoration comedy flourished at Drury Lane, acted by leading players such as Charles Hart and Charles II’s mistress, Nell Gwyn.

Although the building actually survived the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, it was lost to another fire in January 1672. But it was rebuilt and began life again in 1674 – possibly designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The second Drury Lane had a much longer life, and was bought in 1747 by the great actor-manager David Garrick. Under his leadership, Shakespeare became a mainstay at the venue.

Garrick sold his theatre shares to playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan in 1776, and it was here that Sheridan premiered The School for Scandal. The theatre also became renowned for its popular pantomimes.

Sheridan funded a third version of the theatre building towards the end of the century, designed by Henry Holland. Enormous in scale, it could accommodate 3,600 spectators, and housed elaborate productions – such as one that featured a lake of real water in which people could row a boat.

However, it became the site of a real-life thriller in 1800 when James Hadfield tried to assassinate George III by shooting a pistol at him; he only missed by inches. The cool king ordered the actors to continue the performance. But tragically, Drury Lane fell victim to another fire in 1809 – and Sheridan was ruined.

Drury Lane was reborn yet again in a Benjamin Dean Wyatt-designed building, and opened with a production of Hamlet in 1812. The portico (which you can still see at the Catherine Street entrance) was added in 1820, and the colonnade on Russell Street in 1831.

The grand staging continued, perhaps reaching its peak with 1909 play The Whip. It not only featured 12 horses re-creating the 2,000 Guinea Stakes, but a mammoth train crash. Although 1929’s The New Moon was impressive too: that boasted a blazing pirate ship.

But artists thrived here too, whether Edmund Kean, who made his career via his Shylock at Drury Lane, or Noël Coward and Ivor Novello. Rodgers and Hammerstein made London debuts with their beloved shows Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, and The King and I, as did Lerner and Loewe with My Fair Lady, starring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. Later hits included A Chorus Line, Miss Saigon, The Producers, 42nd Street, and Disney’s Frozen.

Lloyd Webber bought Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2000. In 2013 he announced a major restoration project in celebration of the theatre’s 350th anniversary. Costing £60 million, the subsequent refurbishment returned the venue to its Regency glory, as well as adding modern touches like improving audience sight lines and accessibility.

Taking full advantage of this gorgeous venue is director Jamie Lloyd, helming two starry Shakespeare productions. Later this year we’ll also see the keenly anticipated arrival of Disney’s Hercules.

Major productions at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Significant productions in the modern era include:

• Showboat (1928-9)
• Oklahoma! (1947-50)
• Carousel (1950-1)
• South Pacific (1951-3)
• The King and I (1953-6)
• My Fair Lady (1958-63)
• Hello Dolly! (1965-7)
• A Chorus Line (1976-9)
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1980)
• 42nd Street (1984-9)
• Miss Saigon (1989-99)
• The Producers (2004-7)
• Oliver! (2009-11)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013-17)
• 42nd Street (2017-19)
• Frozen (2021-4)

Shakespeare returns to Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Before last year, Shakespeare hadn’t been seen at Drury Lane since 1957. In fact Sir John Gielgud, who was then playing Prospero in The Tempest, predicted that the playwright would never be staged there again.

But Jamie Lloyd has brought the Bard back in triumphant fashion with a double bill of plays featuring Hollywood’s finest. Currently Alien star Sigourney Weaver is succeeding Gielgud in a stylish production of The Tempest; the cast also features Mathew Horne (of Gavin and Stacey fame), Forbes Masson, and Mason Alexander Park.

Next up is another must-see West End show: Shakespeare’s irresistible Much Ado About Nothing, the original romcom. Much Ado stars the Marvel-ous Tom Hiddleston (Thor’s Loki, Tony Award nominated for Betrayal) and Hayley Atwell (Agent Peggy Carter in Captain America, Olivier nominated for The Pride and Rosmersholm) as warring lovers Benedick and Beatrice.

The season is a wonderful way to honour the theatre’s great tradition of Shakespeare, while also introducing the plays to a new generation.

Book The Tempest tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Disney’s Hercules at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

This summer sees a family-favourite movie come to the stage in a legendary musical production. The wise-cracking adventure follows the demigod Hercules, son of Zeus and Hera, as he sets out to discover who he really is and go from zero to hero.

The show features songs by the great composer Alan Menken, such as the Academy Award-nominated “Go the Distance”, plus lyrics by David Zipper, and a book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah. It’s directed and choreographed by Tony winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Mean Girls).

Expect a heavenly staging worthy of Mount Olympus – and of Drury Lane’s unparalleled history for incredible spectacle.

Book Disney’s Hercules tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

How to get to Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The theatre is most easily reached via the London Underground. Nearby Tube stations include Covent Garden, Holborn, and (also a train station) Charing Cross. There are numerous bus routes too – find the best one for you at tfl.gov.uk

Where to eat and drink at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

There are plenty of fantastic choices for dining at the restored Drury Lane. Enjoy a traditional English afternoon tea in the Grand Saloon, where the charming menu includes smoked salmon and cream cheese on a crumpet, and a mini sticky toffee pudding with caramelised popcorn.

Or you can try the delicious pre-theatre dining at the Grand Saloon, where the three-course meal features classics like pork terrine, fish pie, ox cheek bourguignon, and Black Forest coupe with whipped cream and brandy cherries.

Another new dining option is Jamie Oliver, right next door on Catherine Street. It boasts cosy booths and an Art Deco-style bar, with seasonal fare such as hand-dived scallops, scampi and chips, short-rib cottage pie, game Bolognese, and fried apple blackberry pie. There’s also a friendly kids’ menu and a pre-theatre set menu available Monday-Saturday from 12pm-6pm.

The theatre’s Cecil Beaton Bar is definitely worth a visit: you can enjoy the glamour of this cocktail lounge, inspired by the My Fair Lady designer, while sipping a signature cocktail. There is also a jaw-dropping Champagne bar, Rotunda, in the centre of the building, situated under a Pantheon-inspired rotunda ceiling. A glass of something bubbly here completes an unforgettable trip to this magnificent theatre.

Photo credit: The Tempest (Marc Brenner)