Last Updated on 28 October 2021 by Showcall Editorial Team
The Other Palace Theatre in London has been sold by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LW Theatres to production company Bill Kenwright Ltd
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LW Theatres has sold The Other Palace Theatre in London to leading production company Bill Kenwright Ltd (BKL).
The Other Palace, which was redeveloped in 2012 and initially called St James Theatre, has been owned and operated by LW Theatres since 2015. Located close to Victoria station, it has a 308-seat performance space, a studio, a bar and a restaurant.
BKL, headed by legendary producer Bill Kenwright, has run Theatre Royal Windsor for 23 years – the only year-round unsubsidised producing theatre in the UK.
For the last four decades, BKL has been the most prolific production house in the West End and across the country with many Broadway and international successes. Current shows include Blood Brothers and Heathers The Musical.
The new owners will be announcing the reopening date and first production in the coming days. It is currently midway through a season of Hamlet and The Cherry Orchard, with Ian McKellen, at the Theatre Royal Windsor.
Kenwright said: “Anyone who knows me – and that includes all of the current London theatre owners – knows that owning a theatre in London has never been on my bucket list.
“Andrew has been a friend and collaborator for over 40 years and when I heard that he was thinking of selling The Other Palace, that mindset altered. The Other Palace is a theatrical hub for new and exciting work where Andrew and his team have achieved so much.
“I had not only produced there but also seen other productions both on the main stage and in the studio and had always felt the big hug that the theatre itself seemed to deliver.
“After nearly two years of pandemic chaos, it felt exactly the right moment for a positive step and a commitment to the future.
“As we continue to learn, discover, and plan the next chapter for the venue and how it will continue to play a key role in growing exciting new talent, and exhilarating work, we will be bringing back an old favourite so that The Other Palace’s Christmas lights can well and truly start shining again. After these months of both literal and metaphorical darkness, it’s a nice feeling.”
Lloyd Webber added: “I have hugely enjoyed running The Other Palace, and we have enjoyed great success in this wonderful and unique place over the last six years.
“It is an amazing creative facility, and I am delighted that it will continue to be in safe hands under the stewardship of Bill Kenwright, who shares my passion and commitment for developing and nurturing young talent and new work.”
