Last Updated on 3 December 2021 by Showcall Editorial Team
Wyndham’s Theatre, London
The Wyndham’s Theatre, London is a West End Theatre originally opened on 16 November 1899. It is one of two originally opened by Charles Wyndham, an actor/manager of the period. His other theatre was the Criterion Theatre on Piccadilly Circus.
WYNDHAM’S THEATRE – SEATING PLAN
GETTING TO THE THEATRE
Address
Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0DA
Closest Tube Station
Leicester Square
Closest Train Station
Charing Cross Station
WYNDHAM’S THEATRE LONDON – HISTORY
Designed by W G R Sprague, Wyndham’s Theatre seats 799 patrons over three levels, later increased to four seating levels. The theatre was Grade II listed by English Heritage in September 1960.
The first play performed at the Wyndham’s Theatre was a revival of T W Robertson’s David Garrick, followed by productions including Mrs Dane’s Defence (1900), J M Barrie’s Dear Brutus (running for more than 360 performances) and revived in 1922 for another sizeable run.
In April 1953 the theatre premiered Graham Green’s first play The Living Room, in January 1954, Sandy Wilson’s The Boyfriend transferred from the Play’s Theatre to the Wyndham’s Theatre stage running for 2078 performances prior to a Broadway transfer.
The Wyndham’s Theatre stage has seen great performances from renowned actors including Alex Guinness, Vaness Redgrave and Diana Rigg.
Godspell the musical came to the Wyndham’s in 1972 running until October 2974 with a cast including Marti Webb, Jeremy Irons and David Essex. In recent years successes have come in the form of the World Premiere of The Ride Down Mt Morgan by Arthur Miller, the British premiere of Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women which starred Maggie Smith and a record-breaking run of Yasmin Reza’s comedy Art from 1996 eventually transferring to the Whitehall Theatre in October 2001.
David Williamson’s play Up For Grabs saw the West End debut of Madonna opened in 2002, followed by Dinner and the National Theatre’s Democracy, Holly Hunter in By The Bog Of Cats, Roald Dahl’s The Witches starring Ruby Wax(2005), The Vagina Monologues, Sienna Miller, Helen McCrory, Reece Shearsmith and Clive Rowe in Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
May 2005 saw Producer Cameron Mackintosh take over the theatre under his company Delfont Mackintosh Theatres. Productions since that time have included Tom Stoppard’s Heroes starring Richard Griffiths and John Hurt, Joanna Murray-Smith’s Honour with Diana Rigg (2006), Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday In The Park With George (transferred from the Menier Chocolate Factory), the National Theatre’s production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys (2007) Shadowlands based on the life of C S Lewis with Charles Dance and Janie Dee and a return season of The History Boys.
Following refurbishment in September 2008, the Wyndham’s Theatre re-opened with Michael Grandage’s production of Chekhov’s Ivanov starring Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi in Twelfth Night, Judi Dench in Madame de Sade and Jude Law in Hamlet, all staged by Michael Grandage.
It has since presented An Inspector Calls (2009-10), Avenue Q (2010), Clybourne Park (2011), Much Ado About Nothing with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, Driving Miss Daisy with James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave (2011), The King’s Speech (2012), Dreamboats and Petticoats (2012-13), Relatively Speaking 2013), The Weir (2014), Skylight (2014), King Charles III (2014-15), A View From The Bridge (2015), American Buffalo (2015), The Father (2015), Hangmen (2015-16), People, Places and Things (2016), The Truth (2016), The Kite Runner (2017), Don Juan in Soho (2017), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (2017), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018), Red (2018), The Height Of The Storm (2018), The Catherine Tate Show Live (2019), Fleabag (2019), Thge man In The White Suit (2019), Kander and Ebb’s musical Curtains 2019-20), Leopoldstadt (2020) closing during pandemic shutdown and re-opening with Leopoldstadt in 2021 and most recently with Life of Pi (2022).
