The Ambassadors Theatre - History
The Ambassadors Theatre is found on West Street in London. Transport links to the venue include Leicester Square Underground Station. For the nearest mainline railway station, this takes the form of Charing Cross.
The Ambassadors theatre makes up a unique part of the world of London Theatre being one of the smallest venues in the West End. The maximum capacity for the entire theatre is 446 people.
Like many of London’s Theatres it was pre war and opened its doors the night of 5th June 1913 when a production of Panthea graced the stage. When audiences arrived they were treated to a design by W G R Sprague (the man responsible for thirty three London theatres in total, including the Aldwych Theatre amongst others), that was constructed by Kingerlee and Sons from Oxford. The theatre had managed to open without any major problems, which puts it at stark contrast to the nearby St Martin’s Theatre, production of which was halted due to the onset of the First World War in 1914.
Panthea only managed a maximum of 15 performances before French theatre productions appeared including Odds and Ends (1914) and More Odds and Ends (1915). This new form of entertainment hit the stage under the eyes of Charles B Cochran and proved successful. As a result, the 1920s arrived with a string of various hits shows starring some big name acts. Deburau (1921) hit the stage with Ivor Novello appearing in what was his first stage performance, then The Mask of Virtue was the next big show to feature a legendary performer. It was 1935 and the actor was none other than Vivien Leigh. This was followed by Spring Meeting with Margaret Rutherford in 1938.
Next up was the play Mousetrap. Now, when we think of Mousetrap, our thoughts turn to the 35 year run it has been doing at St Martin’s Theatre. However, before it landed at this venue, Agatha Christie’s record breaking production started out life at the Ambassadors Theatre before transferring in 1974. It has now been running for a phenomenal 56 years, with celebrations carried out at each new milestone. It is for this reason that upon visiting the theatre you will be greeted by a statuette presented by Christie himself in celebration of the famous play.
Mousetrap was followed up by a string of successful productions between the 1970s and the new millennium. Since 2003 the credits to the theatre’s name look like: Stones in his Pockets (2003), Guantanamo: Honour Bound to Defend Freedom (2004), Sweeney Tood (2004), Telstar (2005), Journey’s End (2005), Hamlet (2006), Waiting for Godot (2006), Whipping it Up (2007) and Stomp (2007 to present).
The future looks good for the Ambassadors Theatre, meaning this London venue on West Street will be around for some time to come.
