Cambridge Theatre - History
The Cambridge Theatre is located on Earlham Street in London. It faces the Seven Dials and is in the borough of Camden. The nearest underground station is Covent Garden and the nearest train station is Charing Cross.
The elegant Cambridge Theatre was constructed during 1929 and 1930 for Bertie Meyer with design by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie. The sculptor for it was Anthony Gibbons Grinling, with the interior designed by Waring & Gillow’s Serge Chermayeff. When it was finished, it finally opened in September 1930 along with a whole array of theatres that opened in the same year, seeing a massive rise in the number of theatres in London. Along with Cambridge there was also Prince Edward, The Whitehall, The Phoenix and the rebuilt Adelphi.
The auditorium itself is presented mostly with stone and has many unusual features related to its structure. Its interior is unique with its steel and concrete structure and its imaginative design. Look at the ceiling and you will see a series of what looks like ribs leading to the dress circle. In these ribs are the concealed lighting which will illuminate the auditorium and its impressive colours which have changed vastly over the years depending on the tastes of the time. Today computers control the lights which give the impression of a stepping effect. It goes to show that even before the performance begins, the theatre itself will be a treat to the eyes.
Modern History
Compared to other theatres, the Cambridge is particularly notable for the short run of its productions. One of its most famous performances has been of Jerry Springer – The Opera, the controversial show that has caused debate around the world. Before this, however, there were many other successful productions such as the Bernard Shaw Rep season from 1935 just before films became the mainstay of the theatre. After that, you could have seen Joan Sims in 1958, Half A Sixpence with Tommy Steele in 1963 or even Bruce Forsyth in Little Me in 1964. Particularly famous was Chicago, which ran in the late 1970s and has brought success to a number of theatres as well as the Cambridge.
In recent years some productions have stayed for a little longer, with the likes of Return to the Forbidden Planet appearing from 1989 to 1993. The musical was based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest and implemented 1950s songs into the mix. It went on to win the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
The new millennium has seen even more successful plays hit the Cambridge, including Derren Brown’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Fame was staged in both 1995 and 2000 to great success and of course in 2003 Our House, the Madness musical appeared for a year.
Other Notable Productions
Over the years there have been other notable productions such as Grease (1996) which starred Shane Ritchie and Ben Richards, Great Balls of Fire (1999) and The Beautiful Game (2000), which was another Andrew Lloyd Webber production in conjunction with Ben Elton.
