Prince Edward Theatre - History
The Prince Edward theatre is found on Old Compton Street in London. Transport links include underground access from Leicester Square Tube Station with optional alternatives in Tottenham Court Road, Charing Cross or Holborn. The nearest railway station can be found at Charing Cross.
The Prince of Wales back in 1930 was none other than Prince Edward (who went on to be Edward VIII and then later on the Duke of Windsor), for which this theatre is named. It was constructed in an area that contained many buildings that had their own unique histories, meaning the area and not just the theatre has an interesting historical context. The architect for the project was one of the men behind the Piccadilly Theatre in the form of Edward A Stone, who presented Londoners with a grand design and comfortable seats, characterised by a well admired art deco style. The auditorium is larger than many theatres and its stage is also distinctive for its size. Its grand opening was the 3rd April 1930 with its first production taking the form of Rio Rita with Edith Day and Geoffrey Gwyther. It stayed on the Prince Edward stage for only fifty nine performances, which was not considered a success.
Some notable productions during this period include the likes of Nippy (1930), Un Vent de Folie (1932 – bringing with it scorn from Lord Chamberlain regarding the promotional statues outside the theatre), Banana Dance (1933), Wish You Were Here (1953) and various more but during this time the theatre also took on many different incarnations. Though it was at this point the Prince Edward Theatre, it was to become the London Casino in 1935 before it was modified in 1942 by Thomas Braddock, applying a new name to it in the form of the Queensberry All Services Club. The Second World War came in just before this and went before the venue reverted back to the London Casino. But this was not the end of this particular story as the theatre was then redesigned and converted into a cinema. Therefore another name change was in order, this time becoming the Casino Cinerama Theatre.
But the productions did continue during this period, including Aladdin in 1935, which could be one of the reasons why the venue transformed into the London Casino the same year, following the plays closure with lacks of funds. This meant the actors could not be paid and it did not bode well for the Prince Edward Theatre. It spawned many decades worth of change.
Later years brought a variety of further productions once the theatre had reverted back to its original name of the Prince Edward Theatre. In 1978 Evita opened, which marked the start of a long line of musicals that would eventually appear. Chess (1986) was next, followed by Anything Goes (1989), Children of Eden (1991), The Hunting of the Snark (1991), Some Like It Hot (1992), Crazy for You (1993), Martin Guerre (1996), Show Boat (1998), Mamma Mia! (1999), Mary Poppins (2004) and Jersey Boys (2008).
The theatre is likely to continue this way for years to come, with audiences undoubtedly thrilled at what could be on offer.
