Wyndham's Theatre - History
The Wyndham’s Theatre is located on Charing Cross Road in London. Its nearest underground station is found right next to the theatre itself in the form of Leicester Square Underground Station and the nearest railway station is found in the form of Charing Cross. There are also various bus routes that serve the venue in the forms of the 24, 29 and 176.
W G Sprague was the architect behind many of London’s Theatres, with Wyndham’s Theatre amongst them. At the time Charles Wyndham owned the theatre and it opened in 1899 with a production of David Garrick – a show that was hugely popular for the new theatre. The same year saw many other theatres emerge under the design of the same man and like so many other venues in the capital, the design reflects a different time and a different era – in this case Louis XVI, making it a beautifully designed building.
The next show to hit the venue took the form of Cyrano de Bergerac in 1900 and then various productions by Peter Pan creator J M Barrie from 1903 and also a line of productions from the du Maurier family, including An Englishman’s Home (1909) and The Dancers (1923). The latter was a hugely popular production that starred the American dancer Tallulah Bankhead, whose talents proved popular enough to create sold out performances and long queues to see her at work.
Then followed a series of plays under the management of crime writer Edgar Wallave who stayed until his death in 1932. His plays had reflected the crime stories he was known for writing and took the form of detective dramas such as The Calendar. As the 1930s progressed the Wyndham’s changed hands and more high profile productions emerged including Mademoiselle, starring the famous Greer Garson and the directed by the prolific Noel Coward.
The Second World War arrived, which was a time when many theatres closed. The Wyndham’s Theatre followed suit, but it was one of the first London venues to reopen with a revue featuring work from various talents, including Peter Ustinov. He would go on to appear in further productions at the theatre particularly following the end of the war.
Productions to continue at the Wyndham’s following this period include Daphne Laureola (1949), The Living Room (1953), The Boyfriend (1954), Inadmissable Evidence (1964) and Godspell (1972). Over the years many big name walked the stage in front of the Wyndham’s audience including Alec Guinness, Eileen Atkins and John Gielgud.
Recent years have seen productions such as The Ride Down (1991), Medea (1993), Three Tall Women, Art (1996), Dylan Moran: Monster II (2004) and The History Boys (2007). Between 2008 and 2009 the Wyndham’s was also the home to various productions of the Donmar Warehouse.
