About the Lyceum Theatre
Now playing: The Lion King From £42 Book tickets
The Lyceum reopened in 1996 as a home for large-scale musicals, and Disney's The Lion King has played here since 1999, one of the longest runs in West End history.
The building is older than it feels. Samuel Beazley's portico on Wellington Street dates from 1834, and it's all that's left of the theatre built then. Behind it is Bertie Crewe's auditorium of 1904. It is Grade II* listed and run by ATG Entertainment. The inside feels modern, though, with good sightlines and comfortable seats, after its 1990s rebuild.
From Irving to the Ballroom
Henry Irving took over the Lyceum in 1878 and ran it with Ellen Terry until 1899. His business manager was Bram Stoker, and Irving is widely thought to have been the model for Stoker's Count Dracula.
The theatre closed in 1939, when the council planned to knock it down for a road scheme, with John Gielgud playing Hamlet in its last performance. The plans fell through. After the war it reopened as the Lyceum Ballroom, and for decades it was a music venue, where The Who, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Queen played, and Prince gave his first UK concert in 1981. That era gave the Ballroom Bar, at the rear of the Royal Circle, its name.
Notable past productions
- The Henry Irving years (1878 to 1899), with Ellen Terry
- Jesus Christ Superstar (1996 to 1998), the reopening production
- Oklahoma! (1999), Trevor Nunn's revival, with Hugh Jackman in his West End breakout
How big is the Lyceum compared with other West End theatres?
With 2,185 seats across three levels, it's among the biggest theatres in the West End, in the same league as Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Palladium.
Other venues of similar size
- Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 1,996 seats over four levels, also in Covent Garden, on Catherine Street
- London Palladium, 2,292 seats
- Dominion Theatre, 2,067 seats over two levels
About FAQs
When was the Lyceum Theatre built?
The auditorium is Bertie Crewe's, from 1904, behind Samuel Beazley's portico of 1834. It reopened in its present form in 1996.
Is the Lyceum Theatre where Dracula was written?
Bram Stoker was the Lyceum's business manager when he wrote Dracula, and the theatre says the book was written within its walls. The Count is widely thought to be modelled on the Lyceum's actor-manager, Henry Irving.
Who owns the Lyceum Theatre?
It's run by ATG Entertainment.