The Adelphi Theatre is a well-known West End venue in London, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The building you see today is the fourth to exist on the spot.

The History of the Adelphi

The Adelphi Theatre is a well-known West End venue in London, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The building you see today is the fourth to exist on the spot. The theatre specialises in musicals and comedy and is a receiving house for many productions including several musicals. With 1,500 seats, it is one of the biggest theatres in London and was designated a Grade II listed building on 1st December 1987.

Businessman John Scott and his daughter Jane founded the venue, and it was then called the “Sans Pareil” (Without Compare). John’s main idea was to showcase his daughter’s skills, and she was indeed very talented! Jane worked as a playwright, performer, and theatre manager. Together, they formed a theatrical company, and the venue received a license for burletta, pantomime and musical entertainments in 1809. The father-daughter duo turned out to have the talent to show, attaining consistent success for the coming 14 years. Jane wrote over 50 stage pieces, including comic operas, farces, pantomimes, and melodramas and also appeared in them. Her works were diverse, appealing to all classes, and the duo continued until Jane retired in 1819. Her father sold the theatre for high profit soon afterwards.

The Current Adelphi Theatre

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the current co-owner of the Adelphi Theatre. He bought the theatre in 1993 and renovated it before the world premiere of Sunset Boulevard, one of his musicals starring Patti Lupone; it was a major hit. The venue also hosted the revivals of Evita (2006), Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat (2007) and the World Premiere of Love Never Dies (2010).

Along with Webber’s successful musicals, the theatre experienced the Olivier-winning Chicago (November 1997) which became the longest-running production in its history and also the longest-running American musical on the West End. The show transferred to the Cambridge Theatre in 2006. Hits at the Adelphi didn’t cease. In 2011, it hosted the highly successful One Man, Two Guvnors and later, in 2012, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.

The musical Waitress opened at the theatre in March 2019. Although intending to close on 4th July 2020, the show had its last run on 16th March before shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, an announcement by the producers stated that Waitress would not re-open.

Recent Productions

• Derren Brown: Enigma (15th June 2009 – 23rd July 2009)
• The Rat Pack: Live From Las Vegas (24th September 2009 – 2nd January 2010)
• Love Never Dies (9th March 2010 – 27th August 2011)
• The Bodyguard, featuring Whitney Houston’s music (6th November 2012 – 29th August 2014)
• Made In Dagenham, a show that talks about equal pay for women (5th November 2014 – 11th April 2015)
• Kinky Boots (21st August 2015 – 12th January 2019)
• Bumblescratch, starring Jessica Martin and Darren Day