Fortune Theatre
Russell Street, London, WC2B 5HH
Fortune Theatre Tickets
Operation Mincemeat
Fortune Theatre
4.8 102 reviews 4.8 102 reviews Tickets from £62.00Described as Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, Operation Mincemeat is the high-octane and hilarious musical comedy based on the bizarre true story of how a secret mission that involved dressing up a corpse as a marine helped the Allies win World War II. With a talented cast of only five, packed with fast-paced comedy and rapid-fire songs, this vaudevillian satire has been winning laughs all around in the UK, and now it’s back for a thrilling West End run.
- Booking until: Saturday, 20 February 2027
- Playing at: Fortune Theatre
- Booking until: Saturday, 20 February 2027
Fortune Theatre Facilities
- Air conditioned
- Bar
- Infrared hearing loop
- Member of Q-Park scheme
- Toilets
Fortune Theatre Access Tickets
Disabled theatregoers and their carers can get discount tickets. Please phone the Fortune Theatre access line on 0333 009 5399.
Fortune Theatre Location
Travel Information
Nearest Tube station
- Covent Garden
- Holborn
Nearest Rail Station
- Charing Cross
Tube lines
- Piccadilly
- Central
Day buses
- (Aldwych) RV1, 6, 11, 13, 23, 59, 68, 87, 171, 172, 188, X68
Night buses
- (Aldwych) 6, 23, 188, N11, N13, N26, N47, N68, N87, N89, N155, N171, N551
Fortune Theatre Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to the Fortune Theatre?
The Fortune stands on Russell Street, WC2B 5HH, directly opposite the Theatre Royal Drury Lane's Catherine Street flank. Covent Garden is the closest station at five or six minutes' walk, with Leicester Square, Charing Cross and Holborn all ten to fifteen. Buses stop on the Aldwych. It is a narrow frontage on a short street, so look for the name rather than a wide entrance.
Is the Fortune Theatre an accessible space?
In part, and the route is worth knowing before you book. There are no steps into the foyer, but the Stalls lie 21 steps down and the Upper Circle 40 steps up, so the accessible level is the Dress Circle, 7 steps up. Wheelchair users reach it by the side entrance on Crown Court, where a platform lift covers six steps; it takes a chair up to 93cm long, 74cm wide and 170kg. The non-transferring wheelchair space is Dress Circle F16, and F6 and F7 are the easiest seats to transfer into. One accessible toilet sits on the ground floor by the foot of that lift. A Sennheiser infra-red system covers every part of the auditorium, and guide dogs are welcome.
What time should I arrive at the Fortune Theatre?
The auditorium opens 30 minutes before the performance, so arriving then is enough — but give yourself a little longer if your seat is upstairs. This is one of the smallest houses in the West End and the staircases are correspondingly narrow: 21 steps down to the Stalls, 40 up to the Upper Circle, with a good many people using them at once.
Is there a dress code at the Fortune Theatre?
No dress code applies. The theatre asks only that hats and helmets are not worn in the auditorium, since they block the view of the rows behind. Otherwise dress for comfort: the rows here are close together, so something you can sit in without a bulky coat on your lap is the sensible choice. Dressing up is welcome and never expected.
Can I take photographs inside the Fortune Theatre?
Not while the performance is running — no photographs, no filming. Before it, afterwards and at the curtain call you may. In a house this small the stage is close enough that a lit screen is noticed from it, which is the practical reason behind the rule; where a production depends on darkness or on a secret, the request is firmer still.
Which seats should I choose at the Fortune Theatre?
There are three levels and the climb differs sharply between them, which is worth weighing alongside the view. The Stalls are 21 steps down from the foyer, the Dress Circle 7 steps up, and the Upper Circle 40 steps up. The Dress Circle is therefore the easiest level to reach as well as a good vantage point in a house this narrow; the Upper Circle is the steepest in both senses. If stairs are a consideration at all, the Dress Circle is the answer here.
Fortune Theatre history
From the outside
The Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden is famous for being the oldest public building in London to be built entirely from concrete. A bright white wedding cake of a building with a surprisingly minimalist white interior, featuring subtle gold and blue details, the Greek goddess of fortune, Fortuna, guards the entrance and is also present at the safety curtain keeping a stern eye on the proceedings.
Fortune Theatre architecture and history
On the site of an ancient pub, the Fortune Theatre was designed by the architect Ernest Schaufelberg and first opened its doors back in 1924 as the Fortune Thriller Theatre, with a show called Sinners, staged by the owner Laurence Cowan. In its early days the new theatre didn’t fare too well, failing to attract long-running shows. By 1927 things had reached crisis point and the theatre was taken over by the talented actor-manager Tom Walls. His arrival changed the theatre’s fortunes (pun intended!) with the first big hit, called On Approval.
During the Second World War the Fortune Theatre was used by ENSA, the forces’ entertainment arm, to entertain allied and home-grown members of the services. In the years following the war it became a receiving house, showcasing a variety of touring productions rather than putting on its own performances. Nevertheless, a number of legendary comedians and performers played there over the decades including Alan Bennett, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
In 1979 the smash hit The Murder in the Vicarage had a run of 1758 performances but author Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, a dark thriller which first opened back in 1989, is its most famous offering, celebrating 5000 performances at The Fortune by 2001.
In late 2001, the Fortune theatre became part of the Ambassador Theatre Group.
Ghostly goings on at the Fortune Theatre!
By all accounts the long-running and horribly scary thriller, The Woman in Black, has awoken the normally ghost-free theatre. Ever since the show first began, people have spotted a spooky woman dressed in grey hanging around in various parts of the auditorium, most often in the boxes.
Past shows at the Fortune Theatre
The Fortune theatre, despite its troubled distant past, has hosted countless celebrated actors including Dame Judi Dench, Dirk Bogarde and Maureen Lipman in her famous one woman show called Re-Joyce. The classic revue from Cambridge, called Beyond The Fringe, played there and included stars Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Jonathan Miller. Mr Cinders, Double Double, Nunsense and Dangerous Obsession have also graced the Fortune’s stage.
Fortune Theatre access
There are a few stairs to negotiate at the entrance and many more inside, with no wheelchair access. The best seating option for disabled patrons are the rear of the dress circle level, and Box A.
Fortune Theatre tickets
We’re a top destination for a wide variety of seat types and prices, with excellent availability on the full range of Fortune Theatre tickets.