Harold Pinter Theatre
6 Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DN
Harold Pinter Theatre Tickets
The Cherry Orchard
Harold Pinter Theatre
3.5 4 reviews 3.5 4 reviews Tickets from £29.00Adapted by Conor McPherson and directed by Ian Rickson, The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekhov's final play, is coming to the Harold Pinter Theatre in a bold, powerful new staging that explores a family on the brink of change and a world in transition. Award-winning actress Kristin Scott Thomas plays Lyubov Ranevskaya, an aristocratic Russian landowner who returns to her childhood estate and finds her family home and beloved cherry orchard under threat.
- Booking until: Saturday, 9 January 2027
- Running time: 2hr 30min. Incl. 1 Interval.
- Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas
- Playing at: Harold Pinter Theatre
- Booking until: Saturday, 9 January 2027
Harold Pinter Theatre Facilities
- Air conditioned
- Bar
- Disabled toilets
- Infrared hearing loop
- Member of Q-Park scheme
- Toilets
- Wheelchair/scooter access
Harold Pinter Theatre Access Tickets
Disabled theatregoers and their carers can get discount tickets. Please phone the Harold Pinter Theatre access line on 0333 009 5399.
Harold Pinter Theatre Location
Travel Information
Nearest Tube station
- Piccadilly Circus
- Leicester Square
Nearest Rail Station
- Charing Cross
Tube lines
- Bakerloo
- Piccadilly
- Northern
Day buses
- (Haymarket) 3, 6, 12, 13, 19, 23, 38, 88, 139; (Piccadilly Circus) 14, 22, 94
Night buses
- (Haymarket) 6, 12, 23, 139, 88, N3, N13, N18, N19, N38, N97, N136, N550, N551; (Piccadilly Circus) 14, 94, N22
Harold Pinter Theatre Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to the Harold Pinter Theatre?
The theatre is at 4 Panton Street, SW1Y 4DN, a quiet turning between the Haymarket and Leicester Square. Piccadilly Circus is two minutes' walk, Leicester Square five, and Charing Cross about seven. Panton Street is easy to walk past, so take the turning beside the Comedy Store rather than looking for a lit frontage on a main road.
Is the Harold Pinter Theatre an accessible space?
Yes, by an unusual route: the step-free entrance on Panton Street leads level into the Dress Circle rather than the Stalls, which catches people out. Up to four wheelchair spaces sit there, in rows E and F. An accessible toilet is off the foyer, and infra-red hearing enhancement can be requested. Do say when booking that you need the level route, so you are seated where it reaches.
What time should I arrive at the Harold Pinter Theatre?
Thirty minutes before curtain-up. The foyer is small, so the queue for the bag check reaches Panton Street quickly in the last ten minutes — arriving earlier avoids standing outside. It also gives you time for the bars and the merchandise counter, and this house tends to play serious drama where a settled start matters.
Is there a dress code at the Harold Pinter Theatre?
None is set. Wear what you find comfortable for a sitting of two hours or more, and keep a layer handy: this is a compact house that warms noticeably once full. Plenty of people treat a play here as an occasion and dress accordingly, which is equally welcome.
Can I take photographs inside the Harold Pinter Theatre?
Please refrain while the performance is running — no photographs, no video. Before and after, and during the cast bows at the end, you are welcome to. The Victorian auditorium, with its painted panels and tiers, makes a better photograph from your seat than most people expect.
Does the Harold Pinter Theatre have a cloakroom, and is there a charge?
Yes, but it works the opposite way round to most. It takes the bulky things — suitcases, pushchairs, folding bicycles — for a small fee, while smaller items stay with you at your seat, because space is limited. So do not queue with a coat; queue only if you are carrying something that will not fit under a seat.
Harold Pinter Theatre history
From the outside
Magnificent from the outside with its ornate pale frontage and wreath motifs, The Harold Pinter theatre’s splendid interior, dating back to 1881, is one London’s oldest and loveliest. You’ll enjoy a wealth of original features despite the theatre being unsympathetically restored in 1954. Its Renaissance-style wood panels, beautiful gold ceiling, golden wallpaper and original brass ceiling sun-burner make for a traditional theatre experience to remember.
Harold Pinter Theatre architecture and history
The Harold Pinter Theatre was originally called The Royal Comedy Theatre, becoming the Harold Pinter in 2011. First opening its doors way back in 1881, it was designed by Thomas Verity and built incredibly quickly, taking just six months. In the middle of the 1950s it was refurbished, re-opening in 1955. Thankfully they left the auditorium alone and today it’s still an exercise in 1880s splendour, with its gorgeous three tiered horseshoe balconies.
The famous operetta Falka premiered in 1883, and Erminie premiered in 1885. Charles Blake Cochran and André Charlot presented their famous revues throughout the First World War, which made the theatre’s name as a must-visit destination.
The theatre’s orchestra pit is original, dating back to 1881, but these days it’s rarely used. The last time was in 2009, the first time an orchestra had played from the pit in a quarter of a century.
In 1956 the theatre played a starring role in overturning the outdated stage censorship set in place by the 1843 Theatres Act, which was finally repealed in 1968. Setting up the New Watergate Club under producer Anthony Field meant they could legally stage plays that had been banned because of bad language or frowned-upon story lines. Without their actions Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, Robert Anderson's Tea and Sympathy and Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof might never have been staged in the West End.
Today the Harold Pinter Theatre is part of the Ambassador Theatre Group.
Past shows at the Harold Pinter Theatre
This historic venue has seen countless smash hits, wowing theatre audiences with Journey's End, The Old Masters and Whose Life is it Anyway? Audiences have raised the rafters for shows like The Home Place, The Caesar Twins, Steptoe and Son, Donkeys' Years and classic good-time audience participation show The Rocky Horror Show, which had its debut at the Harold Pinter in 1979.
Stockard Channing appeared in Six Degrees of Separation, which won best play at the 1993 Olivier Awards, and Maureen Lipman starred in Peggy For You. The theatre’s biggest hits, however, were the 2000 performance of The Caretaker, with Michael Gambon, plus a remarkable eight week sell out of Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against the Eunuchs in 1999, starring Ewan McGregor.
Harold Pinter Theatre access
The Box Office and foyer are at street level, and the easiest access is to the Dress Circle, which provides four wheelchair spaces or space for small scooters.
Harold Pinter Theatre tickets
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