Lyric Theatre

Lyric Theatre history

About the Lyric Theatre

The Lyric is the oldest theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, and the only one whose front door is older than the avenue itself: the Windmill Street façade dates from 1766, when the site was Sir William Hunter's house and private museum. C. J. Phipps built the theatre behind it in 1888 for Henry Leslie, who paid for it out of the takings from his hit comic opera Dorothy. A narrow entrance opens into a deep scarlet horseshoe of four levels under a decorated ceiling. Grade II listed since 1960, it is run today by Nimax. The Apollo stands immediately next door, and the Lyric Hammersmith is three miles west — both catch people out.

The Lyric Theatre at a glance

• 29 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7ES.
• Opened in 1888, the oldest theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.
• Designed by C. J. Phipps and built for the producer Henry Leslie.
• The Windmill Street façade dates from 1766 and predates the theatre.
• Grade II listed since 1960.
• Owned by Nimax Theatres.
• Four levels: Stalls, Dress Circle, Grand Circle and Balcony, plus boxes.
• Nearest Underground: Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines), a three-minute walk. Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern lines) is a little further.
• Nearest rail station: Charing Cross.
• Access line: 0330 333 4815. Disabled theatregoers and their carers can get discount tickets.
• Infrared hearing loop, accessible toilets, air cooling, bar, and the Q-Park scheme.
• 929 seats have been rated by theatregoers, from 12,127 seat reviews.

Where to sit at the Lyric Theatre

Averages out of 5, from 12,127 seat reviews left by theatregoers. The full Lyric Theatre seating plan carries a rating for every seat.

The Stalls are the safe choice and the best-reviewed part of the house on every measure.

The best seats in the house

The best-rated row in the building is Dress Circle A, at 4.63 from 559 reviews — the front of the circle, level with the stage picture rather than looking down into it. Stalls J (4.61), H (4.56), E (4.54) and K (4.53) are close behind, and are the rows to ask for if the front of the Dress Circle has gone.

Seats to think twice about

Legroom is the thing to know about the Grand Circle. At 2.5 out of 5 it is the lowest score anywhere in the building, well below the Balcony above it, and it is what pulls the whole section down — the view from up there rates a respectable 3.5. Tall theatregoers should book lower or accept the trade.

Row B of the Grand Circle is rated 3.10, against 3.75 for row A in front of it and 3.42 for row C behind. It is the only row in the house marked down against the row behind it by that margin.

The Balcony is the weakest section, and gets weaker toward the back: rows A to D sit around 3.5, then E 3.34, F 3.09, G 3.36, H 3.11 and J 2.87 — the worst-rated row in the theatre, from 95 reviews. Dress Circle H, the back row of that section, also dips to 3.48 against around 4.0 for the rows in front of it.

The boxes are a genuine split decision: the best legroom in the house at 4.5, but a view rated only 3.4. Worth it for comfort and step-free access, not for sightlines.

Lyric Theatre architecture and history

Red brick and fancy with it on the outside, deep scarlet within: a horseshoe auditorium of four levels under a decorated ceiling, reached through a foyer far grander than the narrow frontage suggests. That foyer and the bars were given a facelift in 1932 and 1933, and the façade was restored in 1994. The restoration stopped short of the machinery — an old electric pump still raises and lowers the theatre's historic iron curtain.

Phipps did not build on empty ground. The theatre went up around an existing dwelling of 1766, the home of Sir William Hunter, who kept a museum in it, which is why the Windmill Street frontage is a century older than the auditorium behind it. The building has been Grade II listed since 1960.

What has played at the Lyric Theatre

The Lyric opened in late 1888 with the comic opera that had paid for it, Dorothy, and stayed with the form for its first years: W. S. Gilbert's The Mountebanks followed in 1892. Then came the great touring tragediennes — Eleanora Duse in La Dame aux Camélias in 1893, and Sarah Bernhardt in Frou-Frou, Phèdre, Julie and La Tosca in 1898.

Comic opera gave way to light comedy, musicals and straight drama, and the Lyric avoided the lean decades that emptied other West End houses: George Bernard Shaw, Eugene O'Neill and J. B. Priestley kept it lit through good times and bad. Blood Brothers had its first production here in 1983, Gigi its only West End run, and Five Guys Named Moe stayed five years through the 1990s. Cabaret returned for its third major revival.

Hauntings at the Lyric Theatre

The Lyric was hit by a bomb in the First World War. It is said to be haunted by the usherette who died in the blast.

Lyric Theatre access

Step-free entry is by a ramped door on the left-hand side of the theatre, which leads to level space in Dress Circle Boxes C, D and E. Tell someone at the main entrance and they will open it for you. The access line is 0330 333 4815, and disabled theatregoers and their carers can get discount tickets. There is an infrared hearing loop.