The Other Palace
The Other Palace is a theatre in London's Off West End which opened on 18 September 2012 as the St. James Theatre.[1] It features a 312-seat main theatre and a 120-seat studio theatre.[2] It was built on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, which was damaged by a fire in 2002 and subsequently demolished.[3] It was acquired by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatres Group in 2016, and given its new name.[4]
 The building in 2012, as St James Theatre | |
| |
| Address | Palace Street London, SW1 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51.49857°N 0.14091°W |
| Public transit | .svg.png.webp){kind=small}  Victoria |
| Operator | Really Useful Theatres Group |
| Type | Off West End theatre |
| Capacity | Main stage: 312 Studio theatre: 120 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 18 September 2012 |
| Architect | Foster Wilson Architects |
| Website | |
| www | |
Described as "the first newly built theatre complex in central London for 30 years",[2] the building was designed by Foster Wilson Architects.[5] The theatre began its debut season in September 2012 with the London premiere of Sandi Toksvig's Bully Boy.[1]
After its acquisition by Really Useful Theatres Group, Paul Taylor Mills was appointed as the new artistic director, with a programme intended to develop new musicals. The name change became official in February 2017.[4]
Notable productions
- La Strada - London transfer following UK tour, directed by Sally Cookson, starring Audrey Brisson
- Big Fish (2017) - UK premiere starring Kelsey Grammer, directed by Nigel Harman
- Eugenius! (2018) - World premiere (following concert at London Palladium in 2016)
- Heathers The Musical (2018) - UK premiere (following workshop in the studio in 2017) before transferring to the Theatre Royal Haymarket, starring Carrie Hope Fletcher
- The Messiah (2018) - London transfer following UK tour, written and directed by Patrick Barlow, starring Hugh Dennis, Martin Marquez and Lesley Garrett
- Falsettos (2019) - UK premiere starring Daniel Boys, Joel Montague, Laura Pitt-Pulford, Oliver Savile. Natasha J Barnes, Gemma Knight-Jones
- Amélie (2019) - UK premiere (London transfer following UK tour), starring Audrey Brisson
- Be More Chill (2020) - UK premiere (cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic)
External links
References
- "St James Theatre in London's West End opens". BBC News. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- "About the St. James Theatre". St James Theatre. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- Alistair Smith (6 May 2009). "New plans to breathe life into Westminster Theatre". The Stage. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- "St. James Theatre becomes The Other Palace". Really Useful Group. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- "Project: St James Theatre, Westminster". Foster Wilson Architects. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
