Refurbishment and Restoration
Keeping our theatres functional
Owning and operating seven incredible theatres in London’s West End comes with a lot of ongoing maintenance and restoration work.
We want to give our customers a top rate experience when they visit us and preserve these amazing buildings for future generations to enjoy.
That’s why some of our tickets include a small restoration levy. This cost goes directly towards maintaining our beautiful theatres, making sure we can complete essential works to keep them functional.
Have a read below about some of the ways we’re sustaining our buildings.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
In January 2019, LW Theatres embarked on its most ambitious and exciting project to date – to restore the historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane to its former 1812 glory. Our plans not only pay great attention to retaining the building’s original features but are as much about its future as its past.
Access improvements to the building will include a new street-level entrance, ramps to the stalls, a total of 20 wheelchair spaces on three levels, 5 new accessible WCs and a 16-person passenger lift catering to all floors of the theatre. In a bid to curb bathroom waiting times for women in particular, 20 female cubicles will be installed taking the number of female WCs to 55 – one of the highest provisions in the West End.
All in time for you to escape into the wonder-filled world of Arendelle when Disney’s Frozen opens here in Autumn 2020. Find out more here…
The London Palladium
The London Palladium is one of the most iconic theatres in the West End, but we never stop trying to improve our audience experience – from the second you arrive until after you’ve left.
On your next visit, you’ll immediately be struck by a much grander entrance now that the Long Bar stairs and Grand Circle have been fully carpeted, and you’ll also notice we’ve refurbished the original Box Office. This means that your journey with us really does start in style – make sure you check out the stunning marble staircase when collecting your tickets to appreciate the full spectacle of the theatre. You won’t be disappointed.
The addition of the Val Parnell Bar for the Stalls and Royal Circle has been another revelation, enhancing your experience before, during and after every show. Plus the revamped Argyll Room has been fitted out with fabulous new spaces for those extra-special VIP theatre trips.
Finally, we’ve moved the Stage Door to its original location on Great Marlborough Street next to our brand-new Wall of Fame. Not only is this a much nicer space but it also makes star-spotting easier for eager theatre fans. Get ready to snap a few selfies!
Gillian Lynne Theatre
The biggest transformation at this legendary theatre in recent times has been the historic name change that saw it renamed from the New London Theatre to the Gillian Lynne Theatre in May 2018. This was in honour of Dame Gillian Lynne, the visionary choreographer behind The Phantom of the Opera and who helped bring smash-hit success Cats to life at the start of its outstanding 21-year run at this very venue.
The name change comes on the back of extensive upgrades that have seen the front of house given more than just a lick of paint. The foyer carpet has been completely relaid, the staircases redecorated and new signage hung to give the theatre a new lease on life and ensure that an incredible legacy endures for many years to come.
Adelphi Theatre
Lighting up Covent Garden’s Maiden Lane while playing to a full house and providing exceptional guest experience isn’t easy, but the Adelphi Theatre does it night after night.
The main part of the exterior underwent a fabulous facelift as recently as 2018 to keep this relatively new theatre looking as young as ever, and audience members in the Dress Level will be treated to beautifully refurbished seating as well as a full refresh of the carpeting.
But we know that every aspect of a theatre trip needs to be extraordinary, not just the performance or the front-of-house. That’s why these improvements only came after we’d installed new basement toilets and refurbed the existing ones to match, ensuring that the Adelphi is a true leading light in the West End, from top to bottom.
Her Majesty's Theatre
One of the oldest and grandest venues in all of the West End, Her Majesty’s Theatre naturally needs work from time to time to keep it looking as regal as it did when it first opened over 300 years ago.
As soon as you turn the corner on to Haymarket and lay eyes on this magnificent old theatre you’ll know you’re in for a truly special evening. The iconic building, with its distinctive Corinthian columns, was returned to its former glory in 2016, and our teams also did an amazing job of restoring a sense of timeless splendour to the main entrance and foyer a couple of years later.
Trust us, when you walk through those doors you’ll feel a tingle of anticipation like nothing else.
Cambridge Theatre
Located in one of the chicest and sophisticated spots in central London – Covent Garden’s atmospheric Seven Dials – the Cambridge Theatre has to stay looking its stylish, show-ready best.
That’s why, starting in 2015, we’ve been on a mission to make this marvellous ‘germanic moderne’ masterpiece even better than when it was brought to life in the 1930s. An extensive external works project has not only seen some minor cracks and blemishes eradicated but also ensured that the eye-catching stone façade looks as fresh as ever – all while the auditorium has continued playing Matilda to packed houses.