The Cambridge Theatre
Earlham Street, London, WC2H 9HU

Nearest underground:
Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line), Leicester Square (Piccadilly Line, Northern Line)

Nearest rail:
Charing Cross

The Cambridge which stands in Covent Garden’s Seven Dials, has had mixed fortunes over the years.  Built in 1930, the simple straight lines of its concrete exterior, designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie heralded it as a modern theatre.  Its bright gold and silver interior by Serge Chermayeff was completely overhauled in 1950, painted red, and candelabras and chandeliers were installed.  However in 1987 it was completely restored to its original glory by Carl Toms; particularly eye-catching are the friezes of chorus girls in the foyer.

Productions at the Cambridge have tended to run for relatively short spans and the theatre has also had several ‘dark’ periods.  In the 1930s it was used to show trade films.  Later, despite a series of successful 1960s New Wave plays, a string of flops saw the theatre briefly converted into a cinema in 1967.
In the 1970s some critical successes boosted the Cambridge’s fortunes and the rock n’ roll musical Return To The Forbidden Planet, staged from 1989-1993 won the Olivier Award for best new musical. 

What's on at Cambridge Theatre

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