Gielgud Theatre
Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6AR

Nearest underground:
Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly Line, Bakerloo Line)

Nearest rail:
Charing Cross

This grand domed theatre in Louis XVI style stands proudly on a Shaftesbury Avenue corner just along from its twin, the Queen’s Theatre.  A circular Regency staircase leads up from the foyer to an attractive oval balcony gallery lined with majestic Corinthian columns.  The Gielgud was previously known as the Globe, but in 1994 its name changed, both to avoid confusion with the newly re-opened Shakespeare’s Globe and to honour legendary actor John Gielgud.  This wasn’t the first name change in the theatre’s life either; when it opened in 1906 it was briefly known as the Hicks Theatre after actor-manager Seymour Hicks. 

Appropriately, it was the theatre’s namesake John Gielgud who directed and appeared in what was one of the Globe’s most famous productions, The Importance Of Being Earnest (1939).  The Times reported at the time: “If the past theatrical decade had to be represented by a single production, this is the one that many good judges would choose”.  Many other successful landmark productions followed in its wake and some of Britain’s foremost actors have trodden its boards.  

What's on at Gielgud Theatre

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