Hotels near Aldwych Theatre, London

London Hotel near the Aldwych Theatre

Address:

Aldwych

London

WC2B 4DF

United Kingdom

Nearest Tube:

Charing Cross/Embankment

The nearest hotels to the Aldwych Theatre in London are: 

Strand Palace, Kingsway Hall, The Howard, The Kingsley

Situated in a Grade II listed building, and seating 1,200 audience members the Aldwych Theatre was once the home to a famous series of farces, and now houses a mixture of plays, comedies, and musicals.

The theatre opened on the 23rd December 1905 with a pantomime, Blue Bell. Aldwych itself had just been built, and the theatre was decorated in a neo-Georgian style, like much of the surrounding architecture. During the early part of the twentieth century it played host to many notable performances and events, including Nijinsky rehearsals of Le Sacre de Printemps before it opened in Paris in 1913. From 1925 to 1933 a series of farces, which became known as The Aldwych Farces, ran at the theatre in the productions of Ben Travers. 

In 1960, the Royal Shakespeare Company moved into the Aldwych. They originally only intended to stay for three years, but ended up residing there for more than 20, until they moved to their current London home in The Barbican. The Aldwych also played host to the World Theatre Seasons, where foreign plays would get their first London runs, organised by impresario Peter Daubeney.

In recent years the programme has been much more accessible and populist, catering to the mainstream West End thirst for musicals, and musicals based on pre-existing properties. Fame ran at the Aldwych from 2002 to 2006, and Dirty Dancing ran there from 2006 until the summer of 2011. Whilst it may seem like it has lost some of the cachet and artistic drive that characterised the Aldwych throughout much of the twentieth century, this does, in fact, merely represent a theatre returning to its roots. Whilst purists, and fans of theatre in translation may feel like they have lost a venue that catered for their tastes it is unlikely that Seymour Hicks, the actor-manager who opened the theatre would not have approved, as his taste was always towards the populist.

The box office for the Aldwych is situated in the entrance of the Aldwych Theatre. There are seats in the Stalls, Dress Circle, and Grand Circle. The best seats are often considered to be those in rows B to H of the Stalls, and A to E of the Dress Circle. People with disabilities are advised to book seats by contacting the theatre directly, rather than using a booking agent.

To get to the Aldwych Theatre, the closest tube stops are Covent Garden, Temple, and Holborn, and it will be about a five minute walk from each. Aldwych itself is off the Strand, and the theatre is on the corner of Aldwych and Drury Lane. The nearest mainline station is Charing Cross which, again, is walkable to the theatre, as a quick stroll up the Strand will get you to the venue.

Like many West End theatres, the Aldwych is reputed to be haunted. Unlike the others, though, the Aldwych is meant to be haunted by smells. These are usually the inexplicable scents of flowers, perfume, or, on occasion, cigar smoke.