Apollo Theatre -
The Apollo Theatre was opened a month after the death of Queen
Victoria - thus making it the first West End theatre of the
Edwardian age. The auditorium was renovated in 1932. The balcony
(3rd tier) is said to be the steepest in London.
The Apollo Theatre featured mostly musical comedies
in the early days. The theatre became the home of Harry Gabriel
Pelissier's. The Follies from 1908 to 1912.
From the thirties it's specialised mostly in light comedies,
thrillers and farces - Marc Camoletti's Boeing Boeing opened
here in 1962 before transferring to the Duchess Theatre in
1965 where it completed a total of 2,035 performances. History
then repeated itself when Camoletti's Don't Dress
For Dinner opened here on 26 March 1991 before transferring
to the Duchess Theatre on 26 October 1992 where it then closed
on 1 March 1997. Other recent productions include Keith Waterhouse's
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell with Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris's
Dead Guilty with Jenny Seagrove and Hayley Mills. The
Broadway hit Sylvia by AR Gurney had a
short run here in May 1996, proving once again that a hit on
Broadway doesn't always translate into a hit in the West End.