Apollo Theatre

The Shaftesbury Avenue Apollo Theatre opened Feb. 21, 1901, with a showing of "The Belle of Bohemia," an American musical comedy. It was the fourth theatre to be built on Shaftesbury Avenue and is a listed Grade II West End theatre. Following its opening show, the theatre presented "A Cigarette Maker's Romance" and an adaptation of "A Tale of Two Cities" entitled "The Only Way." It found its first great success with "Véronique" in 1904, which was performed almost 500 times. The theatre hosted "The Follies," by H.G. Pelissier between 1908 and 1912. Following this show, a variety of other plays were presented, including "Hobson's Choice" and Gilbert Dayle's "What Would a Gentleman Do?" Beginning in 1913, the Apollo showcased several revivals and plays by actor/producer Sir Charles Hawtrey, including "Trilby," "Things We'd Like to Know," "General John Regan," and "A Little Fowl Play," even though the Apollo's shows were almost all musical productions otherwise. In 1920, the theatre produced a three-act comedy entitled "Such a Nice Young Man," and in the years following, audiences were treated to matinee plays such as "The Best Policy," "Galey Slaves," and 1922's "The Wheel," a show by J.B. Fagan starring Edith Evans. Edward Laurillard and George Grossmith Jr. managed the theatre during this time. The duo also produced several other plays and revivals, including "Such a Nice Young Man" and "The Only Girl." In 1924, the Apollo produced "The Fake," featuring Godfrey Tearle, which was considered the greatest success of the year. Following this success, in 1926, "Is Zat So" ran for an impressive 234 performances and in 1927, "Irish Rose" and "Whispering Wires" were shown. The theatre was renovated in 1932 and the Royal Box received an ante room and a private foyer. Shows presented during this time include "Wild Decembers," "Idiot's Delight," "Gaslight," and "Flare Path." The theatre was taken over by Prince Littler in 1944. Between 1944 and 1950, the theatre produced "Private Lives," "The Happiest Days of Your Life," and "Treasure Hunt." Beginning in 1950, "Seagulls Over Sorrento" ran for more than three years. Also in this year, the theatre had an audience capacity of 893. The Apollo's longest-running show, "Boeing Boeing," which starred Patrick Cargill and David Tomlinson, opened in 1962 and ran until it transferred to the Duchess Theatre in 1965. "Forty Years On" came to the Apollo stage in 1968 and 1969 saw David Storey's "Home." Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, several popular comedies were shown in the theatre, including "Orphans, "I'm Not Rappaport," "Driving Miss Daisy," and "Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell." In the 21st century, the theatre has seen a number of big hits, among them "Side Man," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," "The Vortex," "Summer and Smoke," "The Glass Menagerie," and "The Last Five Years." Apollo Theatre, which was purchased in 2005 by Max Weitzenhoffer and Nica Burns, became part of the Nimax Theatres group, a distinction it retains to today. Currently, "Rain Man" with American actor Josh Hartnett is playing at the theatre.