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Venue Information
An ornate theatre of streaked brick-coloured granite upon citrus-coloured walls, the ancient Roman-esque Novello even displays a chariot-racing mural above its vast stage, which entertains in excess of 1000 audience members for a mixture of plays and musicals.
Travel
Nearest Tube Station:
Covent Garden
Tube Lines:
Piccadilly
Directions From Tube:
(5mins) Go right on Long Acre; turn right into Bow Street and after 100 metres turn left (Russell Street) then immediately right onto Catherine Street, where the theatre is located 100 metres down on the corner with Aldwych.
Bus Numbers:
(Aldwych) RV1, X68, 1, 6, 11, 13, 23, 59, 68, 87, 91, 139, 168, 171, 172, 188, 243; (Strand) 4, 9, 15, 26, 76, 176, 341
Night Bus Numbers:
(Aldwych) 6, 23, 139, 188, 243, N1, N11, N13, N26, N47, N68, N87, N89, N91, N155, N171, N551, N343; (Strand) 176, 341, N9, N15, N21, N44, N76
Nearest Rail Station:
Charing Cross
Nearest Car Park:
Drury Lane, Parker Street (7mins)
Novello Theatre
5 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4LD
History
Built as the Waldorf Theatre to accompany the nearby Waldorf Hotel in 1905, its first ten years of productions were erratic, only garnering a real hit in 1913 sporting the new name the Strand Theatre. Despite this rough start, the theatre earned a resilient reputation during bomb raids in the First World War, putting on productions even when the theatre itself was targeted.
It didn’t escape the wrath of bombs during the Second World War either, yet incredibly it had its most successful run to date in war time with the black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace from 1942 to 1946. This spurred a trend of multi-year runs in every decade with Sailor Beware in the ‘50s (three years), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forumin the ‘60s (two years), an astonishing 11 year run of No Sex Please, We’re British starting in the ‘70s, Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing in the ‘80s (3 years) and the Buddy Holly musical Buddy in the ‘90s (seven years).
After a two year Rat Pack residency in the ‘00s kept up the pattern, the ‘Strand Theatre’ closed for 6 months for a 100th birthday £3 million refurbishment and new name ‘Novello Theatre’. But this overhaul seemed to destroy some of its magic, with two back-to-back flops lasting only two months each in 2007 – The Drowsy Chaperone due to poor sales and the Blondie musical Desperately Seeking Susan getting a critical lashing. It’s not been all bad though; its RSC seasons of Shakespeare productions have performed extremely well, and several of its musicals were short-term smashes.
Inside Track
During World War II, the theatre was bombed – but plays kept being put on, even amongst the rubble.
It’s had three previous names – The Waldorf Theatre, The Whitney Theatre and The Strand Theatre, only adopting its current moniker in 2005.
The Novello Theatre was the first theatre Queen Elizabeth went to for an evening performance in the West End (then called the Strand Theatre). The play was Arsenic and Old Lace.
It was named after Ivor Novello because the composer/actor lived in a flat above the theatre for 38 years.
Seat Plan
Nearest Restaurants
Make the most of your trip on the town with a delicious meal before the show. Check out our top recommendations below. All these restaurants are just a stone’s throw away from your theatre. So you can relax before enjoying a slice of world class entertainment. Simply add your theatre tickets to your basket and select the restaurant of your choice.
