The theatre
The Gielgud seats 986 over four levels in a neo-classical auditorium, and shares a frontage line and an architect with the Sondheim next door. Sprague designed the pair together, which is why they read as siblings from the street. It takes a broad programme: revivals, new plays, Shakespeare and musicals.
Three names
It opened on 27 December 1906 as the Hicks Theatre, after the actor-manager Seymour Hicks, with the musical The Beauty of Bath. It became the Globe in 1909 and kept that name for 85 years. When Shakespeare's Globe was being rebuilt on Bankside in 1994, this theatre was renamed after John Gielgud to avoid the confusion.
Good to know
Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are both close. Shaftesbury Avenue gets crowded before curtain, so allow a few extra minutes.
