The theatre
The Haymarket is one of the few West End theatres where the outside is as celebrated as the inside. Nash placed the portico so it would be visible from St James's Square, and it still closes the view down the street. Inside, 888 seats over four levels in a restrained Georgian scheme, and the programming tends towards drama with well-known casts rather than musicals.
History
There has been a theatre on the Haymarket since 1720, but Nash's building opened in 1821 slightly to the south of the original. It holds one of the oldest theatre licences in London, and the Grade I listing reflects the architecture as much as the history.
Good to know
Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross are both a few minutes away. The theatre is smaller than its frontage suggests, so most seats are genuinely close to the stage.
