The Shaftesbury Theatre was designed by Bertie Crewe and opened as the New Prince’s Theatre in 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers. It was the last theatre to be built on Shaftesbury Avenue, the heart of London’s West End.
The theatre managed to remain open during both World Wars, despite heavy bombing throughout the West End. During the First World War the theatre used the slogan “The Laughter House where you can forget the War”. In 1963, the Prince’s Theatre was renovated at a cost of £125,000 and reopened as the Shaftesbury Theatre with a production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
In 1968, the Shaftesbury Theatre hosted the UK premiere of the controversial musical Hair until 1973 when the show was forced to close due to a ceiling collapse in the theatre. The theatre reopened a year later with West Side Story and has been refurbished several times in the following decades. The Shaftesbury Theatre has become known for hosting the UK premieres of many musicals, including RENT, Hairspray, Memphis and Motown the Musical. From November 2019 – March 2023, the theatre was the home of jukebox musical & Juliet.
