Dates

• Existence: Established 1891
• Usage: c1891 - 1894
• Usage: c1894 - 1911

Biography

The Palace Theatre of Varieties is Grade II listed theatre in the West End theatre of London.

The Palace was commissioned by Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened as the Royal English Opera House in January 1891. The venture did not proof financially successful and D’Oyly sold it to become a grand music hall, named the Palace Theatre of Varieties, combining variety and music hall acts with films from 1897. In 1904, Alfred Butt became manager and continued to combine variety entertainment, including dancing girls, with films.

In 1911 the theatre was renamed The Palace Theatre. In 1912, the theatre hosted the first Royal Variety Performance in Britain, commanded by King George V. During the First World War, the theatre presented revues, and Maurice Chevalier became known to British audiences. After the war, the variety shows declined and the theatre was mainly used as a cinema.

In 1983, Andrew Lloyd Webber purchased the building and began a series of renovations. In April 2012, Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group sold The Palace Theatre to Nimax Theatres.

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