History of the Palladium Theatre, London
May 20, 2010
The Palladium Theatre is one of many theatres that was designed by the famous Frank Matcham, who designed several famous theatres including the London Coliseum and the Victoria Palace. This area of London is now full of theatres, with the New London Theatre just down the road.
The Palladium was built in 1910 and is grade II listed building, but the facade dates back to the 19th century and was originally that of Argyll House and features six Corinthian columns.
A large mansion originally stood on the site that belonged to the Duke of Argyll but was demolished in 1865 before being replaced by the Corinthian Bazaar, and then occupied by a circus and then an ice skating rink, both of which were failed ventures.
The building became known as the Palladium Theatre from its opening on the 26th December, 1910 and held a variety of performances including ballet, opera, drama and comedy. The Palladium has always been well known for its variety shows and has seen a number of famous faces treading the boards including Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.
When Val Parnell took over management of the Palladium Theatre in 1945 he not only introduced a number of famous acts but also oversaw the use of the theatre for the ITV Variety TV show Sunday Night at the London Palladium.
The Palladium Theatre saw its first musical Golden Boy, starring Sammy Davis. Jr, open in 1968 and ever since the theatre has been home to a number of musical theatrical productions including The King and I, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Sound of Music. The current production is Sister Act the Musical, starring American star Patina Miller and Sheila Hancock. The London Palladium is now owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and it will show the new Wizard of Oz musical there in the coming year.
