A brief history of the palladium: During the 1880s the site of the London Palladium was home to Hengler’s Circus. Constructed in 1910 the theatre was at first called The Palladium and was popular for presenting variety.
In 1931 the London Palladium saw the emergence of a group of comedians who formed what was to be known as the Crazy Gang who performed at the theatre from June 1931 to October 1939. The name change to The London Palladium occurred in 1934.
In 1945, Val Parnell took over as Managing Director, bringing in big-name American acts at the top of the bill.
In the 1950s, The London Palladium became familiar to millions of people in the UK, with the weekly television variety show Sunday Night at The London Palladium (from 1957 to 1967). This format was revived in the late 1980s with the Live From The Palladium.
From the 1980s the London Palladium become associated with large scale musicals including: The King and I with Yul Brynner and Virginia McKenna, Michael Crawford in Barnum, Singin’ in the Rain with Tommy Steele, Topol in Ziegfeld , George Hearn and Denis Quilley in La Cage Aux Follies, the Opera North/Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Show Boat, Jonathan Pryce in Oliver! and Michael Ball in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. More recently the Palladium has been host to Sister Act, The Wizard of Oz, and A Chorus Line. Next in line is I Can’t Sing The X Factor Musical arriving in 2014.
The building has Heritage Foundation commemorative plaques honouring Lew Grade and Frankie Vaughan. The theatre was Grade II listed in September 1960.
London Palladium
8 Argyll St, Soho, London W1F 7TE