Venue Information

The Victoria Palace Theatre has existed in some form on the present site since 1832 when it was known under the name of Moy's Music Hall, becoming the Royal Standard Music Hall in 1863. In 1886 the building was demolished and rebuilt to match the innovations that were occurring in the local area with the introduction of the railways and the arrival of Victoria Station as a major transport hub. The theatre retained its Royal Standard name until 1910, when it was knocked down and rebuilt yet again to incorporate electricity and modern touches like a sliding roof under the direction of architect Frank Matcham. The new, and for the time hugely expensive theatre costing £12,000 to update, opened under the name of the Victoria Palace Theatre in 1911; aside from some necessary restorations, the theatre you see today with its gold mosaics and marble pillars is much the same building as the one that opened a century ago. The only notable addition is that of a gilded statue of ballerina Anna Pavlova to the cupola of the theatre - this was taken down in 1939 and lost, so the current version is a replica. Over the decades the Victoria Palace Theatre has hosted a number of diverse productions in-keeping with its changing character. The origins of the theatre were firmly in the music hall, and consequently the theatre put on all the best variety and revue acts in its opening years. The slight drawback of this was that following productions were not taken very seriously; perhaps the best example of this is in 1934 play, Young England, which had such bad reviews that it became a cult hit and played 278 performances to packed audiences totalling more than a quarter of a million people! After this interesting start to more serious shows, the theatre enjoyed successes with the original London production of Me and My Girl (1937), further variety acts, The Black and White Minstrel Show (1960-72), The Little Foxes starring Elizabeth Taylor (1982), and Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story (1989-95). In more recent years the theatre has focused more on musicals, with Fame, The Rocky Horror Show, Kiss Me Kate, Grease and the Rod Stewart musical all hitting the stage. The current production of Billy Elliot has been running since 2005 to great critical and public acclaim.

Transport

By Tube

Victoria Underground Station is just 100m from the theatre, with access to the District, Circle and the Victoria Lines.

By Train

Victoria Train Station, just 100m from the theatre, serves most of the southern region rail network between London and the South coast and is a central interchange for other transport links.

By Car

The venue is in a central London location so it is advised to use public transport to get to the venue.

By Taxi

There is a taxi rank in front of Victoria Station.

By Bus

Buses 8, 11, 211, 36, 24, 38, 73 and 511 all stop at Victoria bus station which is 100m away.

Accessibility

Number of Steps

There is a 3cm step up through swing doors from the street to the main foyer, where you will find the box office is on the left. Staircases have handrails on both sides and steps are highlighted. There are 4 steps down from the foyer to the stalls auditorium, and 28 steps up from the foyer to the dress circle where there are two steps between rows. Access to the Grand Circle is not suitable for patrons with walking difficulties. There are 15 steps up from the foyer to the dress circle bar, and 15 steps down to the rear stalls bar.

Wheelchair Access

Wheelchair access is via the second exit in Allington Street, which is to the west or left of the theatre; please ask a member of staff to open the door. There are no steps from Allington Street to the back of the stalls. There are two spaces for wheelchairs within the stalls, P36 and M36 with seating for companions in the same row. It is possible to transfer from a wheelchair to any aisle seat and up to four wheelchairs may be stored per performance.

Hearing Systems

There is an infrared system working throughout most of the auditorium with both loop and conventional type headsets. For more details and to book this please contact the box office on 020 7834 1170.

Guide Dogs

Guide dogs and hearing dogs are permitted in the auditorium, and staff can dog sit by prior arrangement. Dogs will be looked after in the manager's office. Some performances are Audio Described.