London Palladium, Grade II* listed theatre in Soho, London, United Kingdom
The London Palladium is a Grade II* theatre on Argyll Street in Soho, designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910, with an auditorium holding 2,286 people. Its pale stone facade has a triangular pediment topped by a statue group, four fluted columns with ornate gold capitals, and three arched openings; a canopy with a row of small yellow lamps and illuminated screens showing performers sits above the dark entrance.
The building opened in the early 20th century as a variety theatre, later shifting to musicals and large events. In the 1950s and 1960s, television broadcasts made the house known throughout Britain.
The name comes from the Palladium, a statue of Pallas Athena believed to protect cities, not from architect Andrea Palladio. The theatre is known for the Crazy Gang revues, which began in 1935 with Life Begins at Oxford Circus and ran annually until 1940. Heritage Foundation plaques at the building honour Lew Grade and Frankie Vaughan.
The entrance is on Argyll Street, a short walk from Oxford Circus station on the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines. The auditorium seats 2,286 across several tiers, so upper-level seats sit far from the stage. Evening performances are the norm; arrive ahead of curtain to settle in.
On stage in 1963 stood a group of young musicians from Liverpool, whose appearance marked the start of a cultural phenomenon later known as Beatlemania. During the Second World War, a bomb hit the building but did not explode and had to be defused by a specialist team.
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