Renamed in 2018 in honor of the legendary choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne, this West End theatre on Drury Lane was the first London venue to bear the name of a woman. Originally the New London Theatre, it opened in 1973 on the site of a succession of earlier playhouses dating back centuries. The theater is indelibly associated with Cats, which ran here for twenty-one years, and continues to host major musical productions in its distinctive thrust-stage configuration.
Acoustics, seating, and what to expect
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Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line); Leicester Square (Northern Line, Piccadilly Line); Charing Cross (Northern Line, Bakerloo Line)
Plan your visit — dining, transit, and performer resources nearby
Plan Your Visit
Pre-show dining, bars & more for Gillian Lynne Theatre visitors.
Green Room — London
3 practice spaces
Book online through the RCM website. Rates are competitive (£15-25/hour for a room with a grand piano). The RCM building itself — Alfred Waterhouse's 1894 Gothic Revival red-brick — is extraordinary. The Museum of Music in the basement (free) has one of the finest instrument collections in the world.
Public room hire available through the Guildhall website. Rates similar to RCM (£15-25/hour). The Guildhall's Milton Court building (opened 2013) has state-of-the-art rehearsal facilities and a 600-seat concert hall. The Barbican's café is the waiting room.
The Greenwich location is a longer journey from central London (DLR or Overground to Greenwich, 20-25 min from central London), but the facilities and the setting are extraordinary. The Painted Hall and Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College are UNESCO World Heritage sites — worth visiting regardless.
Organization
LW Theatres
Current productions at Gillian Lynne Theatre
Rush, lottery, promo codes, and discount programs for shows at this theatre
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Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line); Leicester Square (Northern Line, Piccadilly Line); Charing Cross (Northern Line, Bakerloo Line)