The Prince of Wales Theatre was originally named the Prince’s Theatre when it opened in 1884, but soon changed its name two years later after the future Edward VII. It was built by C.J Phipps who opened the building for actor-manager Edgar Bruce and was the home to many popular productions such as George Edwardes’ In Town (1892) and A Gaiety Girl (1893) and Ivor Novello’s The Rat in 1924. The Prince of Wales Theatre was extremely popular due to its excellent location, sandwiched between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, and in 1937 the theatre was demolished so it could build a larger seating capacity.

With a larger stage and room for 300 more audience members, the new Prince of Wales Theatre opened in October of 1937 and hosted many more successful productions. The theatre also sometimes screened movie premieres such as Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator in 1941, a controversial film that was banned in parts of Europe, resulting in the theatre’s owner at the time being fined for the screening.

The 1950s was an interesting decade for the Prince of Wales Theatre as it hosted numerous variety shows which saw the likes of Norman Wisdom, Morecambe and Wise, Bob Hope and Benny Hill grace the stage with their talents. The theatre was also home to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love a few decades later which ran for over 1,300 performances and at the time, became the longest-running show at the Prince of Wales.

Today, the Prince of Wales Theatre is home to ABBA jukebox musical, Mamma Mia! which has been showing since 2004 and overtook Aspects of Love‘s previous record by becoming the longest-running show ever at the venue.

At Prince of Wales Theatre.org we provide a guide to the current show, Mamma Mia!, including reviews, videos and an outline of the story. We also detail the location of the theatre with a map of the area included, and show information on how to purchase Mamma Mia! tickets, seating plans, and details on hotels and restaurants near the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Coventry Street
London
United Kingdom
W1D 6AS