Dominion Theatre
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| Dominion Theatre | |
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| Dominion Theatre, 2003 during We Will Rock You | |
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| Designation | Listed Building Grade II |
| Architect | W & TR Milburn |
| Owned by | Nederlander & Live Nation |
| Capacity | 2,163 on 2 levels |
| Type | West End theatre |
| Opened | 1930, as cinema |
| Production | We Will Rock You |
| www.dominiontheatrelondon.org.uk | |
| Coordinates: | |
The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Tottenham Court Road close to St Giles' Circus and Centre Point Tower, in the London Borough of Camden. The building was built in 1928-29, designed by W and TR Milburn with a steel-framed construction and a concave Portland stone facade[1], and became a cinema in 1930. It is no longer used for film premières, and now mainly hosts live stage shows and concerts. It has a seating capacity of 2,182 in two tiers of galleries. The theatre retains its 1920s light fittings.
Tangerine Dream's album Logos was recorded there in 1982, and contains a tune called "Dominion" in tribute.
In the mid 1980s the Dominion hosted the musical Time, which required gutting and reconstructing the theatre to accommodate the show's groundbreaking effects.
Since the early 1990s the venue has played host to a unique version of Jesus Christ Superstar, David Ian and Paul Nicholas' new production of Grease, Scrooge The Musical, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, a return of Grease, and Notre Dame de Paris among others. Bernadette The Musical, written by Maureen and Gwyn Hughes, also enjoyed a short run in 1990.
In 2002, the hit stage musical We Will Rock You, based on the songs of Queen, created by Queen guitarist Brian May and British comedian Ben Elton opened. The show was due to close in October 2006 before embarking on a UK tour, but due to popular demand has been extended indefinitely.
On Sundays, Hillsong London holds three (or more) church services throughout the day there.
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[edit] Ownership
The Dominion has had a variety of owners during its history. It has been operated by The Rank Organisation and Apollo Leisure from 1988 to 1999. In 1999 Apollo Leisure was taken over by SFX Entertainment and in 2001 SFX Entertainment was bought by Clear Channel Entertainment, part of the US based multinational. It is now part of Live Nation - ClearChannel's entertainments spin-off organisation.
[edit] Recent and present productions
- Jackie Mason: Brand New! (22 March 1993 - 24 March 1993) by Jackie Mason
- Grease (15 July 1993 - 19 October 1996) by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
- Scrooge (12 November 1996 - 1 February 1997) by Leslie Bricusse
- Disney's Beauty and the Beast (13 May 1997 - 11 December 1999) by Howard Ashman, Alan Menken, Tim Rice and Linda Woolverton
- Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake (7 February 2000 - 11 March 2000) by Matthew Bourne
- Tango Passion (21 March 2000 - 23 March 2000) by Hector Zaraspe
- Notre-Dame de Paris (23 May 2000 - 6 October 2001) by Richard Cocciante and Luc Plamondon
- Grease (22 October 2001 - 3 November 2001) by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
- We Will Rock You (14 May 2002 - ) by Queen and Ben Elton
[edit] Nearby Tube Stations
[edit] References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008) |
- ^ English Heritage listing details accessed 28 Apr 2007
- Guide to British Theatres 1750-1950, John Earl and Michael Sell pp. 106-7 (Theatres Trust, 2000) ISBN 0-7136-5688-3
