Shaftesbury Avenue theatres, from the Lyric to the Sondheim

Shaftesbury Avenue is where Soho meets Theatreland, and four of its theatres sit within a few minutes of each other. They were built across barely two decades, from 1888 to 1907. Here they are in order of age, with the practical bits you need before you go.

Lyric Theatre, 29 Shaftesbury Avenue

The oldest survivor on the street. The Lyric opened on 17 December 1888, built for producer Henry Leslie and designed by C. J. Phipps. According to British Theatre, Leslie paid for it from the profits of the light opera Dorothy, and moved that show across to open the new house. It began as an operetta house and drifted towards straight plays. Look up at the Renaissance-style façade.

• Getting there: Piccadilly Circus is about two minutes' walk. Leicester Square is about five.
• Size: somewhere between 900 and 950 seats, depending on whose count you trust.
• Access: wheelchair access is through the Dress Circle Boxes at street level. Go to the main entrance and staff will escort you to the wheelchair entrance on Shaftesbury Avenue. Email access@nimaxtheatres.com.
• Don't confuse it with the Lyric Hammersmith, about three miles west.

Nimax Theatres runs it. Check the theatre's own listings for what is on the stage on the night you book.

Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue

The Apollo opened on 21 February 1901 with the American musical comedy The Belle of Bohemia. Architect Lewin Sharp designed it for owner Henry Lowenfeld, and it was the fourth legitimate theatre built on the avenue. Arthur Lloyd's theatre history says it was first meant to be called the Mascot. It is Grade II listed and Nimax Theatres owns it.

• Getting there: Piccadilly Circus is one to two minutes' walk, Leicester Square about five.
• Size: around 800 seats across four levels, though published figures vary.
• Access: there is an accessible entrance on Shaftesbury Avenue with a platform lift down to the Stalls. The Stalls are not suitable for scooter users. Sources disagree on where the wheelchair spaces are, so confirm with the venue when you book.
• Don't confuse it with the Apollo Victoria near Victoria station, home of Wicked, a good 20 to 30 minutes away.

Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue at Rupert Street

The Gielgud opened on 27 December 1906 as the Hicks Theatre, built for the actor-manager and playwright Seymour Hicks. It opened with the musical play The Beauty of Bath. W.G.R. Sprague designed it in Louis XVI style, and London Theatre Direct notes a circular Regency staircase. It became the Globe in 1909 and took the Gielgud name in 1994, to avoid confusion with Shakespeare's Globe. It is Grade II listed and owned by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres.

• Getting there: Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are both a short walk, around five minutes by one count. Buses 14, 19 and 38 run along the avenue.
• Before you go: doors open 45 minutes before the performance. Arrive early to clear security and have a drink at the bar.
• Access: access hosts are on hand on arrival. Headout says wheelchair users enter the auditorium through the side exit door on Rupert Street, and that the venue is suitable for scooters. Guide dogs are welcome.

Sondheim Theatre, 51 Shaftesbury Avenue

The Gielgud's sister house opened on 8 October 1907 as the Queen's Theatre, ten months after the Hicks. It was also by Sprague, his seventh theatre. It stands at the corner of Wardour Street, a big curved building that, as London Box Office puts it, presents a stern face to the street. Inside, look up at the Edwardian Renaissance-style ceiling. It was bombed in 1940 and reopened in 1959, and was renamed the Sondheim Theatre in 2019. It is Grade II listed and holds 1,137 across three levels.

• Getting there: Piccadilly Circus is about two minutes' walk, Leicester Square about five, Tottenham Court Road about eight. The 14 bus runs by day, with the N19 and N38 at night.
• On stage: Les Misérables, which the venue's own ticket page covers for performance times and running time.
• Access: the access line is 0344 482 5137, and discounts are offered to disabled theatregoers and a companion.

Which door first

For age and ornament, the Lyric. For a proper Edwardian staircase and a drink before curtain, the Gielgud, with doors open 45 minutes ahead. For sheer scale and a ceiling worth craning at, the Sondheim: book a seat in the upper levels and look up before the lights drop.

Read more about the Lyric at Nimax, the Apollo's opening in Arthur Lloyd's history, the Gielgud at Delfont Mackintosh and the Sondheim on WhatsOnStage.