Opened 11 Mar 1882. Damaged in 1905 during re-building by the collapse of the roof of Charing Cross. Re-opened 1907. 790 seats. Closed May 1996 when run by Ray Cooneybut re-opened early 1997 under new owner (Patrick Suleimn). Closed for refurbishment Jan to Jun 97. Society of London Theatre member. Jan 2003 - Bought by Ted Tulchin and his brother Norman. It is hoped that the new owners will be successful in re-instating the venue as a major host of high-profile productions. Mar 2003 Ted and Norman Tulchin have signed a management agreement with Ambassador Theatre Group.
Inspired by the albums, Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfieldpresent Dreamboats and Petticoats The Musical, written by Marks and Gran, the team behind Goodnight Sweetheart, Birds Of A Feather and Shine On Harvey Moon, will give you the greatest time of your life - taking you back to a time when each passing week brought another classic track.
In 1961 emotions run high as young musicians Norman and Bobby compete to win a national song writing competition – and, more importantly, the attention of the gorgeous Sue! But when Bobby discovers that shy Laura is no slouch on the piano, love and rock 'n' roll fame beckons...
Dreamboats and Petticoats features classic tracks from Eddie Cochran, Billy Fury, Roy Orbison, and The Shadows with song including Let's Dance, To Know Him Is To Love Him, Shaking All Over, Bobby's Girl, Three Steps To Heaven, Little Town Flirt, Only Sixteen, Runaround Sue, Happy Birthday Sweet 16, Let It Be Me, Great Pretender, C'mon Everybody and Let's Twist Again.
The dazzling success of the first three Dreamboats and Petticoats CD’s, with over 2 million copies sold and several weeks at the number one spot in the compilation charts, the Great British public were saying that they didn't just want to listen they wanted to see it as well. The Dreamboats and Petticoats tour opened at The Churchill Theatre in Bromley in February 2009 to rave critical reviews and widespread audience acclaim. Dreamboats and Petticoats London opened at the Savoy Theatrein June 2009 before transferring to the Playhouse Theatre where it is still playing to packed houses. Written by written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran the original West End cast included Ben Freeman and Scott Bruton. Whatsonstage.com have some great cheap Dreamboats and Petticoats tickets so put on your dancing shoes and go back to a more innocent era!
It has become traditional to use the plethora of ticket offers in Jan / Feb to revisit a favourite long-runner or to catch ‘one that got away’. I’d pigeonholed this one as ‘coach parties & tourists’ and hence to be avoided – even if the Telegraph’s Charles Spencer (a man of a certain age and notorious enemy of jukebox musicals) loved it.
It’s set in 1961, a few years before my personal musical awakening, featuring songs of that period. There’s a teenage love story to link them together, written by TV’s Marks & Gran no less, which is surprisingly charming and funny. It’s a real nostalgiafest – tizer, waggon wheels, Juke Box Jury, love bites & brylcreem - but never takes itself seriously. Fifty years on, 1961 seems rather cool.
Given how long its been running, the big surprise is the freshness and enthusiasm with which it’s performed. The onstage band (with two girl saxophonists!) is excellent and all of the young cast sing and dance for their lives. The production values are good (design Sean Cavanagh, lighting Mark Howett, sound Ben Harrison) , Bob Thomson’s staging very effectively and there’s some great choreography from Carole Todd. The audience is of course of a certain age (it was refreshing to bring the average age down for once) and you can hear them singing along in the second half and see them dancing in the aisles at the end. I have to say that even though life would go on without it, seeing it was a rather pleasant surprise – and no animals were harmed in staging it. - Gareth James
08 Feb 11
Great songs but most of the actors looked terribly bored and were on autopilot The worst was Scott Bruton. It's a pity becayse with a more enthusiastic cast this could be a great show. - Paul Barrington
05 Jun 10
Brilliant!!!
I saw this on Thursday night and loved it.
It made me remember how confusing and exciting being a teenager in love was.
Great people, great singing, great dancing. The big numbers at the end are worth seeing alone, when you couple them with the whole package it is great value for money and a superb night out in town.
Well done guys and gals - Paul Barrington
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