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London Coliseum

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About London Coliseum

The luxurious and historic London Coliseum – sometimes known as the Coliseum Theatre – was originally built in 1905, designed by the famous theatre architect Frank Matcham with the vision of being a grand, extravagant theatre-going experience open to anyone and everyone. For more than 50 years, the London Coliseum has been home to the English National Opera and presents primarily opera and ballet programming. Even after the ENO acquired the Coliseum, the vision of a "people's palace of entertainment" as it was originally conceived never wavered given the ENO’s campaign of openness and affordability. The theatre is also one of the most accessible in London as the first venue built with lifts to the upper levels of seating. Before the ENO took over, the London Coliseum was initially home to decades of variety and musical theatre shows billed as family entertainment to maintain the slogan “For the public good.” Although the grand facade and intricate interior design of the venue is intended to be opulent and elegant, the content within is meant for everyone and has been for well over a century.
  • Fun Facts about the London Coliseum
  • The London Coliseum is considered the largest theatre in London with a total seat count of 2,359. It also includes the widest proscenium arch of all London’s theatres with room for its three stages revolves.
  • The historic theatre still retains many of its original features from 1905, having had two major restorations to preserve its elegance.
  • From 1961 to 1968, the London Coliseum became the Coliseum Cinerama and was used to show motion pictures under the ownership of MGM and Cinerama companies until it reverted back to live performances in 1968.
Notable Shows and Performances: Before the English National Opera became renowned for its UK premieres of Verdi, Stravinsky, Philip Glass, and many others, the London Coliseum was home to the longest-running show in theatrical history at the time – a 1947 production of “Annie Get Your Gun.” It was also used by The Who in 1969 to record a live concert album.
London, WC2N 4ES
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Transportation & Parking

London Coliseum patrons receive a 50% discount at the following Q-Park car parks: Cavendish Square Chinatown (Newport Place) Poland Street Spring Gardens To redeem your discount, please ask the foyer desk at the London Coliseum to validate your car parking ticket and present it to an attendant at your chosen car park. Find out more at the Q-Park website. Bus Routes: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 77a, 88, 91, 139, 159, 176
    Northern
    Piccadilly
    Leicester Square
    Bakerloo
    Charing Cross
    Piccadilly
    Covent Garden
    District
    Circle
    Bakerloo
    Northern
    Embankment

Nearby Points of Interest