Theatre History: Cambridge Theatre
by admin on 26/04/10 at 9:44 am
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre based in Camden, London and is set facing the Seven Dials. Work on the theatre was completed in 1930 and the design is notable for its simple clean lines and modern Germanic expressionist style. Concealed lighting and flashes of bright colour made the Cambridge Theatre a sophisticated new theatre venue.
The circular entrance foyer is decorated by bronze friezes which depict a variety of nude figures in exercise poses and were designed by sculptor Anthony Gibbons Grinling.
In 1950 the theatre was refurbished and the beautiful silver and gold decor was painted over in a garish red and a number of chandeliers were added, but this was thankfully rectified in 1987when the original decor was restored by Carl Toms.
The Cambridge Theatre has had a varied history of productions with a history of fairly short running productions and several dark periods. The theatre was also used as a venue for trade films shows towards the end of the 1930s and was also used in 1969 as a cinema.
Shows at the cinema have included Breath of Spring, starring Joan Sims, in 1958, Half a Sixpence starring Tommy Steele in 1963 and Little Me, starring Bruce Forsyth, in 1964.
The theatre had longer runs with Return to the Forbidden Planet, a musical based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which ran from 1989 to 1991, and won the Olivier award for Best New Musical.
Cambridge Theatre has also been home to more modern productions including the rather controversial Jerry Springer – The Opera which ran from 2003 until 2005 and Derren Brown’s Something Wicked This Way Comes illusionary show.
The current show at the Cambridge Theatre is the American musical Chicago which is massively popular on both Broadway and in the West End and is currently celebrating more than 10 years on the stage.