The Gielgud Theatre first opened in in 1906 and was designed by W. G. R. Sprague in the Louis XVI style of architecture. It was originally named the Hicks Theatre in honour of the actor, manager and playwright Seymour Hicks, but was renamed the Globe Theatre in 1909 and finally as the Gielgud Theatre in 1994, when construction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre began.
During its time as the Globe Theatre, the venue had a resident cat named Beerbohm, who was known for attacking props and occasionally wondering onto the stage during performances. Beerbohm was so popular that when he died in 1995, he became the only cat to receive a front-page obituary in The Stage.
The Gielgud Theatre has a capacity of 994 and is typically used for short runs of plays and musicals. Many famous directors and actors have worked at the theatre, including its namesake John Gielgud, who directed and starred in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in 1939. Other notable productions include Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart and Equus starring Daniel Radcliffe, both in 2007 and The Ferryman by acclaimed playwright Jez Butterworth in 2017.
