The Victoria Palace Theatre opened in 1911 and was designed by prolific theatre architect Frank Matcham, who also designed the London Palladium and London Coliseum. The Grade II-listed theatre had a unique feature in its original designs – a sliding roof that helped to maintain a cool temperature during the summer. The theatre hosted a varied programme of revues, variety performances and plays throughout much of the 20th century.
In 1982, Hollywood superstar Elizabeth Taylor made her stage debut in the play The Little Foxes at the theatre. Since the late 1980s, the Victoria Palace Theatre has mainly housed large-scale musical productions, including Barnum starring Michael Crawford, High Society, and Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, which ran for over 12 years in the West End.
From 2005-2016, the theatre housed the Olivier Award-winning musical Billy Elliot, which was broadcast live from the theatre to cinemas around the world in 2014.
