Apollo Victoria

Apollo Victoria, West End theatre, London. It was one of the few theatres to have been built originally as a cinema, which seated 2,500. Some of the original, oceanic-themed Art Deco interior decoration can still be seen. It was converted into a theatre in 1981, and was greatly altered in 1984 to accommodate the musical Starlight Express by Andrew Lloyd Webber. In order to build the ramps and complex stage and lighting rigs needed for this spectacle—featuring roller skating, special effects, and rock music—much of the auditorium itself was transformed, and the seating capacity was reduced by 1,000. Fortunately for the show’s backers, it became a great success, running for 18 years and 7,406 performances until January 2002. A new Lloyd Webber production Bombay Dreams, in collaboration with Bollywood composer A. R. Rahman, opened later the same year.