Coliseum

Coliseum, West End theatre situated in St Martin’s Lane, London. The Coliseum opened in 1904 as a music-hall venue capable of seating an audience of 2,358, the largest capacity in the West End. It was unpopular at first, perhaps because of its advertised ethos of providing entertainment pro bono publico (for the public good)—without the “vulgarity” often associated with the genre. This policy was later abandoned, and many of the popular stars of the day performed at the Coliseum, including Vesta Tilley and Harry Lauder, along with a wide range of variety acts. In 1909 Sergei Diaghilev refused a request for his Ballets Russes company to perform at the Coliseum, because he did not feel that the venue had a serious enough reputation in order to present his work. However, by 1918 the Coliseum’s fortunes and repertoire had changed, and the Ballets Russes performed one of a number of seasons there. Other famous performers to have appeared at the Coliseum include Sarah Bernhardt and Ellen Terry. The exterior of the Coliseum is notable for the spinning globe that features on its roof.

The Coliseum was the first theatre to have a revolving stage. Throughout the 1940s it housed mainly musical theatre and in 1961 it became a cinema for a while. Since 1968 it has been the resident theatre of the English National Opera company, their opening production being Mozart’s Don Giovanni. The theatre underwent a major restoration in 2003, and reopened in February 2004 with Rhinegold by Richard Wagner.