London Palladium

London Palladium, West End theatre. There has been an entertainment venue on the Palladium’s site on Argyll Street since 1871, when a circus opened there. It was later rebuilt as an ice-rink, and then a music-hall venue, seating a huge capacity of 2,325, which opened in 1910. The building has been in use ever since, and its Classical façade and much of the elaborate Rococo interior are original. The Palladium, officially the London Palladium since 1934, housed variety performances and revues, before becoming the home of Christmas productions of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie and a number of shows performed by the comedy troupe the Crazy Gang in the 1930s. Since then the theatre has continued to house revue and variety performances, including a number of Royal Variety Shows, pantomimes, and many musicals. Famous shows staged at the theatre have included Barnum (1981) starring Michael Crawford; Singin' in the Rain (1983); a revival of Oliver! by Lionel Bart (1994), which ran for over 1,000 performances making it the Palladium's longest-running musical; Saturday Night Fever (1998); and The King and I (2000). It is operated by Really Useful Theatres.