Private Lives
Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge star in Noel Coward’s classic comedy of manners, as a former couple who find their passion reignited while on holiday. This acclaimed revival, directed by Christopher Luscombe, premiered at Theatre Royal Bath in 2021 and now transfers to London’s Ambassadors Theatre 50 years after Coward’s death in 1973. Enjoy a witty and sharp tale of love, lust and infidelity in the West End from August 2023.
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Booking until 25 November 2023
The Enfield Haunting
Experience chills and thrills as the true story that gripped the nation comes to the stage. Catherine Tate and David Threlfall star in The Enfield Haunting at the Ambassadors Theatre from November 2023. Based on the real-life case of the 1970s Enfield poltergeist, this psychological ghost story is an edge-of-your-seat account based on notes from one of the ghost hunters who investigated the eerie phenomenon. Was it real? Or did two young girls make it all up? Let your imagination run wild and maybe you’ll discover the truth…
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Booking from 30 November 2023 until 2 March 2024
Box Office Contacts
| Box Office: | +44 (0) 20 7395 5405 |
| Access Booking: | +44 (0) 20 7395 5405 |
| Group Booking: | 020 7395 5405 |
| Stage Door: | 020 7395 5401 |
History
The Ambassadors Theatre is relatively young in comparison with other West End theatres, built as part of a pair with the adjacent St Martin’s Theatre. Whilst there were some early productions such as Odds and Ends (1914) and Pell Mell (1916), the rate of producing dwindled during the onset and aftermath of World War I.
After the First World War, a number of performers established their careers on the Ambassador Theatre stage, including Ivor Novello in Debrau (1921), Vivien Leigh in The Mask of Virtue (1935) and Hermione Gingold who starred in If (1921). Following these acclaimed performances, three revue shows took place: Sweet and Low (1943), Sweeter and Lower (1944) and Sweetest and Lowest (1946).
Revue shows defined the early to mid 20th century, until Agatha Christie’s thriller The Mousetrap famously made its world premiere in 1952. The whodunit ran at the Ambassadors Theatre for a hugely impressive 22 years, before transferring across the road to the St Martin's Theatre. The Mousetrap continues to this day, and is the West End's longest-running show.
As the popular play transferred, the venue saw shorter runs of plays such as Journey's End (2005) and musicals such as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2004) and Little Shop of Horrors (2007).
Towards the end of 2007, Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell's ever-popular dance-come-musical Stomp transferred from the Adelphi to the Ambassadors, and over the years smaller shows have run at alternative times, including Broadway musical The Secret Garden (2016) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (2016). The Ambassadors Theatre is also the resident venue for the National Youth Theatre, who have produced productions such as Wuthering Heights (2015) and Private Peaceful (2014).
A variety of productions played limited performances, with The Very Hungry Caterpillar returning in 2017, alongside several National Youth Theatre productions, whilst Stomp continued at the venue.
Following the closure of long-running entertainment show Stomp, the Ambassadors Theatre established its name as a producing house with the transfer of the National Theatre's critically-acclaimed Beginning, followed by a transfer of new musical All or Nothing - The Mod Musical, which moved over from the Arts Theatre. Further productions included a short run of Anthony Horowitz's Mindgame and a transfer of David Haig's critically-acclaimed wartime thriller, Pressure. Joanna Murray-Smith's play Switzerland transferred from the Theatre Royal Bath.
In 2019, Bernadette Robinson's show Songs for Nobodies played at the theatre. From March, the theatre will host the Almeida Theatre transfer of The Twilight Zone, based on the cult TV show. During the summer, the acclaimed production of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 - The Musical transferred to the theatre. The musical is an adaptation of Sue Townsend's best-selling novel. In October, the Ambassadors housed the West End return of Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson's Ghost Stories.
2020 kicked off the with the transfer of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Kunene and the King, written by and starring John Kani, alongside Anthony Sher. The Ambassadors Theatre closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting a new season of work by producer Sonia Friedman on hold.
The Ambassadors Theatre reopened in October 2021 with Edinburgh Fringe hit The Shark is Broken. Jonathan Bailey and Taron Egerton led a revival of Mike Bartlett's play Cock in spring 2022.
The world premiere of Theresa Rebeck's play Mad House took place at the venue in June 2022, starring David Harbour and Bill Pullman.
In December 2022, Liz Kingsman's acclaimed comic play One Woman Show transferred for a six week run after a sold out season at Soho Theatre. In 2023, Rob Madge's joyful autobiographical show My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) played a limited season followed by a dramatisation of Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial and Maureen Lipman in Martin Sherman's Rose. In August 2023, Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge will star in a revival of Noel Coward's Private Lives, followed by Catherine Tate and David Threlfall in The Enfield Haunting.
After the First World War, a number of performers established their careers on the Ambassador Theatre stage, including Ivor Novello in Debrau (1921), Vivien Leigh in The Mask of Virtue (1935) and Hermione Gingold who starred in If (1921). Following these acclaimed performances, three revue shows took place: Sweet and Low (1943), Sweeter and Lower (1944) and Sweetest and Lowest (1946).
Revue shows defined the early to mid 20th century, until Agatha Christie’s thriller The Mousetrap famously made its world premiere in 1952. The whodunit ran at the Ambassadors Theatre for a hugely impressive 22 years, before transferring across the road to the St Martin's Theatre. The Mousetrap continues to this day, and is the West End's longest-running show.
As the popular play transferred, the venue saw shorter runs of plays such as Journey's End (2005) and musicals such as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2004) and Little Shop of Horrors (2007).
Towards the end of 2007, Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell's ever-popular dance-come-musical Stomp transferred from the Adelphi to the Ambassadors, and over the years smaller shows have run at alternative times, including Broadway musical The Secret Garden (2016) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (2016). The Ambassadors Theatre is also the resident venue for the National Youth Theatre, who have produced productions such as Wuthering Heights (2015) and Private Peaceful (2014).
A variety of productions played limited performances, with The Very Hungry Caterpillar returning in 2017, alongside several National Youth Theatre productions, whilst Stomp continued at the venue.
Following the closure of long-running entertainment show Stomp, the Ambassadors Theatre established its name as a producing house with the transfer of the National Theatre's critically-acclaimed Beginning, followed by a transfer of new musical All or Nothing - The Mod Musical, which moved over from the Arts Theatre. Further productions included a short run of Anthony Horowitz's Mindgame and a transfer of David Haig's critically-acclaimed wartime thriller, Pressure. Joanna Murray-Smith's play Switzerland transferred from the Theatre Royal Bath.
In 2019, Bernadette Robinson's show Songs for Nobodies played at the theatre. From March, the theatre will host the Almeida Theatre transfer of The Twilight Zone, based on the cult TV show. During the summer, the acclaimed production of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 - The Musical transferred to the theatre. The musical is an adaptation of Sue Townsend's best-selling novel. In October, the Ambassadors housed the West End return of Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson's Ghost Stories.
2020 kicked off the with the transfer of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Kunene and the King, written by and starring John Kani, alongside Anthony Sher. The Ambassadors Theatre closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting a new season of work by producer Sonia Friedman on hold.
The Ambassadors Theatre reopened in October 2021 with Edinburgh Fringe hit The Shark is Broken. Jonathan Bailey and Taron Egerton led a revival of Mike Bartlett's play Cock in spring 2022.
The world premiere of Theresa Rebeck's play Mad House took place at the venue in June 2022, starring David Harbour and Bill Pullman.
In December 2022, Liz Kingsman's acclaimed comic play One Woman Show transferred for a six week run after a sold out season at Soho Theatre. In 2023, Rob Madge's joyful autobiographical show My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) played a limited season followed by a dramatisation of Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial and Maureen Lipman in Martin Sherman's Rose. In August 2023, Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge will star in a revival of Noel Coward's Private Lives, followed by Catherine Tate and David Threlfall in The Enfield Haunting.
