The Gruffalo's Child
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved picture book The Gruffalo’s Child is adapted into a fun, engaging and magical stage show for children this Christmas. When the Gruffalo’s daughter heads into the deep dark woods, will she run into the Big Bad Mouse her dad warned her about? Songs, audience interaction and an engaging story make this a fantastic show for young children, from the award-winning Tall Stories theatre company. It is at the Garrick Theatre for a limited season, so book now for festive fun!
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Booking until 7 January 2024
Hamnet
Go behind the scenes of Shakespeare’s most personal play in this spellbinding story about the woman who married him, and the son they grieved. Agnes Hathaway takes centre stage in this hotly-anticipated adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s stunning, Women’s Prize-winning novel, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi) and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Hamnet opens at the Garrick Theatre for a limited season this year, direct from a sold-out premiere in Stratford-upon-Avon.
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Booking until 17 February 2024
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy
Ryan Calais Cameron’s Olivier Award-nominated play For Black Boys returns to the West End following its sold-out season in spring 2023. This exhilarating show about six Black men who meet in therapy is a brilliant mix of verse, movement, music and storytelling that has audiences raving and critics handing out 5-star reviews. It has gone from strength to strength, starting at the small New Diorama Theatre, and now plays six weeks at the Garrick Theatre. Book early and do not miss this “landmark” (The Telegraph) production.
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Booking from 29 February 2024 until 4 May 2024
Box Office Contacts
| Box Office: | +44 (0) 330 333 4811 |
| Access Booking: | +44 (0) 330 333 4815 |
| Group Booking: | 0330 333 4811 |
| Stage Door: | 020 7520 5690 |
History
London's Garrick Theatre was the first West End theatre to be named after an actor, opening in April 1889 with The Profligate. Named after acclaimed Shakespeare actor David Garrick, the theatre is built above the underground which means you can occasionally hear trains pass throughout performances. Whilst being built, an underground river was discovered, almost halting the completion of the building.
The Garrick Theatre is best-known for presenting a range of melodramas, comedies and straight plays, including A Pair of Spectacles (1890) which ran at the theatre for five years. The Notorious Mrs Ebbsmith (1895) followed and was considered to be rather controversial for its time, due to themes of social radicalism and free love.
Early notable productions included The Wedding Guest (1900), Water Babies (1902) owner W.S Gilbert’s production The Fairy’s Dilemma (1904) and Love On The Dole (1935). The venue continued throughout the Second World War, with Warn That Man (1941), Aren't Men Beasts (1942), She Follows Me About (1943), Madame Louise (1945) and a later production of Born Yesterday (1947), which was directed by Laurence Olivier.
Later productions featured To Dorothy a Son (1951), a two year run of Fings Ain't Wot They Used T’Be (1960), as well as Ira Levin's thriller Deathtrap (1978-1981), No Sex Please, We’re British (1982) which enjoyed a successful four year run at the theatre. The National Theatre’s An Inspector Calls ran at the theatre for 6 years from 1995.
Moving into the 21st century, shows such as This is Our Youth (2002), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (2006), Bad Girls: the Musical (2007), Treats (2007) starring Billie Piper, The Hurly Burly Show (2011) and Pygmalion (2011). Hit musical Chicago (2012) opened at the theatre, following a 15 year run at various West End venues. There was a brief stint from new musical Loserville (2012), followed by Rock of Ages (2013).
2014-2015 saw a range of productions pass through the theatre, including Martin Shaw in Twelve Angry Men (2013-2014), Horrible Histories (2015), Broadway's The Scottsboro Boys (2015), which transferred from the Young Vic, and Beatles' tribute Let It Be (2015).
Between 2015 and 2016, the Garrick Theatre hosted the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company, who presented a total of five critically-acclaimed shows throughout the course of the year, winning the Lebedev Award at the Evening Standard Awards 2016. Productions included The Winter's Tale, starring Dame Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh, Harlequinade, starring Zoe Wanamaker, Romeo and Juliet, starring Lily James, Richard Madden and later Freddie Fox, The Painkiller, starring Rob Brydon and The Entertainer, starring Kenneth Branagh.
Political thriller This House rounded off 2016, playing in rep with children's show Potted Panto. 2017 saw Griff Rhys Jones, Lee Mack and Mathew Horne star in The Miser, followed by comedy sensation Tape Face and the stage adaptation of David Walliams' novel Gangsta Granny. Birmingham Stage Company's Horrible Histories - More Best of Barmy Britain delighted 2017 summer audiences, followed by the European premiere of Mel Brooks' Broadway musical comedy, Young Frankenstein.
2018 saw Young Frankenstein come to a close, and stand-up show Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room enjoy a limited run. The RSC's production of Don Quixote arrived at the venue, starring David Threlfall and Rufus Hound.
In 2019 jukebox musical Rip It Up: The '60s, starring Harry Judd of McFly and Olympian Louis Smith played, alongside Adam Kay's award-winning stand-up show This is Going to Hurt - Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, which continues to play select performances through 2020. In June, new David Mamet play Bitter Wheat played at the theatre for a limited summer engagement, starring legendary actor John Malkovich. In the summer, science entertainment show Brainiac Live! delighted young and old in matinee shows.
In September 2019, classic British farce Noises Off, starring Meera Syal, Daniel Rigby, Lloyd Owen and Sarah Hadland, transferred to the Garrick after an acclaimed run at the Lyric Hammersmith. In January 2020, Adam Kay returned to the Garrick with for six performances of This is Going to Hurt. Following this, comedian Frank Skinner brought his hugely successful stand-up show, Showbiz to the venue for a strictly limited five-week run.
In March 2020 a revival of the musical City of Angels began performances but was forced to close early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Garrick Theatre reopened with a season of socially-distanced shows, including Death Drop, Potted Panto and dance extravaganza Here Come the Boys.
During the summer of 2021, a musical adaptation of David Walliams' Billionaire Boy opened at the theatre. Jason Robert Brown's acclaimed musical The Last Five Years transferred to the theatre in September.
The London premiere of the brand new musical The Drifters Girl, starring Beverley Knight, opened in November 2021 and closed in October 2022. The Horrible Histories gang brought their latest show to the West End, Terrible Tudors, for a run of performances during the 2022 summer holidays, followed by Rob Madge's acclaimed autobiographical show My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) and drag murder mystery Death Drop: Back in the Habit. In December 2022 an exciting new version of Virginia Woolf's Orlando opened at the Garrick starring Emma Corrin. Cult hit musical Bonnie & Clyde followed in March 2023, and Eddie Izzard - Great Expectations until July. Over summer 2023 The Crown Jewels starring Al Murray, and Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors played at the venue, followed by a transfer of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Hamnet in September and The Gruffalo's Child in December.
In 2024, Olivier Award-nominated play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide returns to the West End for a six-week season at the Garrick Theatre.
The Garrick Theatre is best-known for presenting a range of melodramas, comedies and straight plays, including A Pair of Spectacles (1890) which ran at the theatre for five years. The Notorious Mrs Ebbsmith (1895) followed and was considered to be rather controversial for its time, due to themes of social radicalism and free love.
Early notable productions included The Wedding Guest (1900), Water Babies (1902) owner W.S Gilbert’s production The Fairy’s Dilemma (1904) and Love On The Dole (1935). The venue continued throughout the Second World War, with Warn That Man (1941), Aren't Men Beasts (1942), She Follows Me About (1943), Madame Louise (1945) and a later production of Born Yesterday (1947), which was directed by Laurence Olivier.
Later productions featured To Dorothy a Son (1951), a two year run of Fings Ain't Wot They Used T’Be (1960), as well as Ira Levin's thriller Deathtrap (1978-1981), No Sex Please, We’re British (1982) which enjoyed a successful four year run at the theatre. The National Theatre’s An Inspector Calls ran at the theatre for 6 years from 1995.
Moving into the 21st century, shows such as This is Our Youth (2002), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (2006), Bad Girls: the Musical (2007), Treats (2007) starring Billie Piper, The Hurly Burly Show (2011) and Pygmalion (2011). Hit musical Chicago (2012) opened at the theatre, following a 15 year run at various West End venues. There was a brief stint from new musical Loserville (2012), followed by Rock of Ages (2013).
2014-2015 saw a range of productions pass through the theatre, including Martin Shaw in Twelve Angry Men (2013-2014), Horrible Histories (2015), Broadway's The Scottsboro Boys (2015), which transferred from the Young Vic, and Beatles' tribute Let It Be (2015).
Between 2015 and 2016, the Garrick Theatre hosted the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company, who presented a total of five critically-acclaimed shows throughout the course of the year, winning the Lebedev Award at the Evening Standard Awards 2016. Productions included The Winter's Tale, starring Dame Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh, Harlequinade, starring Zoe Wanamaker, Romeo and Juliet, starring Lily James, Richard Madden and later Freddie Fox, The Painkiller, starring Rob Brydon and The Entertainer, starring Kenneth Branagh.
Political thriller This House rounded off 2016, playing in rep with children's show Potted Panto. 2017 saw Griff Rhys Jones, Lee Mack and Mathew Horne star in The Miser, followed by comedy sensation Tape Face and the stage adaptation of David Walliams' novel Gangsta Granny. Birmingham Stage Company's Horrible Histories - More Best of Barmy Britain delighted 2017 summer audiences, followed by the European premiere of Mel Brooks' Broadway musical comedy, Young Frankenstein.
2018 saw Young Frankenstein come to a close, and stand-up show Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room enjoy a limited run. The RSC's production of Don Quixote arrived at the venue, starring David Threlfall and Rufus Hound.
In 2019 jukebox musical Rip It Up: The '60s, starring Harry Judd of McFly and Olympian Louis Smith played, alongside Adam Kay's award-winning stand-up show This is Going to Hurt - Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, which continues to play select performances through 2020. In June, new David Mamet play Bitter Wheat played at the theatre for a limited summer engagement, starring legendary actor John Malkovich. In the summer, science entertainment show Brainiac Live! delighted young and old in matinee shows.
In September 2019, classic British farce Noises Off, starring Meera Syal, Daniel Rigby, Lloyd Owen and Sarah Hadland, transferred to the Garrick after an acclaimed run at the Lyric Hammersmith. In January 2020, Adam Kay returned to the Garrick with for six performances of This is Going to Hurt. Following this, comedian Frank Skinner brought his hugely successful stand-up show, Showbiz to the venue for a strictly limited five-week run.
In March 2020 a revival of the musical City of Angels began performances but was forced to close early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Garrick Theatre reopened with a season of socially-distanced shows, including Death Drop, Potted Panto and dance extravaganza Here Come the Boys.
During the summer of 2021, a musical adaptation of David Walliams' Billionaire Boy opened at the theatre. Jason Robert Brown's acclaimed musical The Last Five Years transferred to the theatre in September.
The London premiere of the brand new musical The Drifters Girl, starring Beverley Knight, opened in November 2021 and closed in October 2022. The Horrible Histories gang brought their latest show to the West End, Terrible Tudors, for a run of performances during the 2022 summer holidays, followed by Rob Madge's acclaimed autobiographical show My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) and drag murder mystery Death Drop: Back in the Habit. In December 2022 an exciting new version of Virginia Woolf's Orlando opened at the Garrick starring Emma Corrin. Cult hit musical Bonnie & Clyde followed in March 2023, and Eddie Izzard - Great Expectations until July. Over summer 2023 The Crown Jewels starring Al Murray, and Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors played at the venue, followed by a transfer of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Hamnet in September and The Gruffalo's Child in December.
In 2024, Olivier Award-nominated play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide returns to the West End for a six-week season at the Garrick Theatre.
