Opening Night

Opening Night tickets
BAFTA and Olivier Award winner Sheridan Smith returns to the West End in the world premiere of this new musical, directed by Tony Award winner Ivo van Hove and with songs by Rufus Wainwright. Smith, best known for her roles in The Royle Family on television and Funny Girl on stage, plays a troubled theatre star who is haunted by tragedy as her new Broadway play is about to open. Opening Night, based on John Cassavetes’ film, plays at the Gielgud Theatre for a strictly limited season.
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Booking until 27 July 2024

Box Office Contacts

Box Office:+44 (0) 844 482 5151
Access Booking:+44 (0) 344 482 5137
Group Booking:0344 482 5100
Stage Door:020 7292 1320

History

Originally named the Hicks Theatre in honour of actor, manager and playwright Seymour Hicks, the venue opened in 1906 as a pair with the Queen's Theatre. Later, the building was renamed the Globe Theatre and then the Gielgud Theatre in 1997, in honour of actor John Gielgud.

First opening with Hicks' musical The Beauty of Bath (1906), the theatre has housed countless successful productions, establishing its name as one of the most prolific playhouses in the West End. Early productions included operetta A Waltz Dream (1908), Noel Coward's Fallen Angels (1925), The Improper Duchess (1931), starring Yvonne Arnaud, The Importance of Being Earnest (1939), starring and directed by John Gielgud, The Lady's Not for Burning (1949), with Richard Burton in a supporting role and A Man for All Seasons (1960), starring Paul Scofield, amongst many more.

Throughout the late 20th century, the venue hosted productions such as A Season of Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage (1976), The Rear Column (1978), starring Jeremy Irons, Noel Coward's Design for Living (1982), starring Vanessa Redgrave and a long run of Daisy Pulls It Off (1983). In 1987, Maggie Smith starred in Lettuce and Loveage, Alan Ayckbourn's Man of the Moment premiered in 1990 and Design for Living was revived in 1995, starring Rachel Weisz.

The Gielgud steadily began to expand, housing musicals as well as short-running plays. Denise Van Outen starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tell Me on a Sunday (2003), followed by Judi Dench in the RSC's All's Well That Ends Well (2004), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (2004), starring Mackenzie Crook, Don Carlos (2005), starring Derek Jacobi, and Catherine Tate and David Schwimmer in Some Girls (2005).

Further notable productions include the heralded Equus (2007), starring Daniel Radcliffe, Macbeth (2007), starring Patrick Stewart, Tamsin Greig and Ralph Fiennes in God of Carnage (2008), Bill Bailey's Tinselworm (2008) and Alison Steadman in Alan Bennett's Enjoy (2009). Hit musicals Avenue Q (2009) and Hair (2010) followed. Other major productions include Yes, Prime Minister (2010), with David Haig, The Ladykillers (2011) and the award-winning Chariots of Fire (2012).

In 2013, Helen Mirren starred in an acclaimed production of The Audience, following on from her lauded performance in blockbuster The Queen. Noel Coward's Private Lives (2013) followed, starring Anna Chancellor and Toby Stephens, which was then replaced with a stage adaptation of Strangers on a Train (2013), starring Laurence Fox. 2014 saw Angela Lansbury return to the stage in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit.

Following a balcony collapse at the Apollo Theatre, the National Theatre's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time transferred to the Gielgud Theatre in 2014, where it continued to play until June 2017. Following this, Jez Butterworth's The Ferryman landed at the venue, fresh from a sold-out run at the Royal Court, directed by Sam Mendes.

After extending to May 2018, The Ferryman transferred to Broadway, and was replaced by the RSC's thrilling two-part play Imperium. Imperium I: Conspirator and Imperium II: Dictator play in rep, followed by a revival of Stephen Sondheim's Company, starring Patti LuPone and Rosalie Craig.

In June 2019, Lynn Nottage's play Sweat transferred from the Donmar Warehouse for a limited 50 performance run. In August, long-running show Les Miserables played for sixteen weeks whilst its home, the newly-named Sondheim Theatre, underwent refurbishment. The production was a fully-staged concert edition, starring Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Carrie Hope Fletcher, and Matt Lucas.

Conor McPherson's The Girl From the North Country returned to the West End at the Gielgud Theatre in December 2019, following a successful run in North America. The play features the music of Bob Dylan. In February, Ben Elton adapted his critically acclaimed Shakespearean sitcom, Upstart Crow for the stage, starring comedian David Mitchell and Gemma Whelan.

The stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel's conclusion of her Wolf Hall trilogy, The Mirror and the Light premiered at the theatre in September 2021. Supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story played at the Gielgud over the festive period.

The highly anticipated transfer of the Broadway smash-hit production To Kill a Mockingbird opened at the theatre in March 2022, starring Rhys Ifans. The planned premiere of this production was delayed from March 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It closed in May 2023.

In June 2023, the National Theatre's acclaimed revival of The Crucible, directed by Lyndsey Turner, transferred to the theatre for a limited season. All-star tribute concert Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends ran from September 2023 to January 2024, featuring Bernadette PetersLea Salonga and more musical theatre names.

In 2024, Sheridan Smith stars in the world premiere of new musical Opening Night, directed by Ivo van Hove and with songs by Rufus Wainwright.

Past Shows

Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
(closed 6 Jan 2024)
The Crucible
The Crucible
(closed 2 Sep 2023)
To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill A Mockingbird
(closed 20 May 2023)

 
2:22 A Ghost Story
2:22 A Ghost Story
(closed 12 Feb 2022)
The Mirror and the Light
The Mirror and the Light
(closed 28 Nov 2021)
Upstart Crow
Upstart Crow
(closed 25 Apr 2020)

 
Girl From The North Country
Girl From The North Country
(closed 1 Feb 2020)
Sweat
Sweat
(closed 20 Jul 2019)

 
Company
Company
(closed 30 Mar 2019)
Imperium I: Conspirator
Imperium I: Conspirator
(closed 8 Sep 2018)
Imperium II: Dictator
Imperium II: Dictator
(closed 8 Sep 2018)