A HISTORIC THEATRE REIMAGINED
FOR THE MODEDN AGE
135 Shaftesbury Avenue first opened its doors as the Saville Theatre in 1931. Designed by A E Fournier, it is best known architecturally for the Gilbert Bayes frieze ‘Drama through the Ages’ that runs across the front of the building.
The theatre was successful and attracted the attention of Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, who bought it in 1966 and transformed it into a music venue. In the year before Epstein’s death in 1967, the venue hosted Elton John, The Bee Gees, The Who, Jimmi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Chuck Berry, and of course the Beatles.
In 1969, the venue was home to theatre once more and Cameron Mackintosh staged one of the last live performances in the building’s history.
By the end of 1970, 135 Shaftesbury Avenue had been turned into a cinema and would remain so to the present day.
Yoo Capital acquired 135 Shaftesbury Avenue in October 2021 and immediately set to work on returning the building to its originally intended purpose.
The proposals submitted for the building include a 350-400 seat theatre and restaurant designed for Cirque du Soleil and a 200+ room hotel for citizenM. The designs include a basement extension for the new theatre and a 6 storey addition, plus plant, to the top of the building to house the hotel, with space on top for mechanical plant.
Partners
Cirque du Soleil
Originally composed of 20 street performers in 1984, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group completely reinvented circus arts and went on to become a world leader in live entertainment. Designed to compliment their Royal Albert Hall show, their show at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue will provide a more intimate experience.
Citizen M
citizenM creates ‘luxury affordable’ hotels for the modern traveller. With their new breed of hotel in cities around the world, the 213 room citizenM at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue will be their first in the West End.
Incipio
Incipio is a London-based restaurant group best known for Pergola on the Wharf and the Libertine at the Royal Exchange. Incipio will work with Cirque du Soleil to create a truly unique dining experience.
Consultation
The design of the building has evolved through conversations with residents, local organisations and the local authority since 2021. Between July and September 2023, the project team held a series of consultation events with local residents and shared proposals for a 7-storey addition to the building.
Feedback for the proposed theatre use was positive however concerns were raised about the height and massing of the building.
After listening to residents’ feedback, the project team reviewed the overall design and introduced a small section above the existing building to create a break between the existing and new parts of the building. They also reduced the size of the floors above the fourth additional floor to make the building look smaller from Phoenix Gardens and the surrounding streets. Additional planting was included to soften the appearance of the proposed building.
Support our Application
Support our Application
Support our application to bring live performance back to 135 Shaftesbury Avenue! It takes less than 2 minutes