Shaftesbury Avenue's oldest theatre was opened in 1888, just two years after the street itself was completed. An indistinct red brick building, it lacks the grandeur of the neighbouring Gielgud and Apollo, but has a charm and unassuming beauty that are all its own. The auditorium is also unconventional, with u-shaped balconies offering fine unrestricted views and bringing the audience closer to the action than in many large theatres. Though designed as a home for comic opera, the Lyric's major successes have been with serious drama. The Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson partnership had one of its first major successes in 1989 with Osborne's Look Back in Anger. Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus premiered here, starring Alec Guinness and with Bennett in drag as Mrs Swabb, the cleaning lady. Other successes include the premier of Alan Ayckbourn's How the Other Half Loves (1973) and high-energy musical Five Guys Named Moe.
What's on at
Lyric Shaftesbury Avenue
Thriller - Live 2nd January 2009 - 3rd January 2010 Michael Jackson's untimely death may have propelled this musical into...
Thriller - Live
Lyric Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES
Until 3rd January 2010
Michael Jackson's untimely death may have propelled this musical into orbit; Thriller - Live became a... More
Discover the newly refurbished Shaftesbury Hotel in the heart of London's Theatreland. Each of the 62 fully air-conditioned bedrooms boasts luxury fittings, state of the ...More
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This
was once a sleazy Soho strip club, as the name suggests, and it really
shows. Deep reds are the dominant colour, with mirrors, booths and
velvet curtains ... More
A favourite with young royals - Princes Harry and William, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have been spotted here... all at the same time. And where ... More
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Michael Jackson's untimely death may have propelled this musical into orbit; Thriller - Live became a tribute show overnight with the obvious decision that the ... More
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Shaftesbury Avenue's oldest theatre was opened in 1888, just two years after the street itself was completed. An indistinct red brick building, it lacks the grandeur of the neighbouring 
![English [Out There!]](/lycos/assets/MN089802_85x142.jpg "English [Out There!]")
