Friends excursions: the London Palladium
Behind-the-scenes tour
Wednesday 26 July 2017 11.30am - 1.30pm
Meet in the foyer of the London Palladium, 8 Argyll Street, London W1F
£28
Friends of the RA book first
Booking and attending Friends excursions and events
Join Friends of the RA on this behind-the-scenes tour of the London Palladium covering the social, architectural and performance history of the building.
The London Palladium first opened its doors on Boxing Day 1910, having been designed and built by the renowned theatrical architect, Frank Matcham as the "grandest, most luxurious music hall possible". The Palladium is best known for hosting the Royal Variety Performances of the 1930s and became famous through the televising of Sunday Night at the London Palladium, which began in 1955 hosted by stars such as Bruce Forsyth, Norman Vaughan and Jimmy Tarbuck. The history of performers and productions at the Palladium is a roll call of household names, including Bob Hope, Judy Garland, Tommy Steele and Liza Minnelli along with shows such as The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
On our tour we will get a glimpse of backstage areas, as well as learning about the history of the foyers, bars, working spaces and the auditorium. Since 2005, the theatre has been owned by The Really Useful Theatres Group. At the time of our tour, a new musical based on Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows written by Downton Abbey writer, Julian Fellowes, will be in production.
This event will also take place at the same time on 19 July 2017.