History of the Criterion *

 

1870

A new circus comes to town

Having demolished the White Bear, a 17th century inn, Thomas Verity (Victorian entrepreneur) builds a new development called Regent’s Circus – complete with a music hall.

1874 Our very first ‘First Night’

March 21st to be exact, with a programme including H J Byron’s An American Lady and Topseyturveydom, a piece by W S Gilbert – one half of the famous light-operatic duo Gilbert & Sullivan.

1875

Actor-Manager (and trained surgeon) Charles Wyndham arrives and swiftly establishes the Cri as one of London’s leading comedy venues before leaving to establish the nearby Wyndham’s Theatre in 1899.

 

1880

The ‘electric’ eighteen-eighties

As electricity replaces gas in London’s street lamps, TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) enjoy a performance of Fourteen Days in March 1882. A year later, the Metropolitan Board of Works closes the gas-lit Cri as a fire risk, prompting the proprietors to carry out extensive alterations.

1884

The Cri reopens with all risk of fire removed, electric lights and air-conditioning, including a skylight originally installed in the Criterion Dining Room.

1888

Charles Wyndham delights audiences with 152 performances as famous thespian David Garrick in the play of the same name.

 

1890

Life in the naughty nineties

Oscar Wilde sports a decadent green carnation at the nearby Café Royal, Sir Alfred Gilbert RA creates the bronze sculpture Anteros – better know to the world as ‘Eros’ and still proudly plucking his bow atop the Shaftesbury Memorial fountain in Piccadilly Circus.

1896

Charles Wyndham celebrates 20 glorious years at the Cri.

 

1910

Doing our bit for the boys

In a decade dominated by the Great War, playwright Walter W Ellis does his bit to raise the spirits by bringing A Little Bit of Fluff to the Cri for a three-year, 1,241 performance run.

 

1920

Racing through the Roaring Twenties

As the Bright Young Things declare Piccadilly a permanent ‘party zone’ bright lights arrive in the form of electric billboards on the London Pavilion, first turned on in 1926 – and still a dazzling sight for audiences attending the Cri by night in the 21st century.

 

1930

Depression? What depression?

In a decade overshadowed by economic crises and the shadow of war, the Cri refuses to surrender to depression.

1932

John Gielgud (not yet a ‘Sir’) opens in Musical Chairs.

1936-1939

Rattigan takes the stage Playwright Terence Rattigan launches a glittering career with French Without Tears – a West End smash for three years.

 

1940

We interrupt this performance to bring you the Blitz

The Cri remains ‘dark’ for the duration of World War II, requisitioned by the BBC as a subterranean radio studio.

 

1950

Waiting for who?

As a bruised but unbroken London dusts itself off after the war, 1955 sees the Criterion at the heart of the postwar theatre movement with a production of Samuel Beckett’s iconic, absurdist play Waiting For Godot.

 

1960

London swings in the age of Kitchen sinks

The swinging sixties bring a series of classic productions to the Cri, including kitchen sink dramas and a controversially camp Joe Orton Classic.

1961

John Mortimer’s Lunch Hour, NF Simpson’s The Form and A Slight Ache by Harold Pinter light up the boards – stars include Emlyn Williams, Richard Briers and Wendy Craig.

1963

An adaption of A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch runs for over 1000 performances.

1966

Michael Bates and Kenneth Cranham camp things up in Joe Orton’s Loot – the Evening Standard’s Play of the Year.

 

1970

1972

A brush with bureaucrats The great and the good of the British Theatre – including John Gielgud, Diana Rigg, Warren Mitchell (pictured) and many others save the Cri from threatened ‘redevelopment’ by the Greater London Council.

 

1980

1981 – 1983 Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

Alfred Molina, Maggie Steed and Sylvester McCoy bring Dario Fo’s chaotic farce Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! to hilarious life.

1983 – 1989

What a Farce! And was there ever a better or longer-running farce than Ray Cooney’s Run For Your Wife – stars included Bernard Cribbins, Patrick Mower, Ernie Wise, Aimi Macdonald and Una Stubbs.

 

1990

1992

Sally Greene sets up the Criterion Theatre Trust to safeguard the Cri’s future. The Trust oversees a complete restoration, commissioning Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to refurbish the auditorium and front of house.

1995

1995 Taking Sides by Ronald Harwood transfers from The Chichester Festival Theatre. Directed by Harold Pinter.

 

2000

1996-2005 The Bard and the Bible

The Reduced Shakespeare Company delights audiences for almost a decade with their wonderfully concise versions of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) and History of America and the Bible (abridged).

2006 A six year theatrical Hitch

Alfred Hitchcock provides the inspiration and Maria Aitkin the direction for Patrick Barlow’s stage adaptation of The 39 Steps – a marvelously inventive evening of comically-tinged suspense.

 

2010

2011

Like every long running production, the Cri introduces a cast of new characters as Stephen Fry arrives as Chairman of the Trustees.

“I couldn’t be more proud and pleased to take over the chair vacated by the inimitable Lord Attenborough. Between them he and Sally Greene have ensured that one of the absolute jewels of the West End is in a marvellous position to grow and flourish into the 21st Century. I am insanely excited and honoured to take up this new position.”

2015

The 39 Steps ends it’s run just shy of it’s ninth birthday. Not quite a record breaker - but what a phenomenal run!

2016

The Cri welcomes Mischief Theatre Company with the world premiere of their new play ‘The Comedy About A Bank Robbery’. Hot from the success of their ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ and Olivier Award winning ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’.

 

2020 - 2021

The year that did not go as planned as, alongside our fellow theatres, we cancelled performances and closed our doors on 16th March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The Comedy About A Bank Robbery's last performance on the 15th March 2020 ended it's hugely successful run of four years - 1682 performances and 1682 thefts of that diamond!

We were very grateful for the Arts Council assistance through The Cultural Recovery Fund during this period.

We re-opened on 20th May 2021 with the  heart warming production of Amélie.  Socially distanced and at 50% capacity we removed every other row from the Stalls, served drinks at seats and operated a one way system around the theatre.  Gradually as restrictions eased we ended the run on the 26th September 2021 to a full house standing ovation. We were back!

2021 - 2025

The post pandemic years saw a number of shorter runs of productions including Olivier Award winning Pride and Prejudice(sort of), 2:22 A Ghost Story, The Unfriend, Bleak Expectations, The Merchant of Venice 1936, Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York ) and the hugely successful Olivier Award winning Titanique which docked at The Cri on the 9th December 2024.

In amongst all those productions, we marked our 150th year with a fundraising Gala Performance on the 24th June 2024.  Celebrating our rich history of inspirational productions we welcomed back old friends both on stage and off with a star packed night hosted by our Chair of Trustees, the inimitable, Sir Stephen Fry.