The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J B Mulholland. It seems to have been the only British theatre to have included a Victorian-style Turkish bath in the basement. The theatre opened on 26 December 1910 with the pantomime Jack and Jill.
The theatre was very popular between the wars, with Gracie Fields, Sybil Thorndike, Ivor Novello, Markova and Noël Coward all performing there.
With several refurbishments, most notably in 1991 and 1998, the theatre retains its baroque and Adamesque internal features. The golden statue atop the dome is Laetitia, the Roman Goddess of Gaiety. The statue was removed in World War II as it was thought to be a direction finding device for German bombers, and replaced in 1991.
The theatre has approximately 1,670 seats across three levels, making it the eighth largest theatre in London.
Until 2001, the theatre was owned and operated by the Wimbledon Civic Theatre Trust, on behalf of the London Borough of Merton, who still own the freehold of the building. The trust was responsible for overseeing a multi-million pound refurbishment in the late 1990s, incorporating a brand new backstage area, fly tower and a complete re-seating of the orchestra stalls as well as redecoration of the interior. During this period, the theatre was closed for an entire year.
The venue fell into severe financial difficulties in 2003 and was forced to close. Following lengthy talks between leading producers, local councillors and companies, in autumn 2003 a deal was agreed for the theatre to be managed by the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG).
Touring shows that have visited Wimbledon include:
Cats, Starlight Express, The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Monty Python's Spamalot, The Rocky Horror Show, Fame - The Musical, Never Forget, Cabaret, Carousel, , Flashdance - The Musical, Annie, Annie Get Your Gun, The Rat Pack - Live from Las Vegas, Dancing in the Streets, Sister Act, An Inspector Calls, Les Misérables.
Many thanks to the Wikipedia website found
HERE for the info supplied above.
The Theatres Trust Website website found
HEREalso has some fascinating information and pictures.