Theatre Information for New Ambassadors Theatre
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New Ambassadors Theatre details
Address:
New Ambassadors Theatre
West Street
WC2H 9ND
Theatre location
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Seating plan
New Ambassadors Theatre
Nearest tube
Leicester Square
New Ambassadors Theatre History
The Ambassadors, as it was originally known, and St Martin''s were
conceived by their architect, W.G.R. Sprague, as companions, born at
the same time in 1913, but World War I interrupted the construction of
the latter for three years. The Ambassadors was built with the
intention of being an intimate, smaller theatre and is situated
opposite the renowned restaurant The Ivy, favourite haunt of the
theatrical elite.
Recent productions have included Sweeney Todd prior to Broadway, Ying
Tong - A Walk With The Goons, Someone Who''ll Watch Over Me and Telstar
- The Joe Meek Story. The theatre is currently playing host to a
revival of R.C. Sherriff''s Journey''s End until 28th January 2006.
English Touring Theatre''s Hamlet starring Ed Stoppard and Anita Dobson
will play from February 2006.
The Ambassadors, as it was originally known, and St Martin''s were
conceived by their architect, W G R Sprague, as companions, born at the
same time in 1913, but World War I interrupted the construction of the
latter for three years. The Ambassadors was built with the intention of
being an intimate, smaller theatre and is situated opposite the
renowned Ivy Restaurant, favourite haunt of the theatrical elite.
The auditorium is decorated in an elegant Louis XVI style and the
horseshoe shaped single balcony is only a few steps up from ground
level, while the stalls are built underground. Charles B Cochran
recognised the Ambassadors lent itself perfectly to intimate revue and
a period of sophisticated ''miniature revues'' were performed at the
Ambassadors at the beginning of the First World War.
The world''s longest running and most famous play, The Mousetrap,
started its run at this small theatre, with Richard Attenborough and
his wife Sheila Sim, who were the first of generations of casts to
perform in what has become a seemingly permanent tourist attraction.
Since The Mousetrap, The Ambassadors has enjoyed numerous other
successes, including the Royal Shakespeare''s hit production of Les
Liaisons Dangereuses in the 80s.
Since ATG took over the New Ambassadors, it has become the only
commercial West End theatre currently producing its own work and
presenting limited seasons of work throughout the year from some of the
country''s best and most exciting companies, writers and artists.
Building on the achievements of the Royal Court Theatre at the
Ambassadors, ATG has been responsible for developing and producing a
wide range of work with the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal National
Theatre, Out of Joint, and Shared Experience amongst many others.
Audiences at the New Ambassadors have experienced a variety of hugely
successful productions including Drummers, Last Dance At Dum Dum, Mark
Ravenhill''s Some Explicit Polariods; Shared Experience''s Mother
Courage, Jane Eyre, A Doll''s House and Mill on the Floss; Speed-the-
Plow by David Mamet, the award-winning Spoonface Steinberg, the highly
acclaimed Stones in His Pockets, Krapp''s Last Tape starring John Hurt,
Charlottes Jones'' In Flame, Conor McPherson''s Port Authority, The
Vagina Monologues, Boston Marriage by David Mamet starring Zoe
Wanamaker, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg starring Clive Owen, Victoria
Hamilton and Prunella Scales, Marc Salem''s Mind Games, Marion and
Geoff, Ed Byrne, One for the Road written by and starring Harold
Pinter, Maria Friedman, Lee Hall''s new version of A Servant to Two
Masters, the Donmar Warehouse production of Kenneth Lonergan''s Lobby
Hero and The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband starring Alison Steadman and
Daisy Donovan.
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