09 November 2022
Newsdesk
Many of London’s West End theatres have a story to tell, and in the heart of Leicester Square is the London Hippodrome, a former theatre turned casino that has welcomed some of the true greats onto its stage.
Built in 1900 it’s seen many transformations over the years, today being home to one of the city’s most popular casinos.
It’s a theatre, now entertainment venue, that has moved with the times, and has done for over 100 years, becoming one of the most iconic music halls, circuses, theatres and even nightclubs in the city before becoming a casino back in 2009.
We’ll tell its tale from the very beginning though, when it opened as the Hippodrome in 1900, with the first show taking place on January 15, with a music hall revue named Giddy Ostend, which starred the famous music hall comic Little Tich.
During its early years it had all manner of acts take to the stage and in its first nine years saw acrobats, equestrian acts and even the likes of elephants and polar bears were known to take to the stage.
By 1909, it became a more respected theatre and held the English premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake by the Ballets Russes.
After that, many more ballets arrived at the venue, as well as the Hippodrome building its reputation as a musical comedy venue even more, with a number of shows coming over from Broadway.
Julie Andrews made her stage debut at the venue, and by the late 1950s it transformed again, keeping up with the times and becoming a nightclub named The Talk of the Town with performers essentially a who’s who of the greatest acts in the world, with Judy Garland, Sandie Shaw, The Jackson 5, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder all performing at the venue.
The Talk of the Town saw many TV specials in which live broadcasts would come to the venue, and it grew a reputation as one of the best places for top talent, and in particularly jazz artists to play, with the Brecon Jazz Festival naming it one of the 12 most important UK venues for contributions to jazz.
It’s evolution as a nightclub continued over the next few decades, with Peter Stringfellow taking control in 1983, with it picking up a number of awards, including the best nightclub in the UK in 2004.
However, it wouldn’t last and the venue would lose its alcohol licence a year later, forcing it to shut down.
A return to theatre occurred just a few years later, with La Clique, an adult cabaret show, previewing at the venue and running for around six months, picking up an Olivier Award for in the Best Entertainment category.
Later that year, it changed hands once again, and it would open up as the Hippodrome Casino, becoming one of the best casinos in the country, which it has remained ever since and a mainstay on Leicester Square.
