Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its sister theatre the Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent company, Ambassador Theatre Group. The original capacity of 3,675 has been reduced to its current 1,955.[1]
This article is about the theatre in Manchester, England. For the theatre in Manchester, New Hampshire, United States, see Palace Theatre (Manchester, New Hampshire).Address
Oxford Street
Manchester
England
1,955 (seated)
18 May 1891
1896 (redecorated and altered) by Frank Matcham;
1913 (interior) by Bertie Crewe
1891–present
Productions[edit]
The opening presentation, to a capacity audience, was the ballet Cleopatra; however its initial presentations failed to gain popular support and for several years it struggled to make a profit. Only when it broadened its scope to include more popular performers was it a resounding success. During the early part of the 20th century it came into its own, with artists such as Danny Kaye, Gracie Fields, Charles Laughton, Judy Garland, Noël Coward and Laurel and Hardy making appearances.
Continuing a long tradition of tour openings in Manchester, the hit Broadway and West End musical The Producers opened at the theatre in February 2007 for a run until May, when it continued on tour around the UK. Peter Kay starred as Roger Debris for the Manchester dates.
Other shows to have played successful seasons at the Palace Theatre include the regional premiere of Les Misérables, which ran for 13 months from 1992 to 1993, the regional premiere of Miss Saigon in 2001, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 2006, and Mamma Mia! over the 2006/07 Christmas season. Broadway musical The Wedding Singer had its UK premiere at the theatre in 2008, and in December 2008 to March 2009 the theatre hosted a season of the UK tour of Mary Poppins, one of only six theatres in the country to accommodate the tour, both events further cementing the theatre's reputation as the flagship venue of the North of England. In July 2009, during the Manchester International Festival, the theatre, in association with Opera North, staged the world première of Rufus Wainwright's opera Prima Donna.
In the summer of 2019, The Book of Mormon UK tour opened at the Palace Theatre, marking the first time the show had been performed in the UK outside of London's West End.[15] The show opened on 6 June 2019, and ran until 24 August.
On 11 November 2023, the first UK and Ireland tour of Hamilton opened at the Palace Theatre for a 15-week season until 24 February 2024.[16]