Theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh has bought the West End’s Victoria Palace and Ambassadors theatres, and will re-name the latter after US musical theatre composer Stephen Sondheim. This will bring the number of London venues he owns to nine and continue his desire to keep the theatres in top condition for future generations of audiences. He also hopes to ensure West End theatres remain one of the key magnets for visitors to London.
The renamed Sondheim Theatre will have its auditorium rebuilt to make it a “transfer house” primarily for seasons of productions from the subsidised sector looking for a non-proscenium performance space environment that mirrors their own stages. Stomp will continue its run at the venue until this happens, with Mackintosh's work set to prolong the lives of productions and allow them to be seen by a variety of audiences. Many shows, for financial and practical reasons, have limited runs as well as limited audiences.
The Victoria Palace, currently home to the musical of Billy Elliot, will be closed for a year from the autumn in 2016. During this time, it will be redeveloped, with the stage extended by six metres and the front of house enlarged. Mackintosh felt the Victoria Palace’s “shallow stage” had meant it had been unable to accommodate many big shows that might have played there. It's renovation is set to transform the theatre into a desirable and strategically-sited musical house.
The company Delfont Mackintosh is also the owner of the Prince Edward Theatre, the Prince of Wales Theatre, the Novello Theatre, the Queen’s Theatre, the Gielgud Theatre, Wyndham’s Theatre, and the Noel Coward Theatre. It is the second largest operator of London venues after Ambassador Theatre Group, which owns 11.