The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a nonprofit theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

, London. "History"">"About the Lyric" > "History"
''Lyric'' official website. Retrieved January 2024.

Background

The Lyric Theatre was originally a music hall established in 1888 on Bradmore Grove, Hammersmith. Success as an entertainment venue led it to be rebuilt and enlarged on the same site twice, firstly in 1890 and then in 1895 by the English theatrical architect Frank Matcham. The 1895 reopening, as The New Lyric Opera House, was accompanied by an opening address by the famous actress

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isla ...

. In 1966 the theatre was due to be closed and demolished. However, a successful campaign to save it led to the auditorium being dismantled and reinstalled piece by piece within a modern shell on its current site on King Street a short distance from the former Bradmore Grove location. The relocated theatre opened in 1979.John Earl
"Presidential Address: The Crest of a Wave"
'' Frank Matcham Society Magazine'', n.d.. Retrieved 19 January 2011. It has two main performance areas: the ''Main House'', a 565-seat 19th-century auditorium maintaining the original design which hosts its main productions; and the 120-seat ''Studio'', which houses smaller productions by up-and-coming companies. The Lyric also presents frequent ''Lyric Children'' and ''Lyric Music'' performances as well as ''Sunday Night Comedy''. Its current artistic director is Rachel O'Riordan, and its executive director is Amy Belson."About the Lyric: Our Team"
''Lyric'' official website. Retrieved 26 April 2023. The Lyric has recently gone through a major redevelopment project, with new facilities for young people and the local community completed in 2015, designed by Rick Mather Architects"Capital Development"
''Lyric'' official website. Retrieved 20 January 2014. and was nominated in the 'community benefit' and 'tourism and leisure' categories at the RICS Awards 2016, London. In 2011, the Lyric won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for Sean Holmes' production of

Sarah Kane Sarah Kane (3 February 1971 – 20 February 1999) was an English playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. She is known for her plays that deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture—both physical and psychological ...

's '' Blasted''. In September 2018, it was announced that Sean Holmes would be succeeded as artistic director in February 2019 by Rachel O'Riordan.

Five strands

The Lyric's programme is divided into five strands: *Main House *Studio *Music & Comedy *Lyric Children *Lyric Young Company

Production history

(Source: the ''Lyric'' official website"Lyric website"
''Lyric'' official website. Retrieved 19 January 2011.) * '' A Doll's House'' 2019 * '' Noises Off'' 2019 * '' Ghost Stories'' 2019 * ''City of Glass'', 2017 * ''The Seagull'', 2017 * ''Herons'', by Simon Stephens, 2016 * ''Cinderella'', 2015 * ''Tipping The Velvet'', 2015 * ''Bugsy Malone'', 2015 * ''Secret Theatre'', 2015 * ''Secret Theatre'', 2014 * ''Secret Theatre'', 2013 * ''Steptoe and Son'' produced by Kneehigh Theatre, 2013 * ''

Metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...

'' by

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

, adapted by Gísli Örn Garðarsson and David Farr, 2013 * ''

Alice by Heart ''Alice by Heart'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater, and a book by Sater with Jessie Nelson (filmmaker), Jessie Nelson. The musical is inspired by Lewis Carroll, Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel ''Alice's ...

'' by Steven Sater and

Duncan Sheik Duncan Sheik (born November 18, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Sheik is known for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing", which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. He has com ...

, 2012 * '' Father Christmas'' by Raymond Briggs, adapted by Pins and Needles Productions, 2012 * ''Cinderella'' by Joel Horwood and Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, 2012 * '' Desire Under the Elms'' by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

, 2012 * ''Morning'' by Simon Stephens, 2012 * ''Three Kingdoms'' by Simon Stephens, 2012 * ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, 2012 * ''Lovesong'' by Abi Morgan, 2012 * ''Aladdin'' by Joel Horwood, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Steve Marmion, 2011 * '' Saved'' by Edward Bond, 2011 * ''The Wild Bride'' created by Kneehigh Theatre, 2011 * ''

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

'' by Vivienne Franzmann, 2011 * ''

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...

's Twisted Tales'', 2011 * '' Dick Whittington and his Cat'', by Joel Horwood, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Steve Marmion, 2010 * '' Blasted'' by

, 2010 * '' The Big Fella'' (21 September – 16 October 2010) * ''

Punk Rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

'' by Simon Stephens, 2010 * '' Lifegame'' (7 – 17 July 2010) * '' Tightrope'' (17 – 19 June 2010) * '' A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky'' (7 May – 5 June 2010) * Spymonkey's ''Moby Dick'' (20 April – 1 May 2010) * '' Ghost Stories'' (24 February – 3 April 2010) * '' Three Sisters'' (6 January – 20 February 2010) * Jack and the Beanstalk (21 November 2009 – 9 January 2010 * Comedians (7 October – 14 November 2009) * '' Punk Rock 2009'' (3–26 September 2009) * '' Spyski''/'' The Importance of Being Ernest'' (3 October – 1 November 2008) * ''Christmas For the Under 7s'' (29 November 2007 – 5 January 2008) * '' Beauty and the Beast'' (6 – 24 November 2007) * '' Casanova'' (16 October – 3 November 2007) * ''

Water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

'' (25 September – 13 October 2007) * '' Rough Crossings'' (5 – 22 September 2007) * '' The Bacchae'' (2 – 4 August 2007) * '' Accidental Heroes'' (21 June – 22 July 2007) * '' Angels in America: Part 2'' (20 June – 22 July 2007) * '' Angels in America: Part 1'' (7 – 9 June 2007) * '' Elegy'' (26 April – 26 May 2007) * '' Absolute Beginners'' (3 – 14 April 2007) * '' St George and the Dragon'' (13 – 31 March 2007) * '' Don't Look Now'' (9 February – 10 March 2007) * ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'' (17 January – 3 February 2007) * '' Cymbeline'' (23 November 2006 – 13 January 2007) * '' Watership Down'' (31 October – 18 November 2006) * '' pool'' (29 September – 28 October 2006) * ''

'' (16 May – 17 June 2006) * Aurélia's ''

Oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

'' (12 – 29 April 2006) * '' The Wolves in the Walls'' (24 February – 1 April 2006) * '' The Odyssey'' (20 January – 18 February 2006) * '' Nights at the Circus Christmas'' (2 December 2005 – 14 January 2006) * '' The Magic Carpet'' (1 – 26 November 2005) * '' Brontë'' (1929 October 2005) * '' Road to Nowhere'' (2 September – 15 October 2005) * ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'' (30 June – 23 July 2005) * '' Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others'' (17 June 2005) * ''

Asterisk The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

'' (1013 June 2005) * '' Stars Are Out Tonight'' (19 April – 7 May 2005) * ''

Hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

'' (30 March – 16 April 2005) * Aurelia's ''

'' (5 – 26 March 2005) * ''

Rhinoceros A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

'' (18 February – 26 March 2005) * '' A Raisin in the Sun'' (27 January – 12 February 2005) * '' Strictly Dandia Christmas'' for 7+s (26 November 2004 – 22 January 2005) * '' The Firework-Maker's Daughter'' (2 – 20 November 2004) * '' The Bacchae'' (30 September – 30 October 2004) * '' Don Juan'' (14 – 25 September 2004) * '' A Passage to India''/

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

Guest Season/''

The Master and Margarita ''The Master and Margarita'' () is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1940. A censored version, with several chapters cut by editors, was published posthumously in ''Moscow (magazine), Moscow'' magazine in ...

'' (20 August – 11 September 2004) * '' Aladdin'' by Sandy Wilson, 1979

Artistic directors

References

External links

*
Lyric
' – Official website of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.
Artistic Associates Named
*The collection o
Lyric Theatre Hammersmith box office returns
from 1964 to 1966 is held by the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

Theatre and Performance Department.
History of the Lyric, Hammersmith
{{Authority control Theatres in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Producing house theatres in London Theatres completed in 1895 Rebuilt buildings and structures in the United Kingdom Theatres completed in 1979 Hammersmith