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ABOUT THE HAYMARKET THEATRE ROYAL
Located on The Haymarket, the Haymarket Theatre Royal first opened in 1720 under the title of The Little Theatre in the Haymarket. This building sat a little further up the same street as the current building, which was moved when it was redesigned by John Nash in 1821. In 1873 the Haymarket became the first theatre to present matinee performances, a custom that was shortly followed by other establishments. Six years later the auditorium underwent its first reconstruction that included the enclosure of the stage (making it the first use of picture frame proscenium) as well as the inclusion of stalls seating, therefore replacing the ´Pit´ - a move that instigated a small riot.
In 1862, the theatre presented ´Our American Cousin´, starring Edward Southern as Lord Dundreary. The success of this production brought the word ´dreary´ into every day use, seeing it added to the dictionary. In 1893, Oscar Wilde premiered his first comedy at the Haymarket ´A Woman of no Importance´, which was followed by ´An Ideal Husband´. Major reconstruction works in 1994 included art restoration of the ceiling, the cleaning of two thousand lead crystals in a chandelier, fresh carpet, marble polishing and air conditioning.
There was bedlam at the theatre in May 2004 during a performance of ´When Harry Met Sally´ when parts of the ceiling fell in the audience below caused by the central chandelier coming away from the roof. The theatre closed for 2 nights but fortunately only a handful of people suffered a few cuts and bruises.
Summer 2005 saw the opening of the fantastic 8 week limited season of ´The Genius of Ray Charles´ - an American musical celebrating the soul musician's life. Following this, the 1992 film starring Tom Cruise, ´A Few Good Men´, was brought to life on stage at the Haymarket as a brilliant and critically acclaimed theatrical production starring Rob Lowe, John Barrowman, Suranne Jones and Jack Ellis.
The current production at the Haymarket is ´A Man for all Seasons´, starring Martin Shaw running until March 2006. This is followed by Judi Dench starring alongside Peter Bowles in Noel Coward´s ´Hay Fever´ - commencing its run in April 2006.
Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square underground stations are the closest to the theatre.
When purchasing tickets for mainstream theatre productions, it is important to keep the following in mind.
The cheapest way to buy tickets is to buy directly from the theatres´ box office where the show is playing. Or, purchase your tickets from the ´Half Price Ticket Booth´ (AKA ´tkts´) located in Leicester Square, where they sell ´on the day´ tickets for all of the West End shows at a discount rate. The booth is open Monday to Saturday from 10am - 7pm and Sundays from 12pm - 3.30pm. There is a service fee of £2.50 per ticket and a maximum of 4 tickets per person. Avoid touts hanging about the theatres and any other ticket agencies around the West End that appear a little dodgy as tickets may not be legitimate. Always ask if your seat is in a restricted viewing area. You can also purchase a theatre and hotel package which saves money all round.
However, the best thing to do if you have your heart set on seeing a particular show is to book ahead. You will be guaranteed a good seat, a great view and a fab night out.
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Being in the West End of London, the Haymarket Theatre Royal is in a location offering many hotels but mainly superior to deluxe within the immediate vicinity. The 3 star Strand Palace Hotel offers reasonable rates as does the Travelodge Covent Garden and both are within an easy walk of the theatre.
If you are on a budget then consider the Montana Hotel in South Kensington, from here a taxi to the theatre will cost about 9 pounds and it is located very close to many of the famous museums of London. The Piccadilly Line from Gloucester Road which is 100 metres from the hotel runs directly to Piccadilly.
Just 1300 metres walk away from the Haymarket Theatre Royal, is the Royal National Hotel one of the largest tourist class hotels in London. The St Giles hotel, also 1200 metres away on Tottenham Court Road, offers a swimming pool and gym.
More upmarket is The Savoy Hotel, a traditional British 5 star also located on the Strand and just ten minutes walk from the Haymarket Theatre Royal.
For a hip hotel check out the Covent Garden Hotel or the Sanderson Hotel, both are very pricy but quite exclusive
TIP: If there are 3 or 4 of you looking for one bedroom then check out the Holiday Inn Oxford Circus which has rooms with two double beds.
 If you are wanting to check out combined ticket and accommodation packages for the Haymarket Theatre Royal, then there is a link at the top of this page or click on the banner immediately below.
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HOLIDAY INN OXFORD CIRCUS HOTEL LONDON, West End, London
 The Holiday Inn Oxford Circus is located in the quiet Edwardian terrace of Welbeck Street, only 5-10 minutes walk away from Oxford Street. The area's transport links to Regent Street and Marble Arch making this a great location for anyone who loves to shop! Oxford Street is one of London's most popular shopping areas for tourists where just about ever variety of shop and large store can be found with many catering for novelty gifts for tourists. The walking distance to the Haymarket Theatre is 2000 metres.
Comment about the Holiday Inn Oxford Circus London:
The Holiday Inn Oxford Circus is a great central location and is one mile from the Haymarket Theatre. Usual good quality Holiday Inn rooms and usually good weekend deals to be had here and you can sleep up to 4 persons in one room. Book here first -- If you find a lower rate on another site for this hotel, we'll beat it!
More information about the Holiday Inn Oxford Circus London...
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STRAND PALACE HOTEL LONDON, West End, London
 The Strand Palace is a good tourist class hotel just a few minutes walk to the Haymarket Theatre.
Great location to access theates and Covent Garden. Over 700 bedrooms on 9 floors including standard and club floors. The hotel is getting a little overdue for a refurbishment now but check out the rates as sometimes its very cheap.
More information about Strand Palace Hotel London...
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ST. GILES HOTEL LONDON, West End, London
 The St Giles London Hotel is one of the most convenient locations in London, from this hotel you can access many of London's attractions, restaurants and shops on foot as it is only 5 minutes walk from Oxford Street and 15 minutes walk to Covent Garden. The walking distance to the Haymarket Theatre is 1500 metres.
Comment about the St Giles Hotel London:
Superb location, competitive rates and a swimming pool offset the disadvantage of small bedrooms, lets face it you do not go to London to stay in your room all day.
More information about the St Giles Hotel London...
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