Hotel near the Prince Of Wales Theatre

Prince Of Wales Theatre, 31 Coventry Street, London W1D 6AS
Nearest Tube: Leicester Square

Slap bang between Leicester Square and Piccadilly - and thus the theatre with the best passing trade in London bar none - the Prince of Wales has always been a little, shall we say, camp.

It opened in 1884 with W.S. Gilbert's fairy comedy The Palace of Truth, one of the main attractions of the theatre being its pseudo-Moorish courtyard replete with fountain and ornamental rocks.

Curiously the Prince of Wales became famous for mime and clownery towards the end of the century, which soon gave way to delicious sketch revues by the likes of Noel Coward and Ivor Novello in the 1910s.

After 1932 it was renamed the Folies Bergere after the risque Parisian showhouse, presenting continuous revues from 2pm until midnight that featured, as proudly advertised at the time, "gasp-making scenes and blush-making costumes".

Variety and revues held court until the 60s when musicals moved in; Barba Streisand visited in Fanny, and Underneath The Arches, starring Roy Hudd and Christopher Timothy as Flanagan and Allen scored a big hit in 1982.

Its record books are again dominated by a certain Mr Lloyd-Webber with his Aspects of Love playing here for over a million people, and new owners Delfont Mackintosh spruced up the theatre in time for a grand reopening in 2004 to celebrate the arrival of Mamma Mia - and what an arrival it was.

Set on a fantasy Greek island, a bride-to-be invites her three potential fathers to her wedding in paradise - what follows is a feel-good piece of fluff packed with laughs, romance and of course, the perennially-loved music of Abba.

The huge success of last year's big screen adaptation has only added to the West End show's popularity, and you can rest assured that the cast here have better singing voices than Pierce Brosnan.

Parking: Westminster City Council Car Park in Leicester Square

Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus.

Air conditioning.
The venue consists of stalls and dress circle.
Capacity is 1100 approx.

The Strand Palace is only a very few minutes easy stroll to Covent Garden, the London Eye and Drury Lane. The hotel is located on the Strand in the West End and is close to many theatres, restaurants and bars. To its north lies Holborn and Russell Square, an area that is home to the British Museum, whilst to the east lies Tottenham Court Road, Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.

Our most popular tried and tested 3 star hotel in the West End of London. The St Giles is only a short walk away from the Prince Of Wales Theatre