Hotels near Criterion Theatre

2 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 4XA
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus

Within easy shooting distance of one of Eros' arrows and surrounded by a panorama of Piccadilly's world-famous neon lights, this has got to be the grandest address of any theatre in London.

The Circus wasn't always like this, however, and this building's history dates back long before Piccadilly was even built - back in the 1600s, a coaching inn called the White Bear stood on the site, providing sleep and sustenance for aristocrats travelling the leafy highways of the then-nascent city.

As London prospered and landmarks like Regent Street popped up alongside - as well as the clearance of some of the city's worst slums to create modern-day Shaftesbury Avenue - the White Bear became a lavishly decorated dining rooms and concert hall complex called the Criterion in 1873.

Enter, from stage right, Charles Wyndham, one of London's great theatre managers, who made the theatre a leading light opera house until 1899 - even though the underground location of the theatre meant that fresh air had to be pumped into the auditorium to stop the audience being asphixiated by the gas lighting used by most venues at the time.

Terence Rattigan - rarely performed today but the pioneer of stiff-upper-lip 1930s English romantic drama - was patronised by the Criterion in the inter-war years, launching his career, and the theatre was requisitioned by the BBC during WWII as its underground location made it safe from Blitz attack; most BBC broadcasts of variety entertainment during the war were recorded here.

The theatre mercifully survived a redevelopment scare in the 70s and thrives today; the irreverent fun of the Reduced Shakespeare Company held court here for nine years, and a cheekily brilliant adaptation of John Buchan's thriller The 39 Steps has settled in, with four actors playing 150 characters and winning numerous awards in the process.

Tickets start at just £10 - use some of this saving for a pre-theatre meal at Marco Pierre-White's opulent but not bank-breaking Criterion Restaurant next door.