Hotels near Gielgud Theatre

Shaftesbury Avenue W1D 6AR
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus

You know you've made it in London theatreland when one of the West End's classiest venues takes your name, and Sir John Gielgud joined the starry ranks of David Garrick and Charles Wyndham when the then-Globe Theatre became the Gielgud in 1994, in anticipation of Shakespeare's Globe opening on the South Bank.

The theatre was first dedicated to Seymour Hicks in 1906, another legendary actor-manager who made his fortune in music hall. The Hicks became the Globe in 1909, but light musical entertainment remained the standard fare: the theatre even thrived during the inter-war years when many other West End venues found pickings to be far from rich.

Sir John made his first foray onto the boards that would later bear his name in 1939, starring in and directing Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband; and the theatre's two longest-running shows are similarly witty gentle comedies, Terence Frisby's There's A Girl In My Soup and the Lloyd-Webber production of Daisy Pulls It Off, a huge hit in the 80s.

There's nothing much gentle about Avenue Q, transferring to the Gielgud after three massive years at the Noel Coward Theatre: imagine the characters from Sesame Street singing about internet porn, lap-dancing puppets and how "Everyone's a little bit racist - sometimes!", and you won't be far off.

It's irreverence is painfully funny and the puppets - brought to life by the brilliant cast who voice and operate them by hand - become strangely moving as the show goes on; if you grew up in the 80s and aren't offended by a bit of South Park-style humour, it's a red hot ticket.

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 Gielgud Theatre

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.