# Savoy Theatre

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Content updated: 2026-06-22

Savoy Theatre stands beside the Savoy Hotel in London’s West End, joining protected architecture with a long performance history. Richard D’Oyly Carte built it, and C. J. Phipps designed its Italian Renaissance interior. When it opened in 1881, more than 1,200 Swan bulbs made it the world’s first public building lit entirely by electricity.

The auditorium originally held 1,292 people across four levels and welcomed Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operas. Their Patience opened here in September 1882, beginning a tradition that brought all eight of their final operas to this stage between 1881 and 1901. Oscar Wilde’s Salome followed in 1931, after almost forty years of prohibition. Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit premiered here in 1941 and later reached 1,997 consecutive performances.

A 1929 restoration reshaped the seating across three levels and created capacity for 1,200 spectators. Fire damaged the building during renovations in 1990, but a 1993 refurbishment restored the classic design with modern facilities. Grade II\* protection has safeguarded its architecture since 1973, while productions have ranged from opera and comedy to Legally Blonde, Dreamgirls, and Paddington The Musical.

- City: [Greater London](https://mytuur.com/en/city/london/)

## Photos

- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_SavoyTheatre_68c53c89e7953b133753be66_0.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Savoy_Theatre_on_The_Strand_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2196272.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_SavoyTheatre_68c53c89e7953b133753be66_1.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Savoy_pre-1920.JPG)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_SavoyTheatre_68c53c89e7953b133753be66_2.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Savoy_Theatre_\(Westminster_City_Council\).jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_SavoyTheatre_68c53c89e7953b133753be66_3.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Savoy_theatre_london.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_SavoyTheatre_68c53c89e7953b133753be66_4.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1881_Savoy_Theatre.jpg)

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