Fortune Theatre Information

Fortune Theatre London 
Russell Street, London, WC2B 5HH

The Fortune was the first west end theatre to be built after the end of World War 1 and opened in 1924 on the site of the old Albion Tavern.  The theatre was privately owned for many years but in 2001 became part of the Ambassadors Theatre Group's nine strong group of theatres

Described as the 'most intimate of theatre's' when it opened to the public on Saturday 8th November 1924 referring to its traditional style proscenium 'art deo' style the venue is extremely atmospheric and an ideal venue to host a spine chilling thriller such as The Woman In Black that has been delighting London theatregoers for over two decades now.

The Sinners, written by Laurence Cowen was The Fortune’s opening play but the production unfortunately ran for just two weeks however over the course of the next few years, there were many other productions, including some amateur work in the 1930s and World War II even saw the venue being used by ENSA, the concert party corp of the Armed Forces.

Since then, the Fortune Theatre has seen many celebrated actors and actresses tread the boards on its stage. Amongst the impressive roll call are Dame Judi Dench, Dirk Bogarde and Maureen Lipman, who famously portrayed the late Joyce Grenfall in her one woman show, ''Re-Joyce''. Variety acts Flanders and Swann played here and the theatre was home to the ground- breaking revue from Cambridge, Beyond The Fringe. That run saw the original line-up of Alan Bennett, and comedy legends Peter Cook, Dudley Moore as well as and Jonathan Miller who all performed together at the Fortune.

The Fortune Theatre is now most closely associated, of course with The Woman In Black which has become a West End theatre legend. This enigmatic and brilliant play first took up residence at The Fortune Theatre all the way back in 1989 and celebrated 5000 performances in July 2001 with a huge party, which was held in the Stalls Bar and the auditorium! 

How To Get There

London Underground- Nearest tube station is Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line)

London Bus Routes- 1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 68, 76, 171, 276, 188 

National Rail- Closest train station is Charring Cross

Car Parking- NCP Drury Lane is the closest car park.

The Fortune Theatre is accessible to wheelchair Users able to walk short distances and up a few steps.

Facilities-  There are two liscenced bars at The Fortune Theatre . Also available are ice-cream and confectionery