When its curtain first went up in January 1900, audiences at the London Hippodrome were treated to a circus-style show that included a 100,000-gallon water tank big enough to accommodate its swimming elephants. The theatre was built in 1900 by theatrical architect Frank Matcham who designed several of London’s landmark venues. Throughout its history, the theatre has transformed itself to provide various forms of entertainment from circus spectacle, variety, and classical to a popular nightclub, successful burlesque show, and most recently a casino. The Hippodrome is where Harry Houdini presented some his final and most spectacular acts; where Tchaikowsky’s Swan Lake made its UK premiere in 1910; and where Julie Andrews made her professional solo debut at the age of twelve in 1947. During the 1950s, the Hippodrome became the legendary ‘Talk of the Town’ nightclub and its featured stars included Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, and Judy Garland. In 2009, work started on the £40m project that transformed this landmark building into The Hippodrome Casino.
- The Hippodrome
- Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, WC2H 7JH London
- www.hippodromecasino.com
- Underground: Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Picadilly Circus and Charing Cross