London Palladium

Open its opening on December 26 1910, The Palladium (as it was titled until 1934) quickly became a premier venue for variety performances, such as the 1926 pantomime Cinderella (video footage of this production remains to this day). Throughout the 1930s, the entertainment group The Crazy Gang performed at the theatre regularly, gaining widespread popularity with the general public as well as the Royal Family. During this time, bookings were manages by theatrical impresario Val Parnell. During the Second World War, the theatre suffered a bomb scare when an unexploded parachute mine fell through the roof. A Royal Navy bomb disposal team arrived on the scene and managed to render it safe. Parnell became managing director in 1945 and embarked on a radical policy of favoring famous American acts at the top of the bill. These included Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr, and Frank Sinatra. The popularity of the Palladium’s variety shows would be further expanded with the ITV program Sunday Night at the London Palladium, which was broadcast live throughout its run (1955-1967). In 1968, the theatre produced its first musical, Golden Boy starring Sammy Davis Jr. After a return to variety in the 1980’s (ITV1’s Live From the Palladium), the theatre began showing more musicals, Including Oliver! and Saturday Night Fever. When the Really Useful Group purchased the theatre in 2000, the trend continued. The theatre often returns to its roots as the host of music concerts (such as Elton John) and as a regular host of the Royal Variety Performance (as recently as 2013).