Palace Theatre, Manchester

The Palace Theatre stands on Oxford Street in central Manchester, on the corner of Whitworth Street, and is one of the largest and best equipped theatres outside London. Grade II listed and seating 1,955, it opened in 1891 to designs by Alfred Darbyshire and is run today by ATG Entertainment alongside its sister venue, the Opera House on Quay Street. It is best known for major touring musicals, many of which launch their UK tours here, plus opera and ballet, comedy and one night concerts. Oxford Road station sits directly opposite the front doors.

The Palace Theatre of Varieties opened on Whit Monday, 18 May 1891, designed by the architect Alfred Darbyshire at a cost of £40,500 and holding an enormous 3,675 people. The opening presentation was the ballet Cleopatra, played to a full house, although the early programming struggled commercially until the theatre widened its net to take in more popular variety performers. It soon earned the affectionate nickname the Grand Old Lady of Oxford Street.

Frank Matcham redecorated and altered the building in 1896 and returned in 1899, when he added a pass door so the manager no longer had to walk outside in the rain to reach backstage. A more thorough interior renovation by Bertie Crewe followed in 1913, taking seven months and reopening the theatre with capacity cut to 2,600. In September 1940 the building took a direct hit from a German bomb during the Manchester Blitz.

Through the early twentieth century the stage welcomed the likes of Gracie Fields, Danny Kaye, Charles Laughton, Judy Garland, Noël Coward and Laurel and Hardy. Audiences fell away in the 1970s and closure loomed, but the theatre was given Grade II listed status on 8 June 1977 and, with Arts Council support, underwent a major internal refurbishment and stage enlargement. It reopened in 1981 with Jesus Christ Superstar and was run by a charitable trust, Norwest Holdings.

Ambassador Theatre Group bought the theatre in 2009, and in March 2020 it took on Charitable Incorporated Organisation status alongside the Opera House. Landmark runs include the regional premiere of Les Misérables, which played for 13 months from 1992 to 1993, the regional premiere of Miss Saigon in 2001, the world premiere of Rufus Wainwright's opera Prima Donna with Opera North in 2009, the first UK performances of The Book of Mormon outside the West End in 2019, and the opening of the first UK and Ireland tour of Hamilton in November 2023.

The Palace Theatre aims to make live performance available to everyone, and staff can help with seating, transfers and at seat service.

• Lift and step-free routes: the Circle Bar is reached by a lift from the ground floor, and row R of the rear circle can be accessed without steps via that same lift. At seat service is available if you would prefer not to move during the interval.
• Wheelchair spaces: four wheelchair spaces with companion seats at Circle R8 and 9, R12 and 13, R33 and 34, and R37 and 38.
• Limited mobility seating: some seats at the back of the circle are held for customers with limited mobility, and aisle seats on rows Q and R are recommended if you are transferring from a wheelchair.
• Accessible toilets: located on the circle level, fitted with an emergency pull cord.
• Seats: average seat width is 17.7 inches. Booster seats can be hired for use in the stalls only (a charge may apply).
• Visually impaired audiences: audio described performances and touch tours are offered on selected dates. Seats in the AA to C area suit anyone wanting a closer view, and the centre stalls are recommended for audio description.
• D/deaf and hard of hearing audiences: MobileConnect and a loop system are in place, with the loop working best in the centre stalls. BSL interpreted and captioned performances run through the season, and seats with the clearest view of the caption units are held back for those who need them.

Book accessible seats through the venue's official box office. The Accessibility Assistance line is 0333 009 5399, or Typetalk on 1800 1 0333 009 5399. ATG's free Access Membership Scheme lets you book accessible seats online and companion tickets where eligible. An audio introduction to the Palace Theatre and Opera House is available on SoundCloud.