London

London Nav Links [NEW]

More shows

WL UK Nav

[westendtheatre] Desktop Logo

WestEndTheatre.com

WL Terms

Terms and conditions

WL Privacy policy

Privacy policy

UK WL Musicals

Musicals

UK WL Plays

Plays

UK WL Family Theatre

Family

UK WL Deals & Special Offers

Special Offers

UK WL All Shows

All Shows

WL - All Attraction - LON

All Attractions

WL UK Info Links

INFO

WL FAQs

Help and Support

WL UK Help Links

HELP

WL UK Footer

Digital Partners

Theatre Specialists

UK WL Ballet & Opera

Ballet & Opera

WL Nav with Ballet & Opera

GWR Button Logo 01

GWR Nav Link to GWR site

Buy train tickets

WL Nav - GWR

WL Nav - The Times

WL Nav - Attractions Included

null

Ages 14+. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and sat next to an adult ticketholder (18+). Children under the age of 3 will not be admitted.

Player Kings - LON [37071]

PK Header Image LON

Explore West End shows, book last minute theatre tickets, and more

Discover London

Book now

LON | TT | App Carousel | Back to the Future | 22396 | Media

Back to the Future - App Carousel - LON

Ages 6+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult (18+). Under 4s will not be admitted.

Back to the Future: The Musical - LON [22396]

Back to the Future: The Musical

When Marty McFly is transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the past and send himself... back to the future.

LON | TT | App Carousel | Hercules | 43135 

Hercules - Set Alerts - App Carousel - LON

Ages 6+. Children under 4 (including babies in arms) will not be admitted into the theatre. All persons aged 16 or under must be accompanied by an adult 18+ & may not sit on their own. All persons must have a ticket.

Disney's Hercules - LON [43135]

Disney's Hercules

Ancient Greece. A time of gods, mortals… and Hercules, who doesn't quite belong to either. But if he's not a god, how can he possibly save the world from Hades? It's one thing flexing those pecs, but going from zero to hero requires a different kind of strength. 

LON | TT | App Carousel | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Media

Production shot of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child: Both Parts in London, showing students cheer enthusiastically.

[Media #1] Parts One and Two 21176

Ages 10+. Please note that patrons under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child: Both Parts - LON [21176] 

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child: Both Parts

There’s magic in every moment at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the most awarded play in history and “one of the most defining pop culture events of the decade” (Forbes). And now, the 8th Harry Potter story is bringing the magic back to London’s West End.

LON | TT | App Carousel | Strictly Come Dancing Tour 2025 | Media

LON | TT | App Carousel | Clueless | 36641 | Media

LON | TT | App Carousel | Clueless | 36641 | Onsale

Clueless The Musical - LON [36641]  

Clueless The Musical

CLUELESS is a new musical comedy based on the Paramount Pictures classic film. The modern spin on Jane Austen’s Emma gets another timeless makeover from the original film’s writer-director alongside a majorly acclaimed creative team.

LON | TT | App Carousel | The Comedy About Spies | 43451 | Onsale

Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and sat next to an adult ticketholder (18+). Children under the age of 3 will not be admitted.

The Comedy About Spies - LON [43451]

The Comedy About Spies

A rogue British agent steals plans for a top-secret new weapon. Spies from the CIA and the KGB assemble at London’s Piccadilly Hotel to track down the British mole and obtain the file. When a young British couple and an older actor auditioning for the title role in the first James Bond film check into the hotel, the stakes reach boiling point in this riotous world of Cold War farce.

LON | TT | Young Vic | App Tile

[WT App Link] - LON - Young Vic 2024

View all shows

Young Vic 2024 Season

LON | TT | Park Theatre | App Tile

[WT App Link] - LON - Park Theatre

Park Theatre

LON | TT | London Attractions | App Tile

[WT App Link] - LON - London Attractions

Now on TodayTix

London Attractions

LON | TT | English National Opera | App Tile

[WT App Link] - LON - English National Opera

English National Opera

LON | TT | Bush Theatre | App Tile

[WT App Link] - LON - Bush Theatre

Bush Theatre

LON | TT | Royal Ballet and Opera | App Webtile

[WT App Link] - LON - Royal Ballet and Opera

Royal Ballet and Opera

LON | TT | Royal Court Season | App Tile 

[WT App Link] - LON - Royal Court Theatre

Royal Court Theatre

LON | TT | Kiln Theatre | App Tile

[WT App Link] - LON -Kiln Theatre

Kiln Theatre

LON | TT | The Globe | App Tile 

[WT App Link] - LON - The Globe

Shakespeare's Globe

LON | TT | Lyric Hammersmith | App Tile 

[WT App Link] - LON - Lyric Hammersmith

Lyric Hammersmith

LON | TT | Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour

Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour - App Tile 

Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour

LON | TT | App Home Tile | Musicals Candlelight

Ages 6+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Musicals by Candlelight - LON [25037]

Musicals by Candlelight

Discover your favourite musicals like never before!

LON | TT | App Home Tile | Christmas by Candlelight

Christmas by Candlelight

Musicals by Candlelight at Christmas

The Devil Wears Prada LON

Ages 12+ (recommended). Under 5s cannot be admitted to the theatre. Guests 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult. All patrons, regardless of age, must have a valid ticket.

The Devil Wears Prada - LON [34706]

The Devil Wears Prada

As London Fashion Week descends on the Capital, the catwalk is out for the launch of The Devil Wears Prada, a new musical, based on the blockbuster film and bestselling novel, that will strut into London’s Dominion Theatre in October 2024.

LON | TT | App Tile | Stranger Things | 29263 | 

Ages 12+ (recommended). Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Under 5s not permitted.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow - LON [29263]

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.


LON | TT | App Home Tile | Moulin Rouge! The Musical | 23350 | Media

Moulin Rouge! The Musical - LON [23350] 

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Enter a world of splendour and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular… 

LON | TT | App Tile | Back to the Future | Ad Unit

LON | TT | App Tile | Hercules | Video Ad Unit

TodayTix App Home - LON

Special offer - TT Genre - LON

Latest London Insider Posts

Venues in London

LON - Musicals - TodayTix

Musicals in London

LON - Family / Kid-friendly (TT)

Family shows

LON - Under £25

Tickets under £25

LON - Stars on Stage (TT)

Stars on Stage in London

LON - Opening soon

Opening Soon

LON - Plays - TodayTix

LON - All Attractions 

Attractions in the UK

LON - Off West End

All Off West End Shows

LON - All Shows (All Theatre Primary Categories) (TT) - Rush & Lottery

All shows in London

London All Shows Image

London Tile Image

London musicals

London plays

TT - Deals & Special Offers 

Offers

London family

London access

Rush & Lottery

TT - LON - Gift Guide

Gift Guide

More

Player Kings

Player Kings - Poster Image

Player Kings - Landscape

Player Kings - Square

Player Kings - App Hero Image

Player Kings - LON [37071] Product Media

Production image of Player Kings in London starring Ian McKellen as Falstaff

PK Image 1

Production image of Player Kings in London starring ensemble cast.

PK Image 2

Production image of Player Kings in London starring Richard Coyle as Henry.

PK Image 3

Production image of Player Kings in London starring ensemble staff.

PK Image 4

Production image of Player Kings in London.

PK Image 5

Ian McKellen - 'one of the world's greatest actors' (Times) - plays Falstaff in a new version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, adapted by the award-winning writer and director Robert Icke.

Sir Ian McKellen was born in Burnley&nbsp;in 1939. He was drawn to the theatre from the age of three&nbsp;following a trip to Manchester's Opera House to see Peter Pan. At the age of 18 he attended St Catherine's College in Cambridge where he became a member of the Marlowe Society. His contemporaries&nbsp;included Trevor Nunn and <a href="/actor-profile/derek-jacobi">Derek Jacobi.</a>

After a period working in repertory theatres around the UK, he became a member of Laurence Olivier’s <a href="/theatres/national-theatre">National Theatre</a> Company in 1965. McKellen performed frequently in the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1970s and&nbsp;1980s, taking leading roles in Macbeth in 1976 alongside Judi Dench.

Outside of his theatrical work he is probably most recognised for his roles as Gandalf the Grey/White in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Hobbit Trilogy,&nbsp;and as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto in the X-Men franchise.

2007 marked a return to the RSC and to working wth Trevor Nunn appearing in productions of The Seagulland King Lear, both shows had a residency at the <a href="/theatres/gillian-lynne-theatre">Gillian Lynne Theatre</a>. In 2009, he appeared in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot alongside his X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart at the <a href="/theatres/theatre-royal-haymarket">Theatre Royal Haymarket</a>. They would go on to reprise their roles on Broadway in Godot in 2013, the production running in rep with *No Man's Land* by Harold Pinter. &nbsp;

In September 2016, he and Stewart once again re-united on the West End Stage at the <a href="/theatres/wyndhams-theatre">Wyndhams Theatre</a> in No Man's Land. A year later,&nbsp;McKellen provided&nbsp;the voice of The Demon in the West End premiere of <a href="/show/the-exorcist">The Exorcist</a>.&nbsp;

In summer 2018, Ian McKellen played&nbsp;<a href="/show/king-lear">King Lear</a> in a transfer of Jonathan Munby’s Chichester Festival Theatre. McKellen played the role in Chichester, and told the press it was likely to be his ‘last big Shakespearean part’.&nbsp;King Lear&nbsp;transferred to the&nbsp;<a href="/theatres/duke-of-yorks-theatre">Duke of York’s Theatre</a>. For his 80th birthday, he gave a <a href="/show/ian-mckellen-on-stage">nationwide tour filled with stories, anecdotes and monologues</a>, including a three month run at the <a href="/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre">Harold Pinter Theatre.</a>&nbsp;

Ian McKellen - LON

Ian McKellen On Stage In London [17060]

Ian McKellen On Stage In London

Ian McKellen On Stage In London [17060] Product Media

An unadulterated love letter to the theatre, to the actor's life and the prose and poetry that fuel both, <a href="/actor-profile/ian-mckellen">Ian McKellen</a>'s latest one-man show is a thing of sheer joy and utter wonder: an act of selfless generosity and warmth in every regard.There is, of course, an ever-present danger in any one-person show that it could become an act of self-regard, and it is unquestionably true that McKellen, too, has a lot to be proud of, so he could be forgiven for indulging those qualities. But though false modesty is not one of his vices, this show is also an act of humility, humanity and gratitude; he is a vessel for the words of others - particularly his beloved William Shakespeare - that he communicates with spellbinding intensity and hushed intimacy.It is also his birthday gift to himself - and to the nation. The show was born as a public charity celebration of his 80th birthday, visiting some 80 theatres across London and the rest of the country, many of which he had a long and personal connection to, and allowing each theatre to designate the beneficiaries of the proceeds raised in each place.Now he has brought it to the West End for a further fundraising run of 80 more performances, just as he did when he previously brought a show called Acting Shakespeare to the <a href="/theatres/playhouse-theatre">Playhouse Theatre</a> in 1987 to benefit the London Lighthouse, a west London hospice for those affected by HIV and AIDS. &nbsp;The show is effortlessly structured in two distinct but well-honed acts. He begins with Gandalf - the role that made him internationally celebrated in the film versions of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings&nbsp;- and it includes a nod to his celebrity status when he invites an audience member on stage for a selfie with his Gandalf sword and autographed programme.But he is also regularly accessible, wandering the stalls in the interval and greeting exiting theatregoers in the foyer afterwards (where he holds a collection bucket for further donations that will benefit some ten charities working with a cross-section of people involved with the arts). &nbsp;The first act also contains much&nbsp;personal biography - we learn, for example, that long before he decided to become an actor he contemplated a career in hotel management, and also toyed with becoming a chef or journalist, but we also find out how the theatrical seed was planted young, when he saw a performance of Peter Pan at the age of three in his native Wigan, before his family relocated to Bolton which was a thriving theatrical hub with three theatres.We also learn of how a speech from Henry V secured him a scholarship at Cambridge, and how appearing in 21 undergraduate productions there set him on his way to becoming an actor, which he began doing professionally in fortnightly rep at the then-new Belgrade Coventry Theatre, earning £8 and 10 shillings a week to play as cast in plays by Shaw, Shakespeare and Agatha Christie, amongst others.&nbsp; &nbsp;It is poignant and revelatory to hear his anecdotes about this now vanished age: an oral history that needs to be preserved. We also hear of his official coming out as gay at the age of 47, on a radio programme that was pre-recorded with a right-wing newspaper editor Peregrine Worsthorne and his hurried trip back home to tell his beloved stepmother Gladys the news before she heard it publicly. (Though, of course, she had long known this). There's a delightful preview of Gus - the Theatre Cat that he will play in the forthcoming film version of TS Eliot and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, plus poetry from Gerard Manley Hopkins and others.But it is in the second act that McKellen really comes into his own, with a celebration of all 37 plays of William Shakespeare (though he admits he has nothing at all to say about Troilus and Cressida); acting scenes from many of them, and offering a rich treasure trove of anecdotes about other productions in which he did not appear (there's a truly priceless Gielgud story about the veteran actor Alan Badel).McKellen is a consummate stage actor, able to speak directly and intimately to every single person listening to his rapt delivery of this rich language.I've been privileged to see McKellen for some 40 years on stage; the first time I ever saw him on stage was in the original production of Martin Sherman's Bent at the <a href="/theatres/royal-court-theatre">Royal Court</a> in 1979. As a young gay man, it changed my life, offering a highly charged perspective on a chapter of gay history I knew nothing about. I am forever grateful to McKellen for his part in this; but I am now forever grateful, too, for the opportunity to share this remarkable journey through his life and career.<a href="/show/ian-mckellen-on-stage">Ian McKellen on Stage</a> is at the <a href="/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre">Harold Pinter Theatre</a> until 5th January 2020.&nbsp;<a href="/show/ian-mckellen-on-stage">Ian McKellen on Stage:&nbsp;With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and You tickets</a> are available now.&nbsp;&nbsp;Photo credit:&nbsp;Frederic Aranda

Review - Ian McKellen on Stage at the Harold Pinter Theatre

The Harold Pinter Theatre, established and adorned with Victorian architecture in 1881, is one of the most notable theatre venues in the heart of London. Originally known as the Royal Comedy Theatre, it later adopted the name of 'Harold Pinter', honouring the famous playwright. The theatre is situated conveniently in the centre of the bustling West End, an ideal location for tourists and locals alike. The interior is decorated with an impressive array of original features aligned with its historical era of inception, creating an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere for theatre-goers. The theatre has an audience capacity of 796 people across four levels, with the seats divided into Stalls, Dress Circle, Royal Circle and Balcony. Over time, it has been home to many outstanding performances, including shows like 'The Homecoming', 'Moonlight', and 'Betrayal'. The Harold Pinter Theatre undoubtedly offers a memorable and culturally enriching experience for all those who visit.

### How to Get to the Venue 

Harold Pinter Theatre is accessible and well-connected, located at Panton Street in the City of Westminster. The closest Underground stations are Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, both within a short 5-minute walk. Numerous buses service the area regularly, making it straightforward to reach using public transport. For those driving, the MasterPark at Whitcomb Street and NCP at Denman Street are the nearest parking options.

Harold Pinter Theatre - LON

Harold Pinter Theatre

The Harold Pinter Theatre is a historic venue in London's West End, known for hosting many notable performances. Convenient and easily accessible by public transit.

King Lear - LON [24522] - DNU

King Lear

King Lear - LON [24522] Product Media

Kenneth Branagh will direct and play the title role for 50 performances only at Wyndham’s Theatre from 21 October.

Read all about Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, X-Men) and his performances on the West End stage at LondonTheatre.co.uk

Ian McKellen - Stars on Stage | London Theatre

Player Kings Tickets

About Player Kings

Run time

Venue

Categories

Age

Start date

End date

Important information

Stars on stage

Ian McKellen

Player Kings cast and creative team

Venue

Noël Coward Theatre

Directions

Tickets