The Apollo Victoria Theatre

The Apollo Victoria Theatre is in Wilton Road, London, opposite Victoria Station. You go out of the station, turn right, and cross the road - you quite literally can't miss it, what with all the huge signs saying 'STARLIGHT EXPRESS - ANDREW LLOYD-WEBBER'S ELECTRIFYING MUSICAL'.

The Apollo Victoria Theatre The theatre at night

The theatre was opened as the New Victoria Cinema in 1930. Its design is unusual in that the stalls seats are well below ground level, and are reached by stairs on the left of the foyer. The inside of the auditorium was decorated in an 'underwater' theme. By 1956 the cinema was far too large for its declining audiences, and had become only barely profitable. In 1958 the stage was overhauled and the building was used as a theatre, its use as a cinema ending finally in 1975.

Apollo Leisure took over the building in 1980, and it was refurbished and reopened as the Apollo Victoria. The Sound of Music, Camelot and Fiddler on the Roof were all given revivals there in the early eighties.

The interior of the theatre had to be completely overhauled for the opening of Starlight Express in 1984. Some fittings were removed and placed in storage, and special listed building consent was needed to build the huge, three-tiered racetrack. Should the run of Starlight Express ever come to an end, the interior will probably be returned to its original theme.

The main stage area:
The interior of the Apollo Victoria

A few words of explanation are probably necessary for those who haven't seen this production:

- the orchestra pit is actually mostly underneath the stage, and the striped poles just visible are the edges of nets that are folded over the top of the orchestra during the show
- the screens fold down, and as the races progress they are projected onto the screens so that the whole race is visible from everywhere in the auditorium (otherwise only half the race would be visible from each seat)
- the 'inner loop' is a ring of racetrack that goes through the centre of the stalls, with about 200 seats actually inside it. Plastic barriers go up during the races but the cast quite often skate round it with the barriers down, during the rest of the show. There are steps at the back so that people can get to their seats
- the main stage is ramped at the back, and the middle of the back of the stage slides open at various points. It also has lots of little light bulbs/fibre optics on it that light up and sparkle during the 'Starlight' sequences
- the bridge is probably the most interesting piece of scenery. It rotates, and lifts up and down. It is also used quite a lot during the races. It can connect from either the centre or the top section of the racetrack
- the top section of the racetrack goes round the front of the dress circle. The middle section (seen here on the left hand side and behind the screen on the right) goes round the back of the stalls. The ramp on the left connects the racetrack to the main stage - there is also a 'tunnel' just out of shot on the left, which goes through into the wings

If you have any questions about this production or the staging, please do not hesitate to contact me.