The long-awaited Soho Theatre Walthamstow opens at the beginning of May — with a stellar line-up featuring some of the land's finest comedians.
Beginning life as the vast Granada cinema in 1930, the Grade II-listed building on Hoe Street went on to host the Beatles, John Coltrane, Little Richard and Buddy Holly before it closed in 2003, its foyer later enjoying a brief spell reincarnated as Antic's Mirth, Marvel & Maud pub. Soho Theatre's restoration of the former art deco picture house has been a long time coming: plans to revert it back into a performance space were first mooted in 2012, and a soft launched was planned for November 2023, before complications severely set back the £30m project.
Lovers of comedy, theatre — not to mention splendid architecture — will hope it's been worth the wait. Our firm prediction is that yes, it will be. Surrealist comedian Natalie Palamides sets the ball rolling from 2-10 May, with WEER, which the Guardian hailed as an "outrageously entertaining one-woman romcom". Other early appearances come from Ahir Shah, Mark Watson, Dara O'Briain, Josie Long and This Is Going to Hurt creator Adam Kay, who brings his latest show, Undoctored, to the theatre in November.
Meanwhile, in a bid to cement it as one of the places to head for heavyweight comedy in the capital, a monthly showcase, Neon Nights, will be staged. Among those on the first three line-ups are Rosie Jones, Larry Dean, Olga Koch, Desiree Burch, Phil Wang and Catherine Bohart. All the stops are being pulled out — and too right too, given there are 960 seats to fill. Soho Theatre is confident the venue will swell its annual audiences from 250k to 400k.
While comedy is the lynchpin of the venue's offering, there will also be theatre, cabaret and occasional family-friendly shows. Aladdin & The Magic Lamp is billed for the Christmas season, with Soho Theatre wishing hard that pantos will become an annual staple.
Co-Chair of Soho Theatre Walthamstow Alessandro Babalola says: "As someone who was born and raised in this borough, who loves this place, it is an astounding feeling to be a part of bringing a theatre here. Soho Theatre Walthamstow is going to be sensational: a world-class venue rooted in its community, giving local people the chance to access live performance."
Tickets for shows at Soho Theatre Walthamstow go on sale at the Soho Theatre website from Thursday 30 January 2025, with 15,000 tickets priced at £15 to mark the occasion.
The original Soho Theatre opened on Dean Street in 2000, although its roots date back to the early 1970s, and the Soho Poly Theatre. It's staged countless comedy and theatre shows, a good deal of them going on to critical — even worldwide — acclaim, including Fleabag, Hannah Gadsby's Nanette, and Liz Kingsman's One Woman Show. Soho Theatre Walthamstow will be Soho Theatre's second venue.
