Guide

London Theatre Quiz: Questions and Answers

Twenty questions on the history, venues and shows of the West End.

Twenty questions and answers about London theatre - a Christmas-party piece or a five-minute lesson starter. Answers are at the foot of the page.

Questions

  1. Which is the oldest theatre still in active use in London?
  2. Which West End theatre is named after the composer Stephen Sondheim?
  3. How many seats does the London Palladium have?
  4. What is the longest-running musical in the world?
  5. Which musical reopened the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2021?
  6. Which Shakespeare play opened the rebuilt Globe in 1997?
  7. Who composed the music for Hamilton?
  8. What year did The Mousetrap open?
  9. Which two writers wrote The Book of Mormon?
  10. Where is the home of English National Opera?
  11. Which venue hosts the Royal Ballet?
  12. How many actors are in Operation Mincemeat?
  13. Which theatre is named after a small Spanish racing horse?
  14. What is the largest non-touring producing theatre in the UK?
  15. What does TKTS stand for?
  16. Which show coined the phrase 'rush ticket' in London?
  17. What is the Edwardian theatre on Catherine Street?
  18. Which is the smallest commercial theatre in the West End?
  19. Who designed The Lion King?
  20. Which musical features the song 'Defying Gravity'?

Answers

  1. The Theatre Royal Drury Lane - the current building dates from 1812, but a theatre has stood on the site since 1663.
  2. Sondheim Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue (formerly the Queen's Theatre).
  3. About 2,286 seats - the largest commercial theatre in London.
  4. Les Miserables.
  5. Frozen the Musical.
  6. Henry V.
  7. Lin-Manuel Miranda.
  8. 1952.
  9. Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez.
  10. The London Coliseum.
  11. The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
  12. Five.
  13. The Palace Theatre - named after the palace of variety, not a horse, but the Coliseum was originally subtitled the 'Theatre of Varieties'. Trick question.
  14. The National Theatre.
  15. The discount ticket booth in Leicester Square; not an abbreviation, the letters do not stand for anything specific.
  16. Rent, in the late 1990s.
  17. The Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
  18. The Fortune Theatre.
  19. Julie Taymor.
  20. Wicked.