Lyric Hammersmith's great age hasn't stopped the theatre from hosting a huge mix of stories on the main house stage. This year thousands of visitors have been entertained by everything from the classics (Dracula, Macbeth) to comedies (Marriage Material) and musicals (Sing Street). Pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk will be taking centre stage from 15 November.
The historic theatre is using its big birthday to fundraise £200,000 for new stage lights, essential repair work for the auditorium. The new lights will be more environmentally friendly – better for the planet and cheaper to run.
The fundraising has already started with a one-night-only celebration evening, A Very Musical Birthday, where an all-star cast performed songs and favourite scenes from the theatre's history to a sold-out theatre.
Stars performing on the night included Michael Sheen making his Lyric stage debut, Clarke Peters, Samantha Bond, Mel Giedroyc and Dame Sheila Hancock who first performed on the Lyric's stage in 1956.
Adjoa Andoh opened the show with the speech Lillie Langtry gave when opening the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in 1895.
The fundraising birthday celebrations haven't stopped there. The Lyric also ran an online prize draw with money-can't-buy prizes including Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 2024 BAFTA dress, a full year of tickets to the theatre's press nights and an audition masterclass with Rhashan Stone.
There's still time to support the Lyric's fundraiser.
Meet the Lyric's designer – Frank Matcham
The Lyric Hammersmith's auditorium was designed by famous English architect Frank Matcham. Its doors opened for the first time in 1895.
The opening performance started with an address from the famous actress, Lille Langtry, and was followed by a performance of a one-act play, Dora.
On the 20 July, 1985 The Era newspaper published details of the event and the new design of the theatre:
"The stalls, dress-circle, and upper circle have velvet tip-up chairs, and retiring rooms and saloons are provided. The raised plaster decorations are rich in detail, and the colouring in shades of creams and blues is very tasteful...
"The new stage is much deeper than the old one, and has scene docks on each side […] and everything necessary for the staging of large productions.
We are incredibly proud of the Lyric theatre's history and our beautiful theatre.
The exact number of theatres designed by Frank Matcham is unknown.
Today, just over 20 are still standing. This includes the O2 Shepherds Empire, which also boasts a Blue Plaque in Matcham's honour.
