Menier Chocolate Factory

There are theatres that punch about their weight and then there’s the Menier Chocolate Factory, the 150-seat Southwark venue that regularly fires out transfers – particularly of musicals – to the West End, and enjoyed a close relationship with the late, great Stephen Sondheim.

The programming tends to be a sweet, crowd-pleasing mix of musicals and lighthearted plays, plus the occasional revue show imported from New York, and even the odd comedian. Some of its biggest hits have included 2015’s Funny Girl, starring Sheridan Smith, 2018’s Trevor Nunn-directed Fiddler on the Roof, and 2024’s revival of The Producers, which transferred to the West End’s Garrick Theatre.

Today, the Menier has a loyal fanbase and a knack for attracting legit (if well-seasoned) theatre names. But when the Menier's co-founders Danielle Tarento and David Babani first set up shop in 2004, they took the risk of opening their new theatre in a long-derelict former Menier chocolate factory in the then-unglamorous backstreets of Southwark. 

The Menier is now one of a small cluster of high-profile arts venues in the area, with the Unicorn and Bridge theatres just down the road. Arrive early to appreciate its atmospheric underground bar, complete with a collection of relics found during the process of restoring the 1860s building it stands in.