King's Theatre

The Glasgow City Council-owned King’s Theatre was opened in 1903 as a sister venue to the considerably older Theatre Royal. The two remain linked today by the fact that, as of 2005, they’re both managed by the Ambassador Theatre Group. By and large purely a receiving theatre, with a focus on populist, particularly family entertainment, the venue hosts everything from touring versions of hit West End and Broadway musicals, theatre and dance shows, to stand-up comedians and, every Christmas, a blockbuster annual pantomime, produced by First Family Entertainment.

Unmissable in its location towards the bottom of Bath Street, the red Dumfriesshire sandstone King’s is architecturally a mix of Baroque and Art Noveau styles, and one of Glasgow’s most instantly recognisable buildings. Given an extensive, multi-million pound makeover in time for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014 – which improved legroom and sightlines in the stalls and brought new carpets and air conditioning – it’s looking better than ever these days.

Major shows to have visited King’s in recent years include ‘Wicked’, ‘Dirty Dancing’, ‘Thriller Live’ and ‘The Full Monty’. The Christmas pantomime – and pantos are big business in Glasgow, with several large venues all vying for crowds – routinely features major names in Scottish entertainment, including Rikki Fulton, Elaine C Smith and Gerard Kelly. In addition to being a professional theatre, King’s also has a policy of helping amateur groups out by giving them a high profile stage for their performances.