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In the latest surprise twist in the ongoing evolution of the Westfield shopping centre, a brand new London theatre will open at the Shepherd’s Bush branch next October.
That’s not a pop up or any other temporary novelty: the Capital Theatre is a 620-seat permanent venue with an intimate design and a flexible state-of-the-art auditorium that means no audience member should be more than nine rows from the stage.
It also looks like relatively serious programming: it’ll open with the musical version of Dirty Dancing, which has been doing the rounds for years but is, nonetheless, a proper, full-length musical – presumably the logic from producers is that there’s an audience out there who wants to combine a London shopping trip with a classic musical, or simply that west London can handle a big commercial theatre.
Quite what the future holds for the Capital Theatre will be interesting: will we get actual new work, or relatively safe programming or tried and tested hits of yesterday? There is no indication yes as to what will run after Dirty Dancing, which is booking until the unimaginably distant date of March 2026. Whatever the case, a new theatre for London is always good news.
Dirty Dancing is at the Capital Theatre, Oct 23 2025 to Mar 1 2026. Tickets go on sale Nov 8 from here.
The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2024 and 2025.
The National Theatre’s Michael Sheen starring Nye will stream for free.
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