About the theatre

St. Martin's Theatre has been home to Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap since March 1974. Located in the heart of London’s West End and theatre district, it has a capacity of 552 over three auditorium levels – Stalls (265), Dress Circle (123) and Upper Circle (153) – and four boxes (11). The theatre has three bars and is fully air-conditioned. For venue hire enquiries, visit the Contact Us page.

History

The St. Martin’s Theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague as one of a pair of theatres, along with the Ambassadors Theatre, also in West Street. Richard Verney, 19th Baron Willoughby de Broke, together with B. A. (Bertie) Meyer, commissioned Sprague to design the theatre buildings. Although the Ambassadors opened in 1913, construction of the St. Martin’s was delayed by the outbreak of the First World War. The theatre is still owned by the present Lord Willoughby de Broke and his family.

The first production at the St. Martin’s was the spectacular Edwardian musical comedy Houp La!, starring Gertie Millar, which opened on 23 November 1916. The producer was the impresario Charles B. Cochran, who took a 21-year lease on the new theatre.

Many famous British actors have passed through the St. Martin's. In April 1923 Basil Rathbone played Harry Domain in R.U.R. and in June 1927 Henry Daniell appeared there as Gregory Brown in Meet the Wife. Successes at the theatre included Hugh Williams's play (later a film) The Grass is Greener, John Mortimer's The Wrong Side of the Park, and in 1970, the thriller Sleuth.

After Cochran, Bertie Meyer ran the theatre intermittently until 1967, when his son R. A. (Ricky) Meyer became administrator for the next two decades. The St. Martin's was Grade II listed by English Heritage in March 1973.