Dirty Dancing - Capital Theatre (Westfield Shepherd's Bush)

Karl Sydow and Adam Kenwright are delighted to today announce their new joint venture. Capital Theatre, a permanent new theatre venue, will open in West London in Autumn 2025 with the record-breaking Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage set to be its very first production. Performances commence on Thursday 23 October 2025 in Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush.

Tickets go on sale Friday 8 November at dirtydancingonstage.co.uk - book now for the time of your life!

Karl Sydow, Producer, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, said:
“I began my entertainment journey in 1965 with Rock’n’Roll bands, moved to theatre in 1982, produced my first show in 1988 and received my first Tony nomination in 1991. I have presented shows all over the world from the smallest of the fringe to the largest of West End Theatres and produced Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage since 2004. So at the halfway point in my theatrical life I’m thrilled to be doing something very special and new to me with a very special friend. It’s time to build and run a venue! We have always had a mission to bring more people to the theatre and by opening the Capital Theatre at Westfield London, we are bringing a theatre to where the people are!”

Adam Kenwright, Founder & Managing Partner at Kindred Partners, continued:
"We are so excited today to announce the Capital Theatre: a thrilling, state of the art addition to London's thriving entertainment scene. We have created a uniquely tailored and designed new space, with the experience of audiences at its heart. London's theatres are on course to deliver the greatest ever attendance figures in 2024, with 17 million tickets and, for the first time ever, sales in excess of £1 billion. Capital Theatre will build upon this, supported by superb transport links to provide easy access for audiences from across the UK. With Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage as the inaugural show in the venue, we will be launching with a world-renowned production that has a track record of more than a decade's sold-out seasons in London and throughout the country."

Laura Waters, General Manager at Westfield London, added:
“We are absolutely thrilled to debut Capital Theatre at Westfield London with the world-renowned production of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage. As the UK’s leading destination for shopping and leisure, Westfield London is continually evolving to offer unparalleled experiences, and this purpose-built, state-of-the-art theatre is an exceptional addition. We look forward to welcoming audiences to this spectacular new venue to enjoy a world-class show.”

Capital Theatre is to be operated by Adam Kenwright and his company Kindred Partners in partnership with Karl Sydow. With the auditorium designed and built by the architect and design team behind The Bridge Theatre, @sohoplace, The Young Vic and the recent transformation of the Playhouse Theatre into the Kit Kat Club.

The brand new purpose-built 620 seat venue is set over 35,000 square feet, taking over the southwest corner at the vibrant Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush. The intimate flexible auditorium will deliver a premium experience where every seat offers a fantastic view, and no customer will be more than 9 rows from the performance stage area. The venue will accommodate premium rehearsal rooms, first class backstage facilities including offices, dressing rooms, creative and technical facilities alongside management offices.

The state-of-the-art venue will include a welcoming foyer café serving delicious food and drink throughout the day, complemented by an onsite box office and merchandise store open seven days a week. Capital Theatre is ideally situated in the heart of Westfield London, offering customers exceptional accessibility through numerous public transport links (served by 4 major London underground stations: Shepherd’s Bush, White City, Wood Lane and Shepherd’s Bush Market) and convenient car parks nearby, with 5000 parking spaces on site. The venue will have access directly from the street and from within Westfield itself.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage will be the first production to open at Capital Theatre. The smash hit musical, produced by Karl Sydow, will make a triumphant return to London, having had two box office record-breaking seasons in the West End in the last four years.

Get Ready for The Time of Your Life. Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage returns to London in a stunning new venue!

Experience the iconic story like never before as the legendary, officially endorsed theatre production of Dirty Dancing takes to the stage at Capital Theatre - an intimate, purpose-built venue at Westfield London.

The worldwide smash hit has already captured the hearts of millions across the globe. Now you can step into a beautifully designed theatre space that brings you closer to the action, ensuring you won’t miss a single heartbeat of this exhilarating production.

Featuring sensationally sexy choreography, that famous lift and all your favourite moments live and up close, accompanied by the classic soundtrack of 35 hit songs including Hungry Eyes, Hey Baby, Do You Love Me? and the heart stopping (I've Had) The Time of My Life, played live.

Be transported back to Kellerman’s resort in the summer of ’63 where Baby first meets charismatic dance instructor Johnny Castle and quickly becomes drawn into his world.

Relive their timeless love story as Baby explores her deepening feelings for Johnny, navigates her friendship with Penny—Johnny's best friend and dance partner—confronts the expectations of her conservative parents, Marjorie and Jake Houseman, and deals with the disruptions caused by the self-serving Robbie Gould and Vivien Pressman.

Discover a fresh take on the beloved story, script, and music from the acclaimed live stage phenomenon. This intimate, fully staged new production features a cast, band, and company of over 40 performers, reimagining the iconic tale from Baby's memorable moment of "carrying a watermelon" to her heartwarming transformation and the unforgettable final dance that proves, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage is a Karl Sydow production in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions, written by Eleanor Bergstein.

What a depressing sounding venture.. mainly due to the crap they are opening it with. Good luck to ‘em.

Merged

Debenham’s according to the Standard article.

Is this new version that was announced for Broadway?

Is this not going where Flippers the roller skating thing is by the bus station? That’s closing and the photos look exactly like the inside so I presumed that’s where it was going.

Well, I’ll always welcome a new theatre space. Eventually something will replace DD.

I’d be very surprised if the theatre is on the ground floor under TK Maxx.

Exciting news, as this sounds very promising considering the end result of the other venue projects mentioned.


Afwul choice of first staging to start this off with, however. Guess I'll have to wait for future announcements before I pay Capital Theatre a visit (well into 2026, I reckon)

I do agree it's an odd space, but seems to be the suggestion. My initial thought was that it would be in the former Kidzania space, as that would seem far more flexible for a theatre.