What Next for the Dominion?

Agree 100% monkey I for one liked it much better when it was the Whitehall Theatre and dearly miss it. One highlight from there for me was seeing Cooking with Elvis.

Without wishing this to become a Whitehall/Trafalgar thread, the original planning permission that allowed the space to be split in two was only valid as long as ATG owned the building, so when Howard and Rosemary re-aquired it as part of their 'conscious uncoupling', they had to go through the whole process again.

I don't half know some pointless facts. 🙂

I don't think you can really snub The Lyceum out of the largest capacity venue category given it's only 63 seats behind the Dominion. The Lyceum has had Lion King playing uninterrupted since 1999 (almost 7 years longer than Wicked at the ApVic).

What we're seeing now is a change of events as by-and-large the age of the mega-musical has become dormant. Granted theres always some exception to the rule (Hamilton this time round) but these big shows than run for decades playing to 16,000 a week just aren't emerging often or at all. Given the wobbly economic state of affairs the UK has experienced over the last ten years, despite a noted rise in audience figures this year, its no surprise than shows are finding it hard to sit down for extended periods of time.

I disagree that the Dominion and Drury Lane should follow the Palladiums lead for a number of reasons.
1 This 'strategy' isn't something new. The Palladiums' roots are in Music Hall and Variety and have been since its inception early 1900's, which is essentially what they are hosting now albeit in contemporary variation.
2 As a receiving house for touring acts playing one-off London dates the Palladium has an established niche, if two additional venues jumped onto this there'd be some over saturation risking profitability of all 3.
3 With the Hammersmith Apollo and Palladium Pantos, London doesn't need another 2 2000-capacity pantomimes at Christmas.

Once upon a time (in a land far far away) - sorry I have seen too many pantos recently, a big star would have filled these theatres for a few weeks residency - such a Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin etc. and even now comedians and singers could do the same thing but they have chosen to go down the arena tour route - far less shows/work and a bigger return. But how brilliant would it be to see French and Saunders at the Dominion or Cher, Kylie, Bette Midler?

I hate arena shows as you end up paying a fortune just to look at a screen all evening and arena shows just don't work for comedy at all. How great it would be to see these artists in the relative intimacy of a large theatre?

I think motorised walls would work so they can reduce capacity for the Monday-Saturday shows then increasing it for Hillsong.

Makes too much sense Phantom.

Imagine Cher, Celine or Britney bringing their Vegas shows to the Dominion for a run! I would die.

Fingers crossed for the oh-so-enticing musical based on Katie Price’s life, written by her and starring her. On ice. 

Boasting an Act One finale recreating “”A Whole New World”, the legendary Royal Variety Performance duet with Peter Andre, being reprised again at the end of Act 5 as part of a mega mix, this has hit all over it...well, it sounds like hit to me and must surely be Ealing Broadway bound.

Oh I have the most unnatural of frissons running through me at the thought 😀

I hope they don't change their mind cause I hate Frozen with a passion, and having the musical there feels like such a waste for a great theatre.

Frozen it is for Drury lane then

Not too surprising considering Nederlander are the producers on Broadway, would prefer MFL to be at Drury Lane.