Quingo Scooters are bringing you yet another great British attraction in England’s capital this week as part of our Accessible Attractions series. This one is for theatre fans…
The Apollo Victoria Theatre
The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre within the Westminster district of London. The theatre opened in 1930 as a cinema and variety theatre; it then became a venue for musical theatre beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, including Starlight Express which ran from 1984 to 2002. The theatre is now the home of the award-winning musical Wicked, which has wowed audiences at the venue for 11 years.
Wicked
First opening on Broadway in 2003, and at The Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2006, Wicked has achieved huge success, and continues to impress critics and audiences. It quickly picked up three Tony Awards and even a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. The show is adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, Wicked, is the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, and how they became known as the most famous witches of Oz.
The music and lyrics were produced by the talented musical theatre legend Stephen Schwartz, his most notable works being Godspell, Pippin, Children of Eden and The Baker’s Wife. Schwartz’ career has spanned across theatre and film, with screen credits including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas and the song ‘When You Believe’ from The Prince of Egypt.
The show features a host of famous musical theatre stars. Idina Menzel, Kerry Ellis, Rachel Tucker, Willemijn Verkaik and Emma Hatton have all donned the black hat of Elphaba. Glinda has been played by stars including Kristin Chenoweth, Megan Hilty, Dianne Pilkington, Annaleigh Ashford and Gina Beck.
Ticket prices and opening times
Wicked is shown Monday through to Saturday at 7.30pm; on Wednesday and Saturday there are additional shows at 2.30pm. The theatre closes on Sundays.
Ticket prices range from £19.50 to £125 depending on the seats that are chosen. Each has an individual booking fee, which can be found on the ‘Booking Fees’ page here.
Getting there
The Apollo Victoria Theatre is located very close to Victoria Station in the heart of Victoria, London. The theatre is close to other well-known attractions such as Westminster Cathedral and a large number of shops. The theatre boasts great transport links to central London as well as the surrounding areas.
By tube or rail, the theatre is a short distance from Victoria Station, which has both underground links to the Victoria, District and Circle lines as well as National Rail links to the South East.
By bus, visitors can take the bus from Victoria Station to and from local London areas, there are several bus services, which can be found here.
By car, visitors can access various meters on the roads surrounding the theatre, located on Allington Street, Bressenden Place and Carlisle Place. The standard tariff is usually £2 per hour, however due to the business, prices may differ and the area can become crowded. Alternatively, London Victoria car park is 6 minutes away from the theatre and is priced at £22 for the day.
For more information regarding travelling to the theatre, click here.
Accessibility
The accessible entrance to the theatre is via a platform lift at the Vauxhall Bridge Road entrance, this provides level access to the accessible toilets and foyer facilities. Before arriving, it is advised to contact the Front of House team to organise operation of the lift and to arrive between 30 and 45 minutes before the performance. The theatre has four accessible spaces, again booking is recommended as there is limited availability. There are limited parking facilities in Victoria and for those with a blue badge. The closest bays to the theatre are Grosvenor Gardens, Carlisle Place and further along Wilton Road. For more information regarding accessibility, click here.
About Quingo
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