Plaque: St James's Theatre - SWET
Inscription
Theatreland - heart of the performing arts in London.
St James's Theatre
On this site stood the St James's Theatre, demolished in 1957 despite an epic campaign of protest led by Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier. George Alexander, manager from 1890 - 1918, staged both Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" for the first time.
A joint venture by the City of Westminster and the Society of West End Theatre.
Site: St James's Theatre (3 memorials)
SW1, King Street, 23-24
The passageway between the pub and the modern building houses the SWET plaque and the Olivier relief. The other 3 reliefs are at the far end of the passageway.
We believe the reliefs used to adorn the balconies of the first building to replace the theatre, now demolished.
