Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has put The Other Palace on the market. The English musician released a statement to the media confirming the news.
“I have hugely enjoyed owning this amazing creative facility and it is heart wrenching to put it up for sale,” Webber explained without providing a reason for his decision to sell the venue, What’s on Stage confirms. “I hope the future owners will love it as much as I have.” In the statement, he also called The Other Palace a “wonderful and unique place.” He emphasized its various features and amenities, including a separate studio space as well as a renowned restaurant.
Webber’s theatre company LW Theatres also released a statement regarding the surprising news. The company called the decision a “strategic move” but declined to provide more details explaining what prompted the choice. However, LW Theatres added they’ll be focusing their attention on Covent Garden, a shopping and entertainment spot in London’s West End. It’s home to the Royal Opera House as well as St. Paul’s Church, a hub popular with street entertainers. LW Theatres confirmed they’ll be releasing “more details later in the year” about their plans for the space.
The Other Palace is a theatre located in London’s Off West End. When it originally opened in 2012, the venue was known as the St. James Theatre. However, when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s corporation The Really Useful Theatre Company acquired it in 2016, they renamed it The Other Palace, The Stage notes.
Lisbeth R. Barron and the team at Barron International Group, LLC is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to Andrew Lloyd Webber and LW Theatres on this sale transaction.
Webber originally founded The Really Useful company in 1977, which specializes in theatre, film, video, and concert productions as well as recording and publishing, amongst other things. It contains several divisions, including The Really Useful Theatre Company, which is specifically involved in producing and managing plays and musicals, particularly those written by Webber.
The Other Palace is known for its spaciousness. It features a large auditorium, which can comfortably seat 312 audience members. It also comes with a 120-seat studio theatre. The Other Palace was originally built on the grounds of the old Westminster Theatre, which became damaged in a fire in 2002. Afterwards, it was demolished before the St. James Theatre was resurrected a decade later.
The historic venue has hosted countless notable productions in the years since Webber’s company took it over. This included Big Fish (2017), starring Kelsey Grammer, Heathers the Musical (2018), starring Carrie Hope Fletcher, and more recently, Amelie (2019) and Be More Chill (2020). The Other Palace has been unable to host in-person productions in over a year due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
It remains unclear if difficulties created by COVID-19 contributed to Webber’s decision to sell the beloved theatre. It’s also unknown how much the composer has listed The Other Palace for on the real estate market.
Sources: What’s On Stage, The Stage,