Ambassadors Theatre

I imagine it'll be approved since they're replacing the Ambassadors with a new theatre.

Good point but I trust Cameron Mackintosh will make the Sondheim just as beautiful if not more so than it was before, you look at the Prince of Wales which doesn't look anything like it was before it was refurbished and I say what he did there was very beneficial. 

A good example of a modern theatre which retained its facade but is completely new on the inside is the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway, the original Henry Miller's Theatre was too far gone to save when they were building the Bank of America Tower and the new theatre manages to retain some of its original features. 

Let him get on with it! Please god theres no public enquiry. Its still going to be a theatre just one fit for the 21st century.

There's only one group that's opposed to it and that's the Victorian Society, everyone else has backed it and Camden Council has agreed to it with some proposals

I see from an article in The Stage that Camden Council's Planning Committee has given, on 22nd Feb, the green light to Cameron Mackintosh to develop the Ambassadors into the Sondheim, a studio theatre for subsidised shows. This is subject to a decision as to whether Sajid Javid should determine the issue due, as I understand it,to an objection lodged by the Victorian Society.

There is a restriction to the granting of the planning permission however which has baffled me slightly. It limits commercial productions to a maximum of 16 weeks per year. Presumably the rest of the productions (if not all in any event) must originate from a subsidised theatre in London or the regions. My question is: will these subsidised transfers not be classed as commercial transfers because presumably they will be brought to the West End by commercial producers?

I hope that makes sense!

I don't get the sense that the legal restriction placed is that each show lasts no more than 16 weeks. I know that's what Delfont Mackintosh's plan is anyway. It was that no more than 16 weeks of the year should be allocated to commercial productions. My query is that surely ALL the productions will be commercial West End productions, albeit most if not all originating from the subsidised sector.

I just wondered if it meant that the shows filling the other weeks of the year MUST come from subsidised theatres, in other words only one production produced soley for the WE and not transferred from the subsidised sector could be mounted eg like current productions of Frozen and The Birthday Party opening directly in the West End.

Because I am sad and have no life, I have read all 112 pages of the Planning Officer's report. As with most things, it is all in the wording:

"- In any five consecutive calendar years the total length of Production
Runs created or originated other than by a Subsidised Theatre Company
shall not exceed 50 weeks without the written consent of the Council
- In any one year the total length of individual Production Runs shall not
exceed 16 weeks without the written consent of the Council."

Of course, as with any planning condition, enforcement depends on officer vigilance and the Council committing the resources.

Selfishly, I'm quite pleased about that, as I'd like to make one final visit. The one and only time I have seen a John Godber play in London's glittering West End was at the Ambassadors. He was in the audience.

Looks like this is under threat given Cameron’s experience of refurbishing the Vic Palace:



www.thestage.co.uk/news/2018/cameron-mackintoshs-sondheim-theatre-doubt-due-cost-concerns/

I'd be very interested to know the finances on the Victoria Palace. With Hamilton ticket prices being what they are and the show still selling extremely well, how long before the Palace has paid for itself? And it's not like he doesn't have a few other reliable money-makers under his belt, refurbing the Ambassadors must be extremely costly if Hamilton, Les Mis, and Mormon can't eventually cover both the work and the loss-making productions the theatre would house. EDIT: oh, and the purchase of the theatre. Yeah, it does sound *extremely* costly tbh.....

The Ambassadors/Sondheim is more complex than the VP because it’s creating a new theatre inside an existing building rather than a refurb.

Cameron is very optimistic if he thinks it can be done by 2020, given the VP took a lot longer

Yes me too, i was under the impression CM had already bought it. As it turns out he hasnt so there is no way any new theatre will be open for Spring 2020.

Wonder who’s bid for it?