The Palace Theatre, Cambridge Circus, London

Commissioned by entrepreneur Richard D'Oyly Carte as the 'Home of English Grand Opera', it was designed by Thomas Collcutt who also designed the Savoy Hotel. It sits right at the centre of the West End, at the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and The Charing Cross Road.

It opened in January 1891 but D'Oyly Carte he failed to fill it with productions and sold it a year later.

It became the Palace Theatre of Varieties and showed films from the American Biograph Company. Later dance was added including ballerina Anna Pavlova and the famous Palace Girls dance troupe. Comedy acts followed - The Marx Brothers appeared in 1922.

It became known for musicals from the late 1920s onwards. In 1972, Jesus Christ Superstar was put on, which ran for 8 years. Andrew Lloyd Webber bought the Palace in 1983 and Les Miserables ran for 19 years from 1985 to 2004.

Lloyd Webber sold it in 2012 to Nica Burns' Nimax Theatres who also own the Apollo, Duchess, Garrick, Vaudeville and the Lyric.

Nica Burns has been producer and director of the famous Edinburgh Comedy Awards since 1984.

A stage version of the book The Commitments has been showing since September 2013. It was also made into a film in 1991.