Recent History
On 7 August 1995, the then Alexandra Theatre was taken over by the multi-national organisation the Apollo Leisure Group. The new owners who ran many West End theatres brought many large scale West End productions to the Alex including Copacabana, Great Expectations, Grease and Summer Holiday starring Darren Day. A critically acclaimed production of West Side Story transferred to the West End for a successful run.
Under the ownership of Apollo Leisure, the Alex saw major investment including improvements to the stage area and front of house areas, this then enabled the theatre to stage first-rate productions including two productions from Cameron Mackintosh, Oliver! starring Gary Wilmot, and Les Misérables - the first productions to try out the new facilities.
In 1999 the Apollo Leisure Group was bought by American entertainment company SFX Entertainment for around £160 million. Under SFX management the theatre saw increased entertainment value, still welcoming West End productions such as Doctor Dolittle, and in Christmas 2000 saw the return of pantomime to the theatre, with a sell out season of Peter Pan starring Leslie Grantham and Joe Pasquale. In 2001, SFX merged with Clear Channel Entertainment, making them the largest UK theatre operator, including three West End theatres. Under the ownership of Clear Channel the theatre continued to provide and attract a range of entertainment, including musicals, comedy, plays, opera and concerts.
Comedians including Stewart Lee, Seann Walsh, Jack Dee and Micky Flanagan have all performed at the theatre in recent years.
In January 2006 the Alexandra Theatre changed management once again, to be managed by Live Nation, a company that specialised in concert promotion and large venue operations. It is now owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group, and after a minor refurbishment the group renamed the theatre the New Alexandra Theatre.
Read more about this topic: New Alexandra Theatre
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