Theatre Royal Drury Lane introduces ‘unique’ West End dining experience

Theatre Royal Drury Lane is to offer a three-course pre-theatre dining menu, claiming to be the only West End venue to give theatregoers this option ahead of a performance.

The evening dinner, presented in the theatre’s regency-era Grand Saloon, focuses on seasonal British dishes, with options including pork terrine with brandy cherries, ox cheek bourguignon, risotto and parsnip soup.

Theatres including London’s Playhouse offer dinners alongside shows, with audience members eating as they enjoy the action on stage, but Theatre Royal Drury Lane maintains that its pre-theatre experience is unique because it is unconnected to any productions running in the venue.

Moreover, diners can eat at the theatre and then opt to see an entirely different play in Theatreland.

The launch complements the occasion of Shakespeare plays returning to Theatre Royal Drury Lane for the first time since 1957, when actor John Gielgud broke his staff playing Prospero.

The incident reportedly inspired Gielgud to declare an end for any Shakespeare at the venue – a tradition concluded with the arrival of director Jamie Lloyd’s The Tempest, starring Sigourney Weaver.