Palace Theatre & House of MinaLima: Where the Magic Lives Now

The Palace Theatre on Cambridge Circus in London is a historic venue designed by Thomas Edward Colcutt in 1891 that currently hosts Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Originally opened as the Royal English Opera House with Arthur Sullivan's Ivanhoe, it later staged Les Misérables for 19 years starting in 1985. Nearby in Soho, the House of MinaLima showcases graphic props designed by Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima.

London · from the walk “Muggle London, Wizarding Secrets” · Generated

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Palace Theatre, Cambridge Circus, London WC2H 8BS

What was London's Palace Theatre originally called when it opened in 1891?

Look at this grand red-brick beauty towering over Cambridge Circus. The Palace Theatre. Today, it's the home of Harry Potter magic... but this building was born from a Very different dream — and a spectacular failure.......... It was eighteen ninety one when Richard D'Oyly Carte — the man behind Gilbert and Sullivan — commissioned this theatre, designed by Thomas Edward Colcutt, to be the home of English grand opera. He called it the Royal English Opera House, and he poured his fortune into it. The opening night featured Arthur Sullivan's opera Ivanhoe... which ran for a hundred and sixty performances. A hit, right? But here's the problem. Carte had NO other operas ready to follow. He leased the theatre to Sarah Bernhardt for a season... and then sold the whole building at a loss.......... One opera. That's all it took to kill a dream.......... Sir Henry Wood later said something haunting — that if Carte had had just six operas instead of one... "he would have established English opera in London for all time."

...... The building was converted into a grand music hall, renamed the Palace Theatre of Varieties. And by eighteen ninety seven, it began screening films as part of its entertainment programme — making it one of the Earliest cinemas in London! Then came Jesus Christ Superstar in nineteen seventy two, running for eight years. And then Les Misérables, which opened here in nineteen eighty five and ran for an incredible Nineteen years.......... And then, in twenty sixteen... the wizards arrived. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered right here on the seventh of June, twenty sixteen, and went on to win a record-breaking nine Olivier Awards, including Best New Play. In just under eight hours of priority booking, a hundred and seventy five Thousand tickets were sold.......... Now — here's a secret many tourists miss. Just a short walk from here, in Soho, you'll find the House of Minalima. Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima started working together in two thousand and one to create the Entire graphic universe of all the Harry Potter films. Every Daily Prophet headline, every Marauder's Map fold, every Hogwarts acceptance letter... came from their hands. They even hid their own names inside the films — there's an "Edwardus Lima" listed as the author of The Monster Book of Monsters, and an "Eduardus Limette Black" on the Black family tapestry!......... The House of Minalima first opened on Greek Street in twenty sixteen, before moving to Wardour Street in twenty twenty. After four successful years and over One Million visitors at the Greek Street gallery, they transformed an entire four-storey townhouse into their new headquarters. It's free to enter... and it's the closest thing London has to walking into a real Diagon Alley shop.......... So stand here for a moment. A theatre built for opera, reborn through musicals, and now... home to wizards. That's quite a spell.

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