Until 2001, the theatre was owned and operated by the Wimbledon Civic Theatre Trust, on behalf of the London Borough of Merton, who still own the freehold of the building. The trust was responsible for overseeing a multimillion-pound refurbishment in the late 1990s, incorporating a brand new backstage area, fly tower, and a complete re-seating of the orchestra stalls as well as redecoration of the interior. During this period, the theatre was closed for an entire year. The venue fell into severe financial difficulties in 2003 and was forced to close. Following lengthy talks between leading producers, local councillors, and companies, in autumn 2003 a deal was agreed for the theatre to be managed by the
Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG). Following a name change to the New Wimbledon Theatre, the venue reopened in February 2004 with
Matthew Bourne's production of
The Nutcracker followed by a season of touring musicals, dance, and ballet, culminating in the London revival of
Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Cats. In November 2005, the theatre saw the launch of a new UK pantomime company,
First Family Entertainment with their flagship production being
Cinderella starring
Susan Hampshire,
Richard Wilson,
John Barrowman,
Naomi Wilkinson,
Peter Duncan, and
Tim Vine. In 2006, the theatre welcomed its first Hollywood star in the shape of
Happy Days'
Henry Winkler. Subsequent Christmases have seen global stars including
Pamela Anderson,
Warwick Davis,
Edna Everage,
Linda Gray,
David Hasselhoff,
Priscilla Presley,
Jerry Springer, and
Ruby Wax, alongside British household names including
Brian Blessed,
Jo Brand,
Bobby Davro,
Anita Dobson,
Gareth Gates,
Ross Kemp,
Alistair McGowan,
Paul O'Grady,
Joanna Page,
Wayne Sleep,
Louie Spence,
Claire Sweeney, and
Tim Vine. The theatre has since played host to a large variety of major touring productions, plus the UK launch of Josef Weinberger's UK collection of
Disney musicals available to amateur companies throughout the British Isles. In 2010, the national tour of
Spamalot, the musical based on the film
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, opened at the New Wimbledon. In September, 2024,
War Horse (play) Television usage The venue is frequently hired out for television production, with many television series having been shot at the location, including
The Optimist,
The Bill,
The IT Crowd,
De-Lovely,
Little Britain,
Extras (the Aladdin pantomime episode with
Les Dennis),
Jonathan Creek and
We Are Most Amused, a comedy gala performance to celebrate the 60th birthday of
The Prince of Wales, in aid of
The Prince's Trust. and Karen Smith on stage at the New Wimbledon Theatre, filming an episode of
The Optimist (1984) Notably, the venue was the home of annual televised Christmas pantomimes, including: •
Aladdin (BBC 1971) – starring
Cilla Black,
Alfred Marks,
Roy Castle, and
Norman Vaughan •
Dick Whittington and His Cat (BBC 1972) – starring
Dick Emery,
Peter Noone,
Michael Aspel,
Gemma Craven,
Robert Dorning, and
Stratford Johns •
Robin Hood (BBC 1973) – starring
Terry Scott,
Hugh Lloyd,
Anita Harris,
Billy Dainty,
Dana,
Freddie Davies, and
Alan Curtis •
Aladdin (ITV 2000) – starring
Ed Byrne,
Patsy Kensit,
John Savident,
Roger Moore,
Martin Clunes,
Ralf Little,
Paul Merton,
Julian Clary,
Billy Murray,
Lisa Riley,
Meera Syal,
Trisha Goddard,
Leslie Phillips, and
S Club 7 •
Dick Whittington (ITV 2002) – starring
Richard Wilson,
Harry Hill,
James Fleet,
Amanda Barrie,
Roger Moore,
Kevin Bishop,
Julian Clary,
Vanessa Feltz,
Lee Mack,
Tina O'Brien,
Paul Merton,
Debra Stephenson,
Jessica Stevenson,
Mark Williams, and
Hear'Say The Real Full Monty (ITV1 2023)
Touring productions Touring shows that have visited Wimbledon over the years include: ''
Cats,
Starlight Express,
We Will Rock You,
Sister Act,
Monty Python's Spamalot,
Avenue Q,
Shrek the Musical,
Chicago,
The Sound of Music,
Riverdance,
Waitress,
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,
9 To 5,
Rock of Ages,
Dirty Dancing,
Beauty and the Beast,
School of Rock,
Singin' in the Rain,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
West Side Story,
Jesus Christ Superstar,
Bat Out of Hell: The Musical,
Thoroughly Modern Millie,
The Rocky Horror Show,
Fame – The Musical,
Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical,
Saturday Night Fever,
Carousel,
Footloose – The Musical,
Grease,
Anything Goes,
Flashdance – The Musical and An Inspector Calls''. It has also been home to residencies of many
Matthew Bourne productions including
Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Edward Scissorhands, The Car Man, Highland Fling and
The Red Shoes.
Music video •
There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) – iconic video by
Eurythmics was shot here in June 1985, directed by Eddie Arno and Mark Innocenti. It is one of the most memorable and heavy rotated videos on
MTV.
Cultural references The New Wimbledon Theatre is featured in "Final Curtain", Series 5 Episode 2 of the BBC TV program
New Tricks == References ==