London's Haunted Theatres

A Bloodied Lady Macbeth, a Headless Man, and a Clog Dancer

May 18, 2008 Mari Nicholson

From Sadler's Wells Theatre in Islington to the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, ghosts have been seen and heard, but the most haunted is the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Most West End theatres have a ghost and some have a whole convocation of them. They are an eclectic lot, from the disembodied white head that roams The Theatre Royal at Drury Lane to the bloodstained lady who constantly wrings her hands at the Old Vic Theatre by Waterloo Station.

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London

The oldest working theatre in London is the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Its many ghosts include that of the father of pantomime, Joseph Grimaldi, whose is said to kick unsuspecting actors, usherettes and cleaners when he wants to attract attention. By his request, his head was severed from his body prior to burial and this disembodied head floats around the theatre after performances.

The theatre’s most famous ghost is probably “The Man In Grey”, a bewigged young man in a grey riding cloak and 3-cornered hat who appears only during daylight in the Upper Circle. Popular with both cast and management, the man in grey only appears at the beginning of a successful run (which means virtually all productions at Drury Lane, the home of the great musicals). Like the Grimaldi ghost, he too, pokes and prods people, moving them around the stage.

Dan Leno, the popular comedian and clog dancer, who died aged just 43, also haunts the Theatre Royal. Clog-dancing sounds have been heard behind the closed door of his old dressing room and actors on stage for an encore have sensed his presence by the strong smell of lavender, used during his lifetime to disguise the odour caused by a bladder problem.

Lyceum Theatre, London

William Terriss, who haunts the Lyceum, was a popular actor-manager who was stabbed to death in 1897 at the Adelphi stage door and who, as he lay dying in the arms of his leading lady, whispered “I will be back”. He returned with a vengeance in 1928, manifesting himself to a tourist walking along the street before attacking an actress in her dressing room. Terriss also haunts Covent Garden tube station and so disturbed the staff that London Underground called in a spiritualist

The acclaimed performer John Buckstone (1802-1879) prowls the back stalls of the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Donald Sinden, one of England’s great actors, once saw him in one of the dressing-rooms in the theatre. Backstage staff have heard a voice rehearsing lines when no one is there.

Duke of York's Theatre

The Duke of York’s Theatre in St.Martin’s Lane has a sinister ghost that haunts in the form of a bolero jacket which attempts to strangle the wearer. After a séance held in the theatre the offending garment was sold.

London Palladium

Even a theatre less than 100 years old, The London Palladium in Argyll Street, plays host to a lady in a yellow crinoline dress who glides up and down the Crimson staircase at the rear of the Royal Circle.

It is said that the original of the ghost light in the theatre lies in these sightings. Some say that there must always be a “ghost light” illuminating the stage when not in use so that ghosts won’t roam freely around. Others think it is so that the ghosts can perform if they so wish.

So if you feel a cold breath on your neck when next in a London Theatre, it’s probably not an exit door left open; it could be the resident ghost.

The copyright of the article London's Haunted Theatres in Theatre History is owned by Mari Nicholson. Permission to republish London's Haunted Theatres in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Lyceum Theatre

Dominium Theatre

Palace Theatre