Boulevard Theatre

The original Boulevard Theatre site began as a sister venue to the Raymond Revuebar. It was run under the same name as the Revuebar and provided an additional bar and restaurant which housed gaming tables, prior to the gaming act in 1968.

It then became a small theatre in its own right, and was known as the ‘Elle et Lui’ theatre. The theatre was accessed through the Raymond Revuebar but had its own separate box office in the Revuebar foyer.

Due to the similarity in genre of shows and competition that the ‘Elle et Lui’ theatre created for the Revuebar and The Windmill Theatre, the theatre was closed and reopened as the ‘Boulevard Theatre’. To begin with, the theatre continued to share the entrance with the Revuebar, but later a separate entrance was installed, making it a stand-alone venue.

The Boulevard Theatre presented various productions, including erotic, comedy and straight plays, and is most famously known as the home of Peter Richardson’s Comic Strip. Over the years, shows included: ‘Women Behind Bars’ c.1977 / Jeremy Taylor’s ‘Back in Town’ c.1979 / ‘The Marilyn Chambers Show’ c.1979 / ‘The Comic Strip Presents’ c.1980 / ‘The Collector’ (by John Fowles, adapted by David Parker) c.1984 / ‘Infidelities’ starring Jill Bennett c.1986 / Eddie Izzard’s ‘Raging Bull’ comedy club c.1989.

In 2019, Soho Estates’ director and granddaughter of Paul Raymond Fawn James will reopen the Boulevard Theatre as part of the regeneration of the Walker’s Court area, in tribute to the original theatre.