Leeds Grand Theatre: tickets, history and where to drink after
A Victorian red-brick showpiece on New Briggate, home to Opera North and Northern Ballet, with a few ways to pay less and a proper bar a few doors down.
By Only Leeds Editorial
Leeds Grand Theatre sits at 46 New Briggate, Leeds LS1 6NU, and it is one of the best-looking rooms in the city. The venue calls itself a magnificent theatre in Leeds city centre, which is fair. It hosts West End musicals and other touring productions, and it is home to Opera North and Northern Ballet.
A bit of history
It opened on Monday 18 November 1878 with Much Ado About Nothing. Wilson Barrett, the first manager and lessee, did the honours. The architect was George Corson, with James Robertson Watson providing the theatre know-how. Corson also designed Leeds Central Library and the art gallery, so he left a decent mark on the place.
The venue says it was built after Prince Albert reportedly remarked that Leeds needed a good theatre. It was paid for by the Grand Theatre Company, a group of ten wealthy directors with £50,000 of capital. The contemporary report puts construction at 13 months and the cost at over £60,000.
The building is Grade II* listed. The Theatres Trust describes the red-brick façade as a highly eclectic and romantic mixture of Romanesque and Gothic, and it runs to 162ft across. Inside, Gothic touches such as fan-vaulting and clustered columns do the work. The Grand was saved in 1969, when a public campaign beat a council plan to replace it with office blocks. Opera North has been based here since 1978, and Northern Ballet became a resident company in 1996. A major roof restoration was finished in 2016. The venue even admits to a few resident ghosts.
What to see
The Grand is a receiving house, so shows come in rather than being made on site. May's listings include 2:22: A Ghost Story, The Shawshank Redemption, Here & Now: The Steps Musical and The Karate Kid: The Musical. Check the venue's site for exact dates before you plan around any of them. Later listings include The Sound of Music, an Opera North musical production rather than an opera, with tickets from £27.75. Northern Ballet's Cinderella and Hadestown are also on the venue's site.
Capacity is around 1,500, so there is rarely a bad night for atmosphere. Do note that the Balcony and Upper Balcony have steep stairs, and that restricted-view seats, such as those with a pillar in the way, are flagged when you book.
Prices and booking
- Free membership gets you £22 tickets at the Grand and City Varieties, and £13 for National Theatre Live screenings.
- Families: for The Sound of Music, a price band C package is £130 for two adults and two children, booking fees included. A band B family deal is £170.
- Northern Ballet: 10% off when you book two shows, 15% off for three. Under-16s get a half-price child ticket per adult in the Stalls and Upper Circle on selected performances.
- Opera North: at least 300 seats at £30 or less at every Grand performance. First-timers pay £20 including booking fee. Under-30s and students with free membership pay £15. Children pay £10, and 16 to 20s booking independently in Leeds go free. Details are on Opera North's tickets page.
A per-ticket booking fee applies at the Grand and City Varieties, which the venue says goes towards running and maintenance. Booking online is encouraged. Tickets can be emailed, printed at home, collected from the box office or posted for £1.20. By phone, call 0113 243 0808, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm. The access booking line is 0113 205 3899. Full details are on the venue's visit page.
When to go and what to do inside
Get there early. The bars open an hour before the performance and serve bottled beer, spirits, wine, soft drinks, tea, coffee and snacks. Use the time to look at the Victorian tiling and carved wood that Creative Tourist picks out. Bar 1878 is a reservable, quieter space for pre-show and interval drinks. You can also pre-order refreshments through Preoday for delivery to your seat, before the show or at the interval. Online orders close when the show begins.
On access, there is lift access from the foyer to the auditorium, except the Upper Balcony, and a wheelchair lift runs from the box office to the foyer.
Getting there
It is about 10 minutes' walk from Leeds bus station and 15 from Leeds train station. Buses stop on The Headrow, Vicar Lane and Boar Lane, five to ten minutes away. Car parks suggested by the venue include Q-Park St Johns, Q-Park The Light, the Merrion Centre and Victoria Gate, and all of those listed have Blue Badge provision.
For after: North Bar
North Bar, 24 New Briggate, is a few doors from the Grand on the same street. It opened in 1997 and is widely described as one of Britain's first craft beer bars. Leeds List says it pours more than 150 brews at any one time, with gin, rum and whisky too. CAMRA notes two or three cask beers alongside a range of keg beers, so order a craft keg or a rarer import and see what is on. CAMRA also lists it as dog-friendly, with disabled access and a garden.
It is open from midday and late at weekends, but check before you go. Details are on Visit Leeds and the Leeds CAMRA listing, and the phone number is 0113 242 4540.
