Live theatre in Portsmouth runs the full range, from a thousand-plus seat Edwardian hall where the big West End tours stop off to a tiny Georgian room where the audience almost shares the stage. The city has kept its historic playhouses alive, often by the skin of their teeth, and each one now does something the others do not.
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Whether you want a glossy musical, a one-night comedy tour, a student drama or a pantomime with the whole family, here is where to find it, what each venue is like and how the buildings earned their place.
Kings Theatre, Southsea
The Kings is the city’s grand touring house. Opened in 1907 to a design by Frank Matcham, the great theatre architect of the age, it is one of the most complete Matcham interiors left in the country: a sweep of plush circles, gilt plasterwork and a big proscenium stage. It sits on Albert Road in Southsea, in the middle of the bars and restaurants, so a show here folds easily into a night out.
With well over a thousand seats it can take the large productions, so this is where touring musicals, ballet, big-name comedy and the annual pantomime land. Local companies such as the Portsmouth Players use the stage too, which keeps the programme varied and the ticket prices sensible. Book early for the pantomime, as Southsea families fill it fast.
New Theatre Royal
A short walk away on Guildhall Walk, the New Theatre Royal is the intimate one. A theatre has stood on the site since the 1850s; the present Victorian building was designed by C. J. Phipps and later enlarged by Matcham, then very nearly lost to closure, fire and the bulldozer before campaigners saved it. A long restoration brought it back, and it reopened a few years ago after a major refurbishment.
With around 500 seats it feels close and warm, which suits the drama, stand-up, music and dance it programmes. It has built strong ties with the University of Portsmouth, so you will find student and graduate work alongside the touring shows. For an evening where you can see the actors’ faces properly, this is the pick of the city.
Groundlings Theatre
Tucked into Portsea, Groundlings is the character venue. It lives inside the former Beneficial School, a handsome Georgian building dating to the 1780s, and leans fully into its age with a small galleried room that feels generations old. This is community and fringe theatre at its most hands-on: pantomime, new writing, live music, murder-mystery nights and a busy schedule of workshops and youth productions.
It is the sort of place where you might catch something you would never see on a big tour, and where the people running it tend to be the people on stage. Capacity is small, so shows feel personal and tickets are kind on the wallet.
Portsmouth Guildhall
Strictly speaking the Guildhall is a concert hall rather than a playhouse, but no round-up of the city’s stages is complete without it. The grand civic building on Guildhall Square is the largest seated venue in Portsmouth, and it is where the big touring acts play: live music of every kind, arena-scale comedy, tribute shows and the occasional staged production, plus the graduations and civic events that keep it busy.
If the act you want is too big for the Kings, the Guildhall is almost certainly where it is appearing. It is a five minute walk from the New Theatre Royal, so the two often share an evening crowd.
Which stage for which night?
The four venues rarely compete, because each is built for a different kind of evening:
| Venue | Area | Best for |
| Kings Theatre | Southsea | Touring musicals, ballet, panto |
| New Theatre Royal | Guildhall Walk | Drama, comedy, student work |
| Groundlings | Portsea | Fringe, community shows, workshops |
| Portsmouth Guildhall | Guildhall Square | Big live music and comedy |
Between them they mean there is almost always something on within a short walk or bus ride, whatever your taste.
One of the theatre volunteers put the city’s stubborn streak well.
We have come close to losing every one of these buildings at some point, and every time the audiences refused to let them go.
That is why Portsmouth still has its stages, and why it is worth using them.
Planning your visit
Programmes and prices change constantly, so check each venue’s own website for what is on and book ahead for anything popular, the Kings pantomime above all. Mix and match through the year, a glossy tour at the Kings, something sharper at the New Theatre Royal, a leftfield night at Groundlings, and you will have seen the best of what Portsmouth puts on stage.
