The Kings Theatre is a theatre in Southsea, Portsmouth, designed by the architect Frank Matcham. It is considered one of the most complete Matcham theatres in the UK.

Venue: Kings Theatre
Address: Albert Road / Exmouth Road, Southsea, Hampshire, PO5 2QJ, England
Town: Southsea, GB
Capacity: 1,600

The Kings Theatre is a theatre in Southsea, Portsmouth, designed by the architect Frank Matcham. It is considered one of the most complete Matcham theatres in the UK. It opened on 30 September 1907. It is operated by the Kings Theatre Trust Ltd. The building was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1976. The theatre opened on 30 September 1907 with a production of Charles I followed by two further of Sir Henry Irving's works. During the 1930s it was used to premiere several works by Ian Hay before they transferred to the West End including Orders Are Orders and Admirals All. The musical This'll Make You Whistle premiered there in 1935. The theater also showed a full cinema programme during the 1920s and early 1930s. The theatre stayed in the control of its original owners, The Portsmouth Theatre Company, until 1964 when it was purchased by Commander Reggie & Mrs Joan Cooper. Performers during ther 20th century at the theatre included Noel Coward, Sean Connery, Rex Harrison and Spike Miligan among others. In 1974, director Ken Russell filmed the Pinball Wizard sequence of the rock opera Tommy at the theatre, featuring The Who and Elton John on the stage. In 1990, the theatre was sold again to Hampshire County Council. In 2001, after a successful campaign by AKTER (Action for Kings Theatre Restoration) to keep the theatre open, the theatre was purchased by Portsmouth City Council. It was then leased to the Kings Theatre Trust Ltd who undertook the restoration of the building. The present day theatre has a seating capacity of 1600 and a computerised booking system. Much of the backstage area is still fully manual, allowing it to retain the tag of a traditional hemp house, though powered flying bars have now been installed to allow large-scale productions. As part of the Centenary Project, the Kings Theatre underwent a significant refurbishment of the auditorium, including the ceiling between 2007 and 2009, at a cost of over £2 million. Beginning on 17 June 2007 th