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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK

Roll out the red carpet: behind the scenes of a West End theatre

LW Theatres Red Coat Johnny Weston.
LW Theatres Red Coat Jonny Weston fell in love with the theatre as a child. Photograph: Dunja Opalko/The Guardian

There’s a certain kind of magic that surrounds the theatre. You feel it when you first arrive, the excitement that seems to crackle in the air, the lingering anticipation as you wait for the stage lights to dim, the adrenaline rush as silence falls over the audience moments before the curtain rises.

Nowhere can you feel this more than in the prestigious LW Theatres (owned by legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber), which runs some of London’s most revered theatrical landmarks: His Majesty’s Theatre, The London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane, to name but a few. There’s something these LW Theatres venues share in common if you look around when you first arrive. You might glimpse it through the crowds or see it standing in welcome at the door. A vibrant pop of red. These are the iconic Red Coat butlers.

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