King's Theatre: First images as Old Lady of Leven Street emerges from her scaffolding after four year closure

The metal scaffolding which had obscured the facade of the King’s Theatre during a near-four year refurbishment has been removed, six months ahead of the theatre’s planned re-opening, which the theatre’s owners said revealed the first unobstructed view of the front of the theatre “in quite some time”.

The theatre said that now that the cleaning of the stonework is finished, the front of the building is being cleared to allow the pavement levelling works to begin.

Scaffolding and a hoarding at ground level had previously obscured the view.

The theatre is due to open by the end of July, in time for programming for the Edinburgh International Festival to take place in August.

Last week, the Scottish Government announced an extra £2.5m for the King's Theatre redevelopment project, closing a funding gap months ahead of its reopening.

Fiona Gibson, chief exexutive of Capital Theatres, said the funding came at a “hugely significant moment” for the theatre

Since construction started in February 2023, the building has been transformed by dramatic structural improvements, including a raised fly tower, extended by 4.5 metres, to accommodate larger, more ambitious productions. The old, raked stage has also been replaced with a new level stage, which allows the theatre to programme a wider range of productions, including dance and circus.

The total number of seats in the theatre has been reduced by around 200, to 1,124. The top row of the upper dress circle, which was difficult to access due to the steep angle at which the seats were installed, has been removed to make way for a state-of-the-art technical box.

Meanwhile, three new lifts are being installed - two front of house and one serving the back of house. A fully accessible dressing room for performers with mobility issues is also available from street height from the new stage door.

A new cafe is being created on the ground floor, including windows looking out onto the side lane, which will allow customers to spot performers walking to the stage door, while still allowing them privacy.

The theatre’s first season after reopening will include a production of hit musical Project Mincemeat, as well as a new stage version of 1980s film Chariots of Fire, which charts the story of Scottish athlete Eric Liddell.

Other upcoming productions include Tony Roper’s washhouse comedy The Steamie, new family musical Toto The Ninja Cat, based on the best-selling children’s books by Dermot O’Leary, and new musical Rollers Forever, celebrating the 70s’ biggest boyband. Meanwhile, the pantomime returns to the King’s for the first time since 2021, as regulars Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young star in a brand-new production The Adventures of Pinocchio.

The project has bren plagued with delays and rising costs. The theatre closed in the summer of 2022. However, weeks before work was meant to get under way, it was announced that rising construction industry costs had created a funding gap. Work finally began in 2023 after the Scottish Government and Edinburgh City Council provided an additional £6.85m, with the UK government later approving a further £2m.