Not to be confused with the more mainstream, less excellent Lyric theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue the Hammersmith Lyric is a cheery pile of decadence - a 550 seat auditorium flecked with jolly gilt edges and cushioned in bright, plush velvet.

As befits a proper London theatre the Lyric hosts a heady constellation of British talent, and endured more than one wretched epoch. Nearly demolished in the '60s, it had to be reconstructed in the '70s and then very nearly went to the wall in the '90s when funding evaporated.

Happily it has come back with a vengeance and is nowadays known for risk-taking and innovation. They won an Oliver in 2011 for their production of Sarah Kane's Blasted and have gone on to produce a spate of cleverly staged plays that set a benchmark for London's theatreland.