Royal Court Theatre

Alex Saint

Visit now

Royal Court Theatre

1 Roe Street, Liverpool, L1 1HL
Bookings 0870 787 1866
Book now

The Royal Court occupies a singular place in Scouse culture. Its fortunes have, in many ways, mirrored the city’s own. Once a grand Art Deco music hall (opened in 1938), the theatre sunk into a steady decline in the 1980s.

By the mid-1990s the plaster was peeling in great waves from the theatre’s ornate moulded ceilings. With its windows resembling arrow slits, and the less-than-processional route into its dismal foyer, the Royal Court was a place that reeked of faded memories and mouldy greasepaint. However, recently the theatre has enjoyed something of a renaissance, following a multi-million pound refurb in 2005. Now, the theatre stages mostly home-grown comedies, somewhat mannered and self-conscious reflections of an inward-looking city. It’s a genre some in the city have dubbed ‘scouseploitation’: A Nightmare on Lime Street, Slappers and Slapheads, Brick up the Mersey Tunnels et al (many written by Kirby wordsmith Nicky Alt). The in-jokes, blunt edged humour and prosaic subject matter mightn’t be to everyone’s taste. But here’s the thing: the shows are always sell outs, and the theatre’s coffers have never looked so good.

What's on near Royal Court Theatre

Where to go near Royal Court Theatre

City Centre
Music venue
Liverpool Empire Theatre

The largest two-tier theatre in the country, the Liverpool Empire Theatre boasts a busy programme of performances and events all year round.

City Centre
Theatre
Liverpool Playhouse

The Liverpool Playhouse, a local gem of a theatre, has a varied programme of events from a rock’n’roll panto, to live poetry and comedy.

hotel 4
City Centre
Hotel
Shankly Hotel

A glamorous tribute to Bill Shankly in hotel form, where else will you find a place where luxury meets fun in such style?

Liverpool
Restaurant
Bacino

Bacino pizza and cicchetti bring a slice of Naples cuisine to Liverpool. With tasty dishes and lots of drinks options.

City Centre
Gallery
Walker Art Gallery

The Walker Art Gallery is a small but perfectly formed traditional gallery. It houses an impressive collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative art from 13th century to present day. 

Liverpool Central Library
City Centre
Library
Liverpool Central Library

The final building in the World Heritage Site of William Brown Street to be revamped, the wonderfully restored Central Library takes pride of place in Liverpool’s architecturally stunning Cultural Quarter.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.

Literature Events in the North

The autumn leaves might be falling already, but the harvest is plentiful as the live literature scene gets back into the swing of things after a summer break...

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.