It opened on 24 September 1930 with the premiere of Private Lives by Noël Coward, who also appeared in the play, with Adrienne Allen, Gertrude Lawrence and Laurence Olivier.

The production of Blood Brothers, the Willy Russell musical that transferred from the Noël Coward Theatre in November 1991, ended a 21-year run on 10 November 2012 after becoming the longest-running production at the theatre, following limited engagements of Goodnight Mister Tom and Midnight Tango.

The theatre then played host to the original West End production of Broadway musical Once, which opened in April 2013 and closed on 21 March 2015.

Bend It Like Beckham the Musical, Guys and Dolls and The Last Tango played in 2016, with Dirty Dancing and Peppa Pig's Surprise comprising the 2016 Christmas season.

[4] Chicago opened at the Phoenix Theatre on 11 April 2018, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Billy Flynn, Sarah Soetaert as Roxie Hart, Josefina Gabrielle as Velma Kelly, and Ruthie Henshall as Mama Morton.

[5] A cast change saw Martin Kemp take over the role of Billy Flynn, with Alexandra Burke as Roxie Hart and Mazz Murray as Mama Morton.

Denise Van Outen was due to take over as Velma Kelly, however a foot injury meant that Josefina Gabrielle returned to the role.