What is London Toast Theatre

Welcome to the history of London Toast Theatre

Last theatre season we proudly took part in the celebration of Dansk Teater 300 år, and this season we were celebrating the 40th jubilee of our own Crazy Christmas Cabaret  

The LONDON TOAST THEATRE is one of the most successful English theatre companies in Europe, playing regularly to audiences of more than 50.000 a year at its home base in Copenhagen and to many more, throughout Denmark and other European countries.

The theatre was established in 1982 under the artistic direction of Vivienne McKee and the administrative direction of Søren Hall, as a platform for the presentation of English language theatre to Scandinavian audiences.

Over the years the company’s repertoire has included, not only modern plays by such distinguished British playwrights such as Frayn, Wesker, Pinter, Berkoff, Russell and Ayckbourn, but also productions of Shakespeare plus musical cabarets, stand-up comedy shows and drama workshops.

In addition to its theatre work, the LONDON TOAST THEATRE offers corporate entertainment including cabarets, international stand-up comedians and Murder Mystery entertainment in castles and hotels in Denmark and Sweden.

The company’s voice-over agency, “SPEAKER’S CORNER”, provides English and American voices for dubbing and narration on commercials and films.

Every year since 1982, the company presents an enormously successful Christmas show in English; the Crazy Christmas Cabaret which contains all the elements of British pantomime blended with Monty Python, Old Time Music Hall, Dario Fo, Comedia Del Arte, satire and stand-up comedy -and Danish humour.

The show is written and directed by Vivienne McKee and attracts sold-out houses for most of the run, and now has an almost cult-like status on the Danish theatre scene. The show is known as “THE CRAZY CHRISTMAS CABARET" and offers a new story-line each year, taking, as its inspiration, well-known stories and folk-heros. For example:

Count Dracula in “A PAIN IN THE NECK” (1986)

King Arthur in “OH WHAT A K-NIGHT! (1991) 

James Bond in “NEVER SAY BONDAGE IS NOT ENOUGH” (1993) 

Sherlock Holmes in “THE CASE OF THE GREAT DANE” (1994) 

Tarzan in “KING OF THE SWINGERS” (1998)

Captain Xavier Dicard in “SPACED OUT” (2000)

Phileas Fogg in "FOGG'S OFF!" (2007)

Robin Hood in “Shakin’ Up Sherwood” (2016)

The Three Musketeers in "The Three Brexiteers" (2019)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in "The House of Uhygge" (2023)

The show has always been performed in the heart of Copenhagen - from the legendary Café teatret in Skindergade, over Jazzhus Slukefter, Daddy’s Dance Hall, Kridthuset and Teaterkælderen at Det Ny Teater to the magnificent 1000 seat theatre, Glassalen within the famous Tivoli Gardens, and from 2025 the supercool Bremen Teater in the center of Copenhagen. Furthermore the show visited Musikhuset Aarhus and Hermanns in Tivoli Friheden every January for more than a decade. 

In the season of 21/22 London Toast Theatre celebrated its 40 years jubilee season with the 5 star version of Shirley Valentine at Teatret ved Sorte Hest starring Vivienne McKee, and naturally the Crazy Christmas Cabaret in Glassalen, Tivoli - as always written and directed by Vivienne McKee as she took the audience to the edge of sanity and beyond in “Tell Me About It". The show was a huge success with sold out houses and fabulous reviews until it unfurtunatelly mid December was cancelled for the rest of the run due to COVID-19 lockdown of Denmark. But the following theatre season the Crazy Christmas was back for a full run in Tivoli from November until mid January. This seasons show "THE HOUSE OF UHYGGE - THE THING THAT WOULDN'T DIE !” was crazier than ever and marked the 40th Crazy Christmas anniversary. 

Until next season - where we will be back with 2 critically acclaimed plays, “Shakespeare’s Ghost” by Vivienne McKee and “Shirley Valentine” by Willy Russell - please take a look at the history of London Toast Theatre in this video made for the exhibition "LONDON TOAST THEATRE - an English phenomenon in Danish theatre" at the magnificent Teatermuseet i Hofteatret back in 2014, listen the fun Radio Ronkedor episode below to hear Vivienne McKee and Søren Hall tell about the first production of Shirley Valentine and 40 years of bringing British theatre to the Danish stages. And at last but not least tune in the incredible story of an amazing journey over the last 40 year in our very own London Toast Theatre podcast CRAZY PODCAST:

London Toast Theatre has been proud of being part of the theatre festival of Copenhagen - CPH STAGE

Since the beginning of CPH STAGE LONDON TOAST THEATRE has contributed to the theatre festival with shows such as Don't Mention Hemingway and  KILLING THE DANES 2 at Teatret ved Sorte Hest and Folketeatret, and also by being af part of the Late Night Cabaret Stage at Snorreloftet and taking part in the popular theatre flea market at Højbros Plads or in the lovely garden of Revymuseet. Due to Covid-19 in 2020 the festival was unfortunately cancelled, but in 2019  London Toast Theatre brought "Oh Baby - It's Cole" to Krudttønden for the CPH STAGE theatre festival.