Originally the Empire Theatre, the Mayflower is Southampton's main commercial theatre — a 2,300-seat Art Deco hall built in 1928 and rare in surviving largely intact. The programme is mainstream touring product: large-scale musicals, ballet from the Russian companies, opera, comedy nights.
The auditorium is the main reason to come even if the show is not your kind of thing — the original 1920s detailing has been preserved through several renovations and the acoustic is fine. Bars on three levels for pre-show drinks. Five minutes' walk from West Quay shopping centre.