This homage to the horror film opened in London at the Royal Court’s experimental Theatre Upstairs as a six-week workshop project in June, 1973, officialy opening on June 19. The show received such acclaim at this 60-seat theatre that it was quickly moved to larger quarters in a converted cinema in Chelsea. Following the movie theatre’s demolition, the show found a permanent home at the 500-seat King’s Road Theatre, where it is still playing to packed houses nightly. The play was named Best Musical of 1973 in the London Evening Standard’s annual poll of drama critics.
The show continued to play in London for a total of 2,960 performances, finally closing September 13, 1980.
The show’s first American performance was March 19, 1974, at the Roxy in Los Angeles. It had a brief run on Broadway from March to April of 1975, closing after only three previews and 45 performances, before the film was released.
It has been produced pretty much continually since then, with a European tour currently playing. A Broadway revival played at Circle in the Square in New York from October 2000 through January 2002, and a UK tour recently finished in 2003.