The first production at the theatre was the spectacular Edwardian musical comedy Houp La!, starring Gertie Millar, which opened on 23 November 1916. The producer was the impresario Charles B. Cochran, who took a 21 year lease on the new theatre. After Cochran, Bertie Meyer ran the theatre intermittently until 1967, when his son R.A.(Ricky) Meyer became administrator for the next two decades. Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" transferred in March 1974 where it still remains, holding the record for the longest running show in the world.