Boulevard Theatre granted sexual entertainment licence despite police objection

London’s Boulevard Theatre has been granted a sexual entertainment licence, which will allow nude performances on the premises.

It comes after the application faced criticism from bodies, including the police.

The theatre opened in Soho in October last year, and has staged productions including Ghost Quartet and The Sunset Limited.

The licence will enable the venue to stage “burlesque, nude cabaret, nude performances, plays and adult-related theatrical performances that involve implied nudity, full and partial nudity”.

Performances of a sexual nature will be permitted between the hours of 10.00 to 1.00am, on the condition that any “external windows [will] be rendered opaque when [the] relevant entertainment takes place”.

Members of Westminster City Council met this week to give their verdict on the application, which has been objected to by seven public bodies including the police and the environmental health service.

A council spokesman said: “The Boulevard Theatre’s application has been granted and will ensure that on-stage nudity will only be allowed as part of a bone fide theatrical show such as a burlesque or cabaret performance.”

“The agreed licensing conditions expressly prohibit lap-dancing or similar entertainment from taking place at the venue,” he added.

Prior to the decision, the police objected to the licence on the basis that, if granted, it would “undermine the licensing objectives”, as the venue is situated in the “West End stress area, where there is traditionally high crime and disorder”.

PC Bryan Lewis of the Metropolitan Police said there were “insufficient conditions proposed to ensure the prevention of crime and disorder,” if the licence was granted.

A spokeswoman from Soho Estates, which owns the theatre, told London News Online News: “The Boulevard Theatre has recently opened to massive critical acclaim. Some of our plays (as is not uncommon in the West End) may include an element of nudity.

“The theatre is located in the iconic Walkers Court, which has a long history of this type of cabaret entertainment.”

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