Designed by architect Andrew Mather, the Leicester Square Theatrewas intended as a live theatre, but there were problems acquiring adjacent properties and the stage space proved insufficient. It opened on 19 December 1930 as a dual-purpose live theatre/cinema with 1,760 seats in stalls, dress circle and balcony levels. There were three boxes adjacent to each side of the proscenium at dress circle level, but these were only used during live performances. The foyer walls were decorated with polished black marble. The first operators were Warner Brothers and the opening programme was the Warner Brothers two-tone Technicolor film Viennese Nights starring Vivienne Segal supported by a stage dance production including Balliol and Merton and the Victoria Girls. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 3 Manual/10 Rank theatre organ.