This was the first play under the banner of the Theatre of Comedy. The Theatre of Comedy became the lessee of the Shaftesbury, and later purchased the building. The company was jointly founded and financially backed by a group of distinguished actors, playwrights and producers including Tom Conti, Ray Cooney, Tom Courtenay, Bernard Cribbins, Judi Dench, Liza Goddard, Sheila Hancock, Nigel Hawthorne, Maureen Lipman, Derek Nimmo, Geoffrey Palmer, Donald Sinden, Eric Sykes and Michael Williams. The intention was for the Shaftesbury to have a programme of British comedy showcasing existing and new talent. Notable runs in the 1980s included Pygmalion (1984) with Peter O'Toole, Two into One (1984–1986), a revue by Rowan Atkinson (1986), The Entertainer starring Peter Bowles (1986) and Stephen Sondheim’s Follies (1987–1989). From April 1989 there was a production of M. Butterfly starring Anthony Hopkins. In 1986 Don Taffner became a significant shareholder in the Theatre of Comedy. Taffner went on to become the majority shareholder and chairman in 1992. Shows in the 1990s included Kiss of the Spiderwoman (1992-1993) with Chita Rivera, Eddie Izzard in Definite Article and Tommy, the musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff (1996 -1997). From May 1998 the Shaftesbury was host to Rent, starring original Broadway cast members Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. Recent history The venue is currently owned by the Theatre of Comedy Company. Successful shows in the 21st century have included the European premiere of Hairspray, which opened in October 2007 and ran for almost three years, winning multiple awards. Rock of Ages opened in August 2011 and From Here to Eternity, by Tim Rice, in September 2013. Beverly Knight starred in the West End premiere of Tony Award-winner Memphis in 2014. Motown, which told the story of the Motown record label founder Berry Gordy, broke box office records and ran from 2016 to 2019. The show was both preceded and followed by short seasons of The Illusionists. On 20 November 2019, the new musical & Juliet opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre following previews from 2 November. & Juliet retells the story of Romeo and Juliet using the pop anthems of Swedish songwriter and producer Max Martin. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, West End theatres were forced to close on 16 March 2020. The production reopened on 24th September 2021. On 14 May 2021, it was announced that Be More Chill would open at the Shaftesbury