It's curtain-up for £750m apartment block built on Shakespearean theatre

The adverts call it the “greatest apartment release in history”, and the development has a more interesting backstory than most of the high-rises currently going up in London.

The Stage scheme in Shoreditch, east London, is a £750m project on the site of the Curtain theatre, believed to be the scene of the first ever performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

The theatre opened in 1577, one of the first purpose-built theatres in London, and staged plays until 1622. In Shakespeare’s Henry V it is described as a “wooden O”, and its rediscovery in 2012 caused excitement among the playwright’s fans and scholars.

The remains of the theatre will be at the heart of the redevelopment, with plans for a heritage centre where visitors will walk on a glass platform just above the remnants, view objects from the dig and watch augmented reality of scenes from Shakespeare plays.

Steps leading down to the centre will form part of a 200-seat sunken amphitheatre where plays can be performed or people can sit and relax.

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While access to the public square above the theatre will be free, buying a home in the 37-storey residential tower will be costly. The 412 apartments, ranging from studios to four-bedroom duplex penthouses, have a starting price tag of £695,000.

The scheme will not include any affordable housing as the community payment for the site is going towards the planned Shakespeare Heritage Centre.

The developer, Galliard, said 1,000 people had already registered an interest in buying. Applicants “are largely UK buyers”, but interest has also come from the rest of Europe, the US and the Middle East.

Sales director David Galman said: “The regeneration of this Shakespearean site will elevate the status of Shoreditch to that of the uber-cool Meatpacking district in downtown New York.

“The Stage will turn Shoreditch into the ‘new Notting Hill’, a highly desirable neighbourhood to live, enjoy leisure and work.”

The building’s luxury apartments come with ensuites and bathrooms inspired by those in Manhattan’s Hudson Hotel, and access to a health club, 32nd-floor Sky Bar and 24-hour concierge.