There's something special about a nightclub the morning after a big party. As the last upended drinks are mopped up and the lighting stowed away, a murky silence descends.

This goes double for the London Hippodrome. Here, on a Thursday afternoon just off bustling Leicester Square, it's dead quiet, 108 years of history and applause seemingly nestled in the walls, on the dusty wooden balconies and gilt-painted columns now hidden from view by a modern false ceiling.

The Hippodrome was designed as a cross between a music hall and a circus, and opened in January 1900 with a show in which a Herr Julius Seeth enchanted the Times reviewer with his 20 forest-bred lions (see the Times archive, at tinyurl.com/4vfk47 and tinyurl.com/4adqza ). The West End will never see such shows again.

Or will it?

Meet Nick Wright, a man with a dream. Wright has held the lease of the Hippodrome since the venue lost its nightclub licence in 2004. Since then he has rented the venue out as a film location or for private parties. Now, he is ready to open its doors again to the public. On October 10, the Burlesque cabaret of La Clique, a sell-out show in Edinburgh, will take up residence at the Hippodrome.

“I fell in love with this place when I first walked through the doors, and now I'm trying to take it back to its glory days,” Wright says. “Back in the 1950s and 1960s, when this place was known as the Talk of the Town, all the biggest stars of the day - Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland - played here. People would come into town for a night out. They'd come to the Talk of the Town regardless of who was on the bill.

“They came here to drink, meet, have a meal, take in a show. It was a whole evening out. They didn't get shuffled out by ushers or prodded in the chest by a bouncer before lashing out £30 to get into a dodgy nightclub. They were here for the whole evening. With La Clique we are trying to attract a whole generation of people who haven't been catered for in the West End for well over 30 years.”

He's hoping his timing, with the resurgence in popularity of burlesque, is spot on. “It's a big leap from presenting something free as part of a private show to making people pay to see it,” he acknowledges. “I'd been looking for an act with enough momentum and experience to make it work in the West End. When I saw La Clique in Edinburgh, I knew I'd found it. I came out complaining about how short the show was, but looked at my watch to see it had been over two hours. Often at a West End show I end up listening to my watch to make sure it's still ticking.”

For La Clique, the producer Mark Rubinstein had been experiencing similar problems. “We'd been wanting to bring the show to London for three years, but hadn't found the right venue,” he says. “As soon as I walked in here, I knew this was it. It's the only venue in London where we could do the show. The audience has such fantastic views from all round.”

Because La Clique's show consists of several different acts, it lends itself to a more casual atmosphere. “During the show, and afterwards, our performers mingle with the crowd,” Rubinstein says. “And we don't mind if people want to go to the bar while the show's on, or just mill around. And after the show, no one will be encouraging people to leave.”

If the show works in its new home this could be a historic revival of a great building. Sadly, it could also be its swansong.

Before Westminster Council next month is an £8 million proposal to turn the Hippodrome into a casino, a plan that the council supports and which would relieve Wright of his beloved lease on the building.

“We need this to work,” says Wright. “Not just for me, but to safeguard this fantastic, historic venue for future generations to enjoy.”

La Clique opens at the Hippodrome on Oct 10 - previews from Thur (www.lacliquelondon.com 020-7907 7097)

Explore Stage

• Theatre

• Comedy

• Opera

• Dance

Editor's choice

• Guns N’Roses: Chinese Democracy
• The 50 Biggest Movies of 2009
• Quantum of Solace