116-527: The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre ) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote acquired the lease in 1747, and in 1766 he gained a royal patent to play legitimate drama (meaning spoken drama, as opposed to opera, concerts or plays with music) in
232-493: A further £500 expended on decorations, scenery and costumes. It opened on 29 December 1720, with a French play La Fille a la Morte, ou le Badeaut de Paris performed by a company later known as The French Comedians of His Grace the Duke of Montague. Potter's speculation was known as The New French Theatre . Its name was changed to Little Theatre in the Hay . The theatre's first major success
348-498: A general licence under which Foote tried to establish the Haymarket as a regular theatre. With the aid of the Duke of York he procured a royal licence to exhibit plays during four months in each year from May to September during his lifetime. He also bought the lease of the theatre from Potter's executors and, having added to the site by purchasing adjoining property, he enlarged and improved
464-522: A high proportion of straight drama, Shakespeare , other classic plays and premieres of new plays by leading playwrights—for example David Hare 's play Pravda starring Anthony Hopkins which was described by The Telegraph as "one of the biggest hits in the history of the National Theatre." Successful productions from the non-commercial theatres sometimes transfer to one of the commercial West End houses for an extended run. The Royal Opera House
580-578: A leading light comedian. During the 1950s and 1960s, many plays were produced in theatre clubs, to evade the censorship then exercised by the Lord Chamberlain's Office . The Theatres Act 1968 finally abolished censorship of the stage in the United Kingdom. "Theatreland", London's main theatre district, contains approximately 40 venues and is located in and near the heart of the West End of London . It
696-463: A new musical starring Ruthie Henshall and Alexander Hanson ; and Keith Allen in an adaptation of Treasure Island . The following year, Ian McKellen , Patrick Stewart , Simon Callow and Ronald Pickup starred in Waiting for Godot , followed by Breakfast at Tiffany's , starring Anna Friel , Joseph Cross , James Dreyfus and Suzanne Bertish . Godot and Tiffany's were featured, along with
812-656: A one-man show about Edmund Kean ; A Patriot for Me ( John Osborne ); The Cherry Orchard (Chekhov); and The Sleeping Prince ( Terence Rattigan ). Productions in 1984 were The Aspern Papers by Henry James, starring Christopher Reeve , Vanessa Redgrave and Wendy Hiller; Aren't We All? (Frederick Lonsdale) starring Rex Harrison and Claudette Colbert ; and The Way of the World ( Congreve ). In 1985, Lauren Bacall starred in Sweet Bird of Youth (Tennessee Williams), followed by Harold Pinter 's Old Times . In 1986
928-421: A parody of her father, Colley Cibber , one of the owners and managers of Drury Lane. The Theatrical Licensing Act, however, put an end to the anti-ministry satires, and it all but entirely shut down the theatre. From 1741 to 1747, Charles Macklin , Cibber, Samuel Foote , and others sometimes produced plays there either by use of a temporary licence or by subterfuge; one advertisement runs, " At Cibber's Academy in
1044-566: A play adapted from the novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens —who came to several stage rehearsals during which he made suggestions—with his book published weeks earlier in December 1843. The Criterion Theatre opened on Piccadilly Circus on 21 March 1874, and in 1881, two more houses appeared: the Savoy Theatre in The Strand, built by Richard D'Oyly Carte specifically to showcase
1160-621: A record-breaking nine Olivier Awards in 2017. "Theatre is such an important part of British history and British culture" —Dame Helen Mirren after receiving the Evening Standard Award in 2013 for her performance as the Queen in The Audience . The following shows are confirmed as future West End productions. The theatre in which they will run is either not yet known or currently occupied by another show. The term "West End theatre"
1276-740: A revival of Flare Path , as part of the playwright Terence Rattigan 's centenary year celebrations, starring Sienna Miller , James Purefoy and Sheridan Smith ; the Chichester Festival Theatre 's revival of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard ; Ralph Fiennes as Prospero in The Tempest ; and, over the Christmas/New Year season, Robert Lindsay and Joanna Lumley in The Lion in Winter . For two years from March 2012,
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#17328480304721392-410: A revival of Frozen , a play by Bryony Lavery , followed by Heathers: The Musical starring Carrie Hope Fletcher . In 2019 Louis I. Michaels Ltd. sold the theatre to Access Entertainment for a reported £45 million. In February 2019, Only Fools and Horses The Musical premiered at the theatre. It closed at the end of April 2023 after over 1,000 performances, making it the longest-running show in
1508-411: A run of 399 performances. Another long-running production was Yellow Sands , in which Ralph Richardson gave 610 performances in 1926–27. In 1926 Harrison died, and Horace Watson became the theatre's General Manager. His presentations included 632 performances of The First Mrs Fraser , by St. John Ervine , starring Marie Tempest in 1929. In 1939, under Watson's management, work began on excavating
1624-422: A showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan —was entirely lit by electricity in 1881. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced that 2018 was a record year for the capital's theatre industry with attendances topping 15.5 million for the first time since the organisation began collecting audience data in 1986. Box office revenues exceeded £765 million. While attendance in 2019
1740-1012: A stalls bar, but it was not completed until 1941 owing to the outbreak of World War II . Wartime presentations included the London premiere of Noël Coward 's Design for Living (1939) and John Gielgud 's 1944–1945 repertory season of The Circle ( Somerset Maugham ), Love for Love ( Congreve ), Hamlet , A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Duchess of Malfi . In 1940, Gielgud directed The Beggar's Opera , with Michael Redgrave as Macheath. In 1943, two Coward plays, Present Laughter and This Happy Breed , alternated. They were followed in 1945 by Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan and in 1948 by Tennessee Williams 's The Glass Menagerie directed by Gielgud, starring Helen Hayes ; and The Heiress , an adaptation of Henry James 's Washington Square , directed by Gielgud and starring Ralph Richardson and Peggy Ashcroft , who were succeeded by Godfrey Tearle and Wendy Hiller (1949–50). In 1951–52 Waters of
1856-429: A sterner view; in an 1885 article, the critic Thomas Heyward praised Planché ("fanciful and elegant") and Gilbert ("witty, never vulgar"), but wrote of the genre as a whole, "the flashy, 'leggy', burlesque, with its 'slangy' songs, loutish 'breakdowns', vulgar jests, paltry puns and witless grimacing at all that is graceful and poetic is simply odious. … Burlesque, insensate, spiritless and undiscriminating, demoralizes both
1972-471: A successful revival, they usually enjoyed local production runs, often for a month or longer. The popularity of stage burlesque in general and operatic burlesque in particular seems to have stemmed from the many ways in which it entertained a diverse group, and the manner in which it fed and fed on the circus-like or carnivalesque atmosphere of public Victorian London. W. S. Gilbert wrote five opera burlesques early in his career, beginning with Dulcamara, or
2088-456: A while Colman managed the theatre from the King's Bench Prison, where he was confined for debt. All the buildings on the east of the Haymarket from the theatre southward were rebuilt circa 1820 in connection with John Nash 's schemes for the improvement of the neighbourhood. Nash persuaded the proprietors of the theatre to rebuild on a site a little south of the old one so that the portico should close
2204-556: Is Les Misérables , produced by Cameron Mackintosh , which has been running in London since October 1985. It overtook Andrew Lloyd Webber 's Cats , which closed in 2002 after running for 8,949 performances and 21 years, as the longest-running West End musical of all time on 9 October 2006. Other long-runners include Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera , Willy Russell 's Blood Brothers , and Abba jukebox musical Mamma Mia! which have also subsequently overtaken Cats . However,
2320-552: Is a genre of theatrical entertainment that was popular in Victorian England and in the New York theatre of the mid-19th century. It is a form of parody in which a well-known opera or piece of classical theatre or ballet is adapted into a broad comic play, usually a musical play, usually risqué in style, mocking the theatrical and musical conventions and styles of the original work, and often quoting or pastiching text or music from
2436-754: Is generally used to refer specifically to commercial productions in Theatreland. However, the leading non-commercial theatres in London enjoy great artistic prestige. These include the National Theatre , the Barbican Centre , Shakespeare's Globe (including the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse ), the Old Vic , Royal Court Theatre , Sadler's Wells Theatre , and the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre . These theatres stage
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#17328480304722552-411: Is told "These showers of 'Hail' anticipate your 'reign'". Musically, Shakespearean burlesques were as varied as the others of the genre. An 1859 burlesque of Romeo and Juliet contained 23 musical numbers, some from opera, such as the serenade from Don Pasquale , and some from traditional airs and popular songs of the day including " Buffalo Gals ", and "Nix my Dolly". The dialogue for burlesques
2668-627: Is traditionally defined by the Strand to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, and Kingsway to the east. However, a few other nearby theatres are also considered "West End" despite being outside the area proper; an example is The Apollo Victoria Theatre , in Westminster . Prominent theatre streets include Drury Lane , Shaftesbury Avenue and the Strand. The works staged are predominantly musicals, classic and modern straight plays , and comedy performances. Many theatres in
2784-417: Is very brief on the page, as it relied extensively on absurd theatrics, dances, and other non-textual entertainments. The Musical Entertainer from 1739 contains engravings showing how the staging was performed. Carey continued with Pasquin and others. Additionally, refugees from Drury Lane's and Covent Garden's internal struggles would show up at the Haymarket, and thus Charlotte Charke would act there in
2900-680: Is widely regarded as one of the greatest opera houses in the world, comparable with the Palais Garnier and La Scala . Commonly known simply as Covent Garden due to its location, it is home to the Royal Opera , Royal Ballet and a resident symphony orchestra, and hosts guest performances from other leading opera, ballet and performance companies from around the world. In 1735 its first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel , began and many of his English oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres here. Likewise,
3016-504: The Alice books ) debuted at the Prince of Wales Theatre . Its author Lewis Carroll was involved in the stage adaptation, and he attended a performance seven days later. The Palace Theatre opened in 1891. Opened in 1892, the Duke of York's Theatre debuted J. M. Barrie 's play, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up , on 27 December 1904. One of the most popular playwrights in London in
3132-548: The Duke's Company and the King's Company . Performances were held in converted buildings, such as Lisle's Tennis Court . The first West End theatre, known as Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, was designed by Thomas Killigrew and built on the site of the present Theatre Royal, Drury Lane . It opened on 7 May 1663 and was destroyed by a fire nine years later. It was replaced by a new structure designed by Christopher Wren and renamed
3248-705: The First World War . In 1930, Laurence Olivier had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives . A number of other actors made their West End debut prior to the Second World War, including John Gielgud , Alec Guinness , Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison ; the latter's performance in Terence Rattigan 's 1936 comedy French Without Tears at the Criterion Theatre established him
3364-690: The London Coliseum is the resident home to the English National Opera . The theatre is also the London base for performances by the English National Ballet , who perform regular seasons throughout the year when not on tour. The Peacock Theatre is located on the edge of the Theatreland area. Now owned by the London School of Economics and Political Science , it is used in the evenings for dance performances by Sadler's Wells , who manage
3480-1000: The Lyric Hammersmith , Theatre Royal Stratford East , Rose Theatre, Kingston , New Wimbledon Theatre , the Rudolph Steiner Theatre in Westminster , the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon , Secombe Theatre in Sutton , the Churchill Theatre in Bromley and the Hackney Empire in Hackney . London theatres outside the West End also played an important role in the early history of drama schools . In 1833, actress Frances Maria Kelly managed
3596-650: The National Theatre . In 1999, Fascinating Aïda 's comic revue was followed by Neil Simon's The Prisoner of Second Avenue , with Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason ; Love Letters , by A. R. Gurney , with Charlton Heston and a transfer of the Chichester Festival Theatre 's The Importance of Being Earnest , starring Patricia Routledge . Productions at the Haymarket in this century have included The Royal Family by Edna Ferber , starring Judi Dench (2001), Lady Windermere's Fan , directed by Peter Hall, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson (2002), and Dench appeared on stage together with Maggie Smith for
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3712-664: The Pavilion Theatre in Whitechapel . The comic theatrical genre the harlequinade was also popular among London audiences. Its most famous performer, Joseph Grimaldi , best known for developing the modern day white-face clown , made his stage debut at Drury Lane in 1780. The West End theatre district became established with the opening of many small theatres and halls, including the Adelphi in The Strand on 17 November 1806. South of
3828-670: The River Thames , the Old Vic , Waterloo Road , opened on 11 May 1818. The expansion of the West End theatre district gained pace with the Theatres Act 1843 , which relaxed the conditions for the performance of plays, and The Strand gained another venue when the Vaudeville opened on 16 April 1870. The next few decades saw the opening of many new theatres in the West End. The Adelphi hosted A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future in 1844,
3944-711: The Royal Strand Theatre in Westminster where she funded and operated a dramatic school, the earliest record of a drama school in England. In 1840 she financed the Royalty Theatre in Soho which opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School. There are a number of annual awards for outstanding achievements in London theatre: Victorian burlesque Victorian burlesque , sometimes known as travesty or extravaganza ,
4060-572: The Victoria Palace Theatre following the run of Billy Elliot in 2016. The Dominion Theatre refurbishment was completed in 2017 with the unveiling of a new double-sided LED screen, the largest and highest resolution projecting screen on the exterior of a West End theatre. In 2012, gross sales of £529,787,692 were up 0.27% and attendances also increased 0.56% to 13,992,773-year-on-year. In 2013, sales again rose this time by 11% to £585,506,455, with attendances rising to 14,587,276. This
4176-460: The interregnum of 1649. On 24 January 1643, the actors protested against the ban by writing a pamphlet titled The Actors remonstrance or complaint for the silencing of their profession, and banishment from their severall play-houses . After the Restoration (1660), Puritan legislation was declared null and void, and theatre (among other arts) exploded. Two companies were licensed to perform,
4292-419: The pantomime and special-effects dominated stages, and it presented opposition ( Tory party ) satire. Henry Fielding staged his plays at the Haymarket, and so did Henry Carey . Hurlothrumbo was just one of his plays in that series of anti- Walpolean satires , followed by Tom Thumb . Another, in 1734, was his mock-opera , The Dragon of Wantley , with music by John Frederick Lampe . This work punctured
4408-661: The 1880s, when comedian-writer Fred Leslie joined the Gaiety, composers like Meyer Lutz and Osmond Carr contributed original music to the burlesques, which were extended to a full-length two- or three-act format. These later Gaiety burlesques starred Farren and Leslie. They often included Leslie's libretti , written under his pseudonym, "A. C. Torr", and were usually given an original score by Lutz: Little Jack Sheppard (1885), Monte Cristo Jr. (1886), Pretty Esmeralda (1887), Frankenstein, or The Vampire's Victim (1887), Mazeppa and Faust up to Date (1888). Ruy Blas and
4524-401: The 1890s, Oscar Wilde , premiered his second comedy, A Woman of No Importance , at Haymarket Theatre in 1893. The subject of widespread public and media interest, Lillie Langtry (an associate of Wilde) made her West End debut in the comedy She Stoops to Conquer in 1881. In 1878, Ellen Terry joined Henry Irving 's company as his leading lady, and for more than the next two decades she
4640-414: The 1960s, notable presentations included The Tulip Bee by N. C. Hunter starring Celia Johnson and John Clements and Thornton Wilder 's Ides of March directed by Gielgud (both 1963). In 1971, Louis I. Michaels became the lessee of the theatre. Productions of the decade included a revival of Enid Bagnold 's The Chalk Garden , with Gladys Cooper (1971, which had played at the Haymarket in 1956–57);
4756-478: The Blasé Roué (1889) made fun of the play Ruy Blas by Victor Hugo . The title was a pun, and the worse the pun, the more Victorian audiences were amused. The last Gaiety burlesques were Carmen up to Data (1890), Cinder Ellen up too Late (1891), and Don Juan (1892, with lyrics by Adrian Ross ). In the early 1890s, Farren retired, Leslie died, and musical burlesque went out of fashion in London, as
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4872-593: The Gaiety Theatre's "principal boy" from 1868, and John D'Auban choreographed the burlesques there from 1868 to 1891. Edward O'Connor Terry joined the theatre in 1876. Early Gaiety burlesques included Robert the Devil (1868, by Gilbert), The Bohemian G-yurl and the Unapproachable Pole (1877), Blue Beard (1882), Ariel (1883, by F. C. Burnand ) and Galatea, or Pygmalion Reversed (1883). Beginning in
4988-810: The Haymarket as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's . In December the Royal Shakespeare Company took up residence at the Haymarket with a double bill of Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing . In 2017, Damian Lewis and Sophie Okonedo starred in Edward Albee 's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? from March to June. The RSC then returned to the theatre with Queen Anne . Natalie Dormer and David Oakes later starred in Venus in Fur . In 2018, Suranne Jones , Jason Watkins and Nina Sosanya starred in
5104-669: The Haymarket hosted the National Theatre production One Man, Two Guvnors , which transferred from the Adelphi Theatre . The theatre was one of the 40 theatres featured in the 2012 DVD documentary series Great West End Theatres , presented by Donald Sinden . In 2014, a stage adaptation of the film Fatal Attraction , directed by Nunn, premiered at the theatre, and Maureen Lipman and Harry Shearer starred in Daytona . The following year Penelope Wilton starred in Taken at Midnight . This
5220-558: The Haymarket with Veterans' Day ( Donald Freed ) and A Life in the Theatre ( David Mamet ). In 1990, the Haymarket revived London Assurance ( Dion Boucicault ) and presented An Evening with Peter Ustinov . The next year's plays included Jean Anouilh 's Becket , starring Derek Jacobi and Robert Lindsay . Lindsay also starred in a revival of Cyrano de Bergerac in 1992. This was succeeded by new productions of Heartbreak House with Vanessa Redgrave and A Woman of No Importance . In 1994
5336-690: The Haymarket's history, and was followed by a limited run of Accidental Death of an Anarchist starring Daniel Rigby . Noises Off starring Felicity Kendal began a limited run in September 2023. The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook followed in February 2024. A View from the Bridge starring Dominic West began playing in May 2024. It is expected to be followed by Waiting for Godot starring Lucian Msamati and Ben Whishaw from September 2024. In 1998
5452-536: The Haymarket, built a portico, increased the number of avenues and added a second gallery to the existing auditorium. A lease dated 10 June 1821, was granted to David Edward Morris. The theatre was opened on 4 July 1821, with The Rivals . Benjamin Nottingham Webster became the theatre's manager from 1837 to 1853. He and his successor, John Baldwin Buckstone , established the theatre as a great comedy house, and
5568-423: The Haymarket, will be a Concert, after which, will be exhibited (gratis) a Rehearsal, in the form of a Play, called Romeo and Juliet ." In 1749 a hoaxer billed as The Bottle Conjuror was advertised to appear at the theatre. The conjuror's publicity claimed that, while on stage, he would place his body inside an empty wine bottle, in full view of the audience. When the advertised act failed to appear on stage,
5684-520: The Haymarket; the new production featured Martin Shaw as Lord Goring. There is a memorial plaque to Wilde at the theatre. Another production of 1996 was Neil Simon 's The Odd Couple , starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman . Hall was in charge again for the 1997 production of A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Williams), starring Jessica Lange ; Lady Windermere's Fan ; and An Ideal Husband (returning after touring). The last production of that year
5800-644: The Little Duck and the Great Quack (1866), the most successful of which was Robert the Devil (1868). In the 1870s, Lydia Thompson 's burlesque troupe, with Willie Edouin , became famous for their burlesques, by such authors as H. B. Farnie and Robert Reece , both in Britain and the U.S. The Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells notes that although parodies of Shakespeare had appeared even in Shakespeare's lifetime,
5916-470: The Moon again, starring Hiller and Ingrid Bergman in her last stage role (both 1978); and Keith Michell and Susan Hampshire in The Crucifer of Blood (1979). The theatre then presented Make and Break ( Michael Frayn ), with Leonard Rossiter and Prunella Scales (1980). The following year, Louis Michaels died, and the theatre passed to a company, Louis I Michaels Ltd, with President, Enid Chanelle and Chairman, Arnold M Crook, which continued to own
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#17328480304726032-438: The Moon by N. C. Hunter starred Sybil Thorndike , Edith Evans and Wendy Hiller. For the Coronation season in 1953, Coward gave a rare performance in a play not written by him, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw , with Margaret Leighton as his co-star. To Coward, the Haymarket was "the most perfect theatre in the world". In 1956, Stuart Watson, who had taken over management of the theatre from his father Horace, died and
6148-454: The Mother the Maiden and the Musicianer (1863) and Il Trovatore or Larks with a Libretto (1880). The operas of Bellini , Bizet , Donizetti , Gounod , Handel , Meyerbeer , Mozart , Rossini , Wagner and Weber were burlesqued. In a 2003 study of the subject, Roberta Montemorra Marvin noted: By the 1880s, almost every truly popular opera had become the subject of a burlesque. Generally appearing after an opera's premiere or following
6264-501: The Strings (1911), a Scottish comedy by Graham Moffat , which ran for 617 performances with Jimmy Finlayson in the lead; Ibsen 's Ghosts (1914); Elegant Edward , with Henry Daniell as P. C. Hodson (1915); The Widow's Might (1916), a comedy by Leonard Huskinson and Christopher Sandeman, with Henry Daniell . and General Post , a comedy by J. E. Harold Terry , which opened on 14 March 1917 and ran for 532 performances, again with Daniell. In 1920, J. M. Barrie 's Mary Rose had
6380-415: The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. One of the first actresses on the stage, Nell Gwyn became a star of restoration comedy. Outside the West End, Sadler's Wells Theatre opened in Islington on 3 June 1683. Taking its name from founder Richard Sadler and monastic springs that were discovered on the property, it operated as a "Musick House", with performances of opera; as it was not licensed for plays. In
6496-474: The West End are of late Victorian or Edwardian construction and are privately owned. Many are architecturally impressive, and the largest and best maintained feature grand neo-classical, Romanesque, or Victorian façades and luxurious, detailed interior design and decoration. However, owing to the age of the buildings, leg room is often cramped, and audience facilities such as bars and toilets are often much smaller than in modern theatres. The protected status of
6612-482: The West End, the Theatre Royal Haymarket opened on 29 December 1720 on a site slightly north of its current location, and the Royal Opera House opened in Covent Garden on 7 December 1732. John Gay 's ballad opera The Beggar's Opera ran for 62 performances in 1728, and held the record for London's longest run for nearly a century. It has been called "the most popular play of the eighteenth century." Another musical show, Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (1821),
6728-441: The actors. For example, Olympic Revels opens with the gods of Olympus in classical Greek dress playing whist . In the early burlesques, the words of the songs were written to popular music, as had been done earlier in The Beggar's Opera . Later in the Victorian era, burlesque mixed operetta , music hall and revue , and some of the large-scale burlesque spectacles were known as extravaganzas . The English style of burlesque
6844-425: The audience and the players. It debases the public taste." Gilbert expressed his own views on the worth of burlesque: The question whether burlesque has a claim to rank as art is, I think, one of degree. Bad burlesque is as far removed from true art as is a bad picture. But burlesque in its higher development calls for high intellectual power on the part of its professors. Aristophanes , Rabelais , Geo Cruikshank ,
6960-417: The audience rioted and gutted the theatre. Although the identity of the hoax's perpetrator is unknown, several authors consider John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu , to have been responsible. In 1754, John Potter, who had been rated (i.e. paid property tax ) for the theatre since its opening, was succeeded by John Whitehead. In 1758 Theophilus Cibber obtained from William Howard , then the Lord Chamberlain,
7076-687: The authors of the Rejected Addresses , John Leech , Planché were all in their respective lines professors of true burlesque. In his 1859 Longfellow burlesque Hi-A-Wa-Tha , the American playwright Charles Walcot encapsulated the character of burlesque in the epilogue, addressed to the audience by Mrs. John Wood as Minnehaha: In a similar vein, ten years later, Gilbert gave an English viewpoint on burlesque, in his epilogue to The Pretty Druidess : Actresses in burlesque would often play breeches roles , which were male roles played by women; likewise, men eventually began to play older female roles. These reversals allowed viewers to distance themselves from
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#17328480304727192-403: The beginning of the Victorian era . The word "burlesque" is derived from the Italian burla , which means "ridicule or mockery". According to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , Victorian burlesque was "related to and in part derived from pantomime and may be considered an extension of the introductory section of pantomime with the addition of gags and 'turns'." Another antecedent
7308-454: The building which he opened on 14 May 1767, as the Theatre Royal, the third patent theatre in London. Several successful seasons followed, with Foote producing numerous plays at the theatre, but Foote finally got himself into difficulties by his custom of caricaturing well-known persons on the stage and this, combined with increasing ill-health, resulted in his selling both the theatre and patent to George Colman Sr. on 16 January 1777. During
7424-481: The buildings and their confined urban locations, combined with financial constraints, make it very difficult to make substantial improvements to the level of comfort offered. In 2003, the Theatres Trust estimated that an investment of £250 million over the following 15 years was required for modernisation, and stated that 60% of theatres had seats from which the stage was not fully visible. The theatre owners unsuccessfully requested tax concessions to help them meet
7540-458: The century, German opera was popular with London audiences. Verdi 's Il trovatore and La traviata received their British premieres in 1855 and 1856 respectively; British burlesques of them followed quickly. Our Lady of the Cameleon by Leicester Silk Buckingham and Our Traviata by William F. Vandervell (both 1857) were followed by five different burlesque treatments of Il trovatore , two of them by H. J. Byron: Ill Treated Trovatore, or
7656-438: The chance to learn directly from leading practitioners working in theatre, film and television. As of 2012, more than 60,000 young people between the ages of 17 and 30 had participated in the masterclasses. West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London . Along with New York City 's Broadway theatre , West End theatre represents
7772-539: The comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan , opened in October (the first theatre and public building to be lit by electric lights, with The Times recording, "the success of the new mode of illumination was complete, and its importance for the development of scenic art can scarcely be overrated"), and five days later the Comedy Theatre opened as the Royal Comedy Theatre on Panton Street in Leicester Square . It abbreviated its name three years later. On 23 December 1886, Alice in Wonderland (the first major production of
7888-481: The costs. Starting in 2004, there were several incidents of falling plasterwork, or performances being cancelled because of urgent building repairs being required. These events culminated in the partial collapse of the ceiling of the Apollo Theatre in December 2013. Of these earlier incidents, only one led to people being hurt, but at the Apollo 76 people needed medical treatment for their injuries. A number of West End theatres have undergone refurbishments, including
8004-449: The dead were John Charles Brooke , Somerset Herald and Benjamin Pingo York Herald . Colman died in 1794, and the theatre descended to his son. George Colman Jr. , though successful both as playwright and manager, dissipated his gains by his extravagance. For a time he lived in a room at the back of the theatre and he was finally forced to sell shares in the latter to his brother-in-law, David Morris. Monetary difficulties increased and for
8120-415: The early 19th century, however, music hall entertainments became popular, and presenters found a loophole in the restrictions on non-patent theatres in the genre of melodrama . Melodrama did not break the Patent Acts, as it was accompanied by music. Initially, these entertainments were presented in large halls, attached to public houses , but purpose-built theatres began to appear in the East End , such as
8236-413: The eight to ten years before the Act was passed, the Haymarket was an alternative to John Rich's Theatre Royal, Covent Garden and the opera-dominated Drury Lane Theatre . Fielding himself was responsible for the instigation of the Act, having produced a play called The Historical Register that parodied prime minister Robert Walpole , as the caricature, Quidam. In particular, it was an alternative to
8352-401: The first scheduled matinée performance, establishing a custom soon followed in theatres everywhere. Its managers have included Benjamin Nottingham Webster , John Baldwin Buckstone , Squire Bancroft , Cyril Maude , Herbert Beerbohm Tree , and John Sleeper Clarke , brother-in-law of John Wilkes Booth , who quit America after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln . Famous actors who débuted at
8468-500: The first time in over 40 years in The Breath of Life by David Hare (2002). Productions in 2003 included Ibsen's Brand , directed by Adrian Noble , starring Ralph Fiennes and A Woman of No Importance , with Rupert Graves , Samantha Bond and Prunella Scales , also directed by Noble. In 2004, the theatre presented a stage adaptation of the film, When Harry Met Sally... , starring Luke Perry and Alyson Hannigan , during which
8584-590: The heyday of Shakespearean burlesque was the Victorian era. Wells observes that the typical Victorian Shakespeare burlesque "takes a Shakespeare play as its point of departure and creates from it a mainly comic entertainment, often in ways that bear no relation to the original play." Wells gives, as an example of the puns in the texts, the following: Macbeth and Banquo make their first entrance under an umbrella. The witches greet them with "Hail! hail! hail!": Macbeth asks Banquo, "What mean these salutations, noble thane?" and
8700-573: The highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world . Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London . Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage. There are approximately 40 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane , opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre —built as
8816-611: The house closed for two nights after bits of the ceiling fell during a performance injuring fifteen people. 2005 productions included Victoria Wood 's Acorn Antiques: The Musical , starring Julie Walters , Celia Imrie and Duncan Preston , directed by Trevor Nunn and A Few Good Men , starring Rob Lowe , Suranne Jones and Jack Ellis . 2006 featured three revivals: A Man for All Seasons , starring Martin Shaw; Coward's Hay Fever , with Judi Dench and Peter Bowles ; and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers , starring Dave Willetts and Shona Lindsay. The last production of that year
8932-552: The long-running A Voyage Round My Father ( John Mortimer ) starring Alec Guinness, succeeded by Michael Redgrave (1971–72); and, in 1972, Crown Matrimonial by Royce Ryton , starring Wendy Hiller as Queen Mary . Later productions included a revival of On Approval ( Frederick Lonsdale ) with Geraldine McEwan and Edward Woodward (1975); The Circle , with Googie Withers and John McCallum (1976); Rosmersholm ( Ibsen ) with Claire Bloom and Daniel Massey (1977); The Millionairess (Shaw), with Penelope Keith ; Waters of
9048-556: The morality of the play, focusing more on joy and entertainment than catharsis, a definitive shift away from neoclassical ideas. The depiction of female sexuality in Victorian burlesque was an example of the connection between women as performers and women as sexual objects in Victorian culture. Throughout the history of theatre the participation of women on stage has been questioned. Victorian culture, according to Buszek in 2012, viewed paid female performance as being closely associated with prostitution, "a profession in which most women in
9164-553: The non-musical Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap is the longest-running production in the world, and has been performed continuously since 1952. Running since 2011, Matilda the Musical , an adaptation of Roald Dahl 's Matilda , won a then-record seven Olivier Awards in 2012. Running since 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , a two-part play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by J. K. Rowling , won
9280-444: The original work. Victorian burlesque is one of several forms of burlesque . Like ballad opera , burlesques featured musical scores drawing on a wide range of music, from popular contemporary songs to operatic arias, although later burlesques, from the 1880s, sometimes featured original scores. Dance played an important part, and great attention was paid to the staging, costumes and other spectacular elements of stagecraft, as many of
9396-467: The performances range from classic plays, to cabaret, to plays in the languages of London's ethnic minorities . The performers range from emerging young professionals to amateurs. Productions at the Donmar included the 1980 play Educating Rita which starred Julie Walters in the title role before she reprised the role in the 1983 film . There are many theatres located throughout Greater London , such as
9512-514: The pieces were staged as extravaganzas . Many of the male roles were played by actresses as breeches roles , to show off women's legs in tights, and some of the older female roles were taken by male actors. Originally short, one-act pieces, burlesques were later full-length shows, occupying most or all of an evening's programme. Authors who wrote burlesques included J. R. Planché , H. J. Byron , G. R. Sims , F. C. Burnand , W. S. Gilbert and Fred Leslie . Burlesque theatre became popular around
9628-431: The pit by the introduction of stalls seating divided by plain iron arms caused the opening night play, Money , on 31 January 1880, to be delayed for half an hour while the audience in the galleries expressed their anger. Mr. Bancroft, in the character of Sir Frederick Blount, vainly endeavoured to pacify them, until he bluntly asked whether the play should proceed and thus obtained silence. The Bancrofts gave up management of
9744-522: The season of 1793–94 when Drury Lane Theatre was being rebuilt, the Haymarket was opened under the Drury Lane Patent. The season was notable for a 'Dreadful Accident' which occurred on 3 February 1794, 'when Twenty Persons unfortunately lost their lives, and a great Number were dreadfully bruised owing to a great Crowd pressing to see his Majesty, who was that Evening present at the Performance.' Amongst
9860-555: The staff and history of the Haymarket Theatre itself, in a 2009 eight-part Sky Arts documentary, Theatreland . In 2010 Waiting for Godot was repeated with McKellen, Roger Rees , Matthew Kelly and Pickup, followed by a transfer of Sweet Charity from the Menier Chocolate Factory . The next show was The Rivals starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles . Trevor Nunn became Artistic Director 2011, producing
9976-461: The summer months. The original building was a little further north in the same street. It has been at its current location since 1821, when it was redesigned by John Nash . It is a Grade I listed building , with a seating capacity of 888. The freehold of the theatre is owned by the Crown Estate . The Haymarket has been the site of a significant innovation in theatre. In 1873, it was the venue for
10092-459: The theatre closed for a £1.3 million refurbishment, re-opening later that year with a revival of An Evening with Peter Ustinov , followed by Arcadia ( Tom Stoppard ). Burning Blue (1995), a new play by the first time playwright David Greer, was followed by the veteran director Peter Hall 's revival of Ibsen's The Master Builder , starring Alan Bates . Hall also directed the 1996 An Ideal Husband (Oscar Wilde) 100 years after its première at
10208-433: The theatre dabbled, if not took on as a primary source of income". Burlesque became the specialty of London's Royal Strand Theatre and Gaiety Theatre from the 1860s to the early 1890s. In the 1860s and 1870s, burlesques were often one-act pieces running less than an hour and using pastiches and parodies of popular songs, opera arias and other music that the audience would readily recognize. Nellie Farren starred as
10324-649: The theatre for decades. They presented Overheard , by Peter Ustinov ; and Virginia , with Maggie Smith (1981). In 1982, the Haymarket staged a repertory season including Hobson's Choice , starring Penelope Keith; Captain Brassbound's Conversion (Shaw); Uncle Vanya ( Chekhov ); Rules of the Game ( Luigi Pirandello ); and Man and Superman (Shaw), starring Peter O'Toole . In 1983, productions included The School for Scandal , starring Donald Sinden ; Heartbreak House (Shaw), starring Rex Harrison ; Ben Kingsley in
10440-443: The theatre founded Masterclass, a charity that offers creative opportunities and performing experiences to young people pursuing careers in the performing arts. Its activities include, in addition to masterclasses, apprenticeships in directing and theatre design, workshop productions, and theatre career fairs. The masterclasses cover a range of disciplines, from acting and directing to writing, producing and design, and give young people
10556-463: The theatre hosted most of the great actors of the period. The illusionist Ching Lau Lauro performed here on 25 July 1827. In 1862, the theatre was host to a 400-night run of Our American Cousin , with Edward Sothern as Lord Dundreary . The play's success brought the word "dreary" into common use. Robertson's David Garrick was a hit in 1864, also with Sothern in the title role. Sothern also starred in H. J. Byron 's An English Gentleman at
10672-852: The theatre in 1871. W. S. Gilbert premiered seven of his plays at the Haymarket. The first was his early burlesque, Robinson Crusoe; or, The Injun Bride and the Injured Wife (1867, written with Byron, Tom Hood , H. S. Leigh and Arthur Sketchley). Gilbert followed this with a number of his blank verse "fairy comedies", the first of which was The Palace of Truth (1870), produced by Buckstone. These starred William Hunter Kendal and his wife Madge Robertson Kendal and also included Pygmalion and Galatea (1871), and The Wicked World (1873). Gilbert also produced here his dramas, Charity (1874), Dan'l Druce, Blacksmith (1876), and his most famous play outside of his Savoy operas , Engaged , an 1877 farce. Buckstone's ghost has reportedly often been seen at
10788-524: The theatre in 1885. The next season opened in September 1885. Herbert Beerbohm Tree became manager of the theatre and, in 1887, transferred The Red Lamp there from the Comedy Theatre ; by then he had installed electric light in the theatre. Under Tree's management, Oscar Wilde premiered his comedy A Woman of No Importance in April 1893. In January 1895 Wilde's An Ideal Husband was first performed at
10904-537: The theatre included Robert William Elliston (1774–1831) and John Liston (1776–1846). The first Hay Market theatre was built in 1720 by John Potter, carpenter, on the site of The King's Head Inn in the Haymarket and a shop in Suffolk Street kept by Isaac Bliburgh, a gunsmith, and known by the sign of the Cannon and Musket. It was the third public theatre opened in the West End . The theatre cost £1000 to build, with
11020-565: The theatre on behalf of the school. There is a great number of stage productions in London outside the West End. Much of this is known as fringe theatre (referred to as Off West End ) which is the equivalent of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatre in New York City. Among these are the Menier Chocolate Factory , Bush Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse . Fringe venues range from well-equipped small theatres to rooms above pubs, and
11136-588: The theatre presented Antony and Cleopatra , starring Timothy Dalton and Vanessa Redgrave ; Breaking the Code ( Hugh Whitemore ), starring Derek Jacobi as Alan Turing ; Long Day's Journey into Night , starring Jack Lemmon ; and The Apple Cart , starring Peter O'Toole. In 1988, another Tennessee Williams play, Orpheus Descending, starred Vanessa Redgrave. Later productions that year were You Never Can Tell (Shaw); The Deep Blue Sea (Rattigan); and The Admirable Crichton ( J. M. Barrie ). The 1980s ended at
11252-404: The theatre with a revival of Edward Bulwer-Lytton 's Money , followed by Victorien Sardou 's Odette (for which they engaged Madame Helena Modjeska ) and Fedora , and Arthur Wing Pinero 's Lords and Commons , with other revivals of previous successes. The auditorium had been reconstructed, and the stage enclosed in a complete picture frame proscenium , the first in London. The abolition of
11368-459: The theatre, particularly during comedies and "when he appreciates things" playing there. In 2009, The Daily Telegraph reported that the actor Patrick Stewart saw the ghost standing in the wings during a performance of Waiting for Godot at the Haymarket. In May 1875, Arthur Sullivan 's The Zoo transferred to the Haymarket. In 1879 the house was taken over by the Bancrofts , who re-opened
11484-530: The theatre. Tree's next notable hit was George du Maurier 's Trilby , later in 1895. This ran for over 260 performances and made such profits that Tree was able to build Her Majesty's Theatre and establish RADA . In 1896 Cyril Maude and Frederick Harrison became lessees, opening with Under the Red Robe , an adaptation of Stanley Wyman's novel. In 1897 The Little Minister by J. M. Barrie ran for 320 performances. The Haymarket's managers Frederick Harrison (who
11600-424: The vacuous operatic conventions and pointed a satirical barb at Walpole and his taxation policies. The piece was a huge success, with a record-setting run of 69 performances in its first season. The work debuted at the Haymarket Theatre, where its coded attack on Walpole would have been clear, but its long run occurred after it moved to Covent Garden, which had a much greater capacity for staging. The burlesque itself
11716-497: The vista from Charles Street. The main front feature of Nash's elevation in the Haymarket was (and is) a pedimented portico of six Corinthian columns which extends in depth to the edge of the pavement and includes the whole frontage. It is sometimes stated that Nash rebuilt the theatre entirely, but there is evidence that he incorporated a house in Little Suffolk Street with the theatre, removed two shops which were in front, in
11832-401: Was A Delicate Balance (Edward Albee), starring Eileen Atkins , Maggie Smith , John Standing and Annette Crosbie . In 1998, Shakespeare's Villains a one-man play, created and performed by Steven Berkoff at the theatre was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment . Later that year, Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love , starring John Wood , transferred from
11948-657: Was Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks , starring Claire Bloom and Billy Zane . The first production of 2007 was Pinter's People , a compilation of Harold Pinter sketches of the past 40 years; later productions of that year were The Lady from Dubuque (Albee), starring Maggie Smith; David Suchet in The Last Confession ; and The Country Wife , starring Toby Stephens , Patricia Hodge and David Haig . In 2008, productions were The Sea (Bond), starring David Haig , Eileen Atkins and Russell Tovey ; Marguerite ,
12064-464: Was ballad opera , in which new words were fitted to existing tunes. Madame Vestris produced burlesques at the Olympic Theatre beginning in 1831 with Olympic Revels by J. R. Planché . In these pieces, comedy stemmed from the incongruity and absurdity of the grand classical subjects, with realistic historical dress and settings, being juxtaposed with the everyday modern activities portrayed by
12180-523: Was a 1729 production of a play by Samuel Johnson of Cheshire , Hurlothrumbo, or The Supernatural , which ran for 30 nights – not as long as John Gay 's The Beggar's Opera (62 performances), but still a long run for the time. In 1730, the theatre was taken over by an English company. Among the actors who appeared there before 1737 when the theatre was closed under the Licensing Act 1737 were Aaron Hill , Theophilus Cibber , and Henry Fielding . In
12296-455: Was aimed at a narrower, highly literate audience; some writers, such as the Brough brothers, aimed at a conservative middle class audience, and H. J. Byron 's success was attributed to his skill in appealing to the lower middle classes. Some of the most frequent subjects for burlesque were the plays of Shakespeare and grand opera. From the 1850s onwards, burlesquing of Italian, French and, later in
12412-627: Was considered the leading Shakespearean and comic actress in Britain. Opened in 1903, the New Theatre debuted The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1905, a play that introduced a heroic figure with an alter ego into the public consciousness. The theatre was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre in 2006 after the playwright Noël Coward . Constructed in 1897, Her Majesty's Theatre hosted a number of premieres, including George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion in 1914. The theatre building boom continued until about
12528-621: Was despite slightly fewer performances occurring in 2013. On 16 March 2020, following government advice due to the COVID-19 pandemic , all theatres in the West End were closed until further notice. Theatres in London were allowed to re-open (with social distancing) on 17 May 2021, with full capacity permitted from 19 July. Opening in October 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre in 50 years. The length of West End shows depends on ticket sales. The longest-running musical in West End history
12644-697: Was down 1.4% compared to the previous year, box office revenues reached a record £799 million. The majority of West End theatres are owned by the ATG Entertainment , Delfont Mackintosh Theatres , Nimax Theatres , LW Theatres , and the Nederlander Organization . Theatre in London flourished after the English Reformation . The first permanent public playhouse, known as The Theatre , was constructed in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage . It
12760-681: Was followed by Harvey , starring James Dreyfus and Maureen Lipman , and The Elephant Man , starring Bradley Cooper . McQueen , starring Stephen Wight , then transferred from the St. James Theatre , and was followed by Mr Foote's Other Leg , starring Simon Russell Beale as Samuel Foote. Productions in 2016 included a revival of Alan Ayckbourn 's How the Other Half Loves , starring Nicholas Le Prevost , Jenny Seagrove , Tamzin Outhwaite and Jason Merrells , and Pixie Lott made her debut at
12876-499: Was generally written in rhyming couplets, or, less often, in other verse forms, such as blank verse; it was notable for its bad puns . For example, in Faust up to Date (1888), a couplet reads: According to Grove , although "an almost indispensable element of burlesque was the display of attractive women dressed in tights, often in travesty roles ... the plays themselves did not normally tend to indecency." Some contemporary critics took
12992-545: Was sole lessee) and Cyril Maude remained through the first year of the 20th century. In 1904, the auditorium was redesigned in Louis XVI style by C. Stanley Peach. The following year, Maude acquired the Playhouse Theatre by Charing Cross Station, leaving Harrison in sole control. In 1909, Herbert Trench produced Maurice Maeterlinck 's The Blue Bird . Productions from then to the end of World War I included Bunty Pulls
13108-559: Was soon joined by The Curtain . Both are known to have been used by William Shakespeare 's company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to Southwark , where it was used in building the Globe Theatre in a new theatre district formed beyond the controls of the City corporation. Regarding theatre as sinful, these theatres were closed in 1642 due to the Puritans who would later influence
13224-430: Was succeeded by his son Anthony, and then his daughter-in-law Sylva Stuart Watson , who took over in 1963. Productions under the new management included Flowering Cherry by Robert Bolt (1957) starring Ralph Richardson and Celia Johnson ; Ross by Terence Rattigan (1960) starring Alec Guinness ; and John Gielgud's production of The School for Scandal (1962), with Ralph Richardson and Margaret Rutherford . In
13340-434: Was successfully launched in New York in the 1840s by the manager and comedian William Mitchell, who had opened his Olympic Theatre in December 1839. Like the London prototypes, his burlesques included characters with nonsensical names such as Wunsuponatyme and The King of Neverminditsnamia, and made fun of all kinds of music currently being presented in the city. Unlike pantomime, which aimed at all ages and classes, burlesque
13456-447: Was the first London production to reach 100 consecutive performances . Tom and Jerry' s combination of a tour of London interspersed with song and dance, gave rise to numerous similar, loosely constructed entertainments, and "planted the seeds for later musical comedy and revue". The Patent theatre companies retained their duopoly on drama well into the 19th century, and all other theatres could perform only musical entertainments. By
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