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Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

1663 establishments in EnglandBuildings and structures demolished in 1791Christopher Wren buildings in LondonCommercial buildings completed in 1812Covent Garden
Georgian architecture in LondonGrade I listed buildings in the City of WestminsterGrade I listed theatresRebuilt buildings and structures in the United KingdomReportedly haunted locations in LondonTheatres completed in 1663Theatres completed in 1674Theatres completed in 1794Theatres completed in 1812Theatres in the City of WestminsterUse British English from February 2012West End theatres
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 20130408 022
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 20130408 022

The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drury Lane. The building is the most recent in a line of four theatres which were built at the same location, the earliest of which dated back to 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London still in use. According to the author Peter Thomson, for its first two centuries, Drury Lane could "reasonably have claimed to be London's leading theatre". For most of that time, it was one of a handful of patent theatres, granted monopoly rights to the production of "legitimate" drama in London (meaning spoken plays, rather than opera, dance, concerts, or plays with music). The first theatre on the site was built at the behest of Thomas Killigrew in the early 1660s, when theatres were allowed to reopen during the English Restoration. Initially known as "Theatre Royal in Bridges Street", the theatre's proprietors hired prominent actors who performed at the theatre on a regular basis, including Nell Gwyn and Charles Hart. In 1672, the theatre caught fire and Killigrew built a larger theatre on the same plot, renamed the "Theatre Royal in Drury Lane"; it opened in 1674. This building lasted nearly 120 years, under the leaderships of Colley Cibber, David Garrick and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the last of whom employed Joseph Grimaldi as the theatre's resident Clown. In 1791, under Sheridan's management, the building was demolished to make way for a larger theatre which opened in 1794. This new Drury Lane survived for 15 years before burning down in 1809. The building that stands today opened in 1812. It has been the residency of well known actors including Edmund Kean, comedian Dan Leno and the musical composer and performer Ivor Novello. From the Second World War, the theatre has primarily hosted long runs of musicals, including Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, 42nd Street and Miss Saigon, the theatre's longest-running show. The theatre is owned by the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Since January 2019, the venue has had ongoing renovations, and in July 2021, the theatre reopened after over two years' of extensive work and closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney's Frozen made its West End debut at Drury Lane on 27 August, with general shows starting from 8 September 2021.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Catherine Street, London Covent Garden

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Wikipedia: Theatre Royal, Drury LaneContinue reading on Wikipedia

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N 51.513055555556 ° E -0.12027777777778 °
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Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Catherine Street 57
WC2B 5JF London, Covent Garden
England, United Kingdom
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theatreroyaldrurylane.co.uk

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Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 20130408 022
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 20130408 022
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London Film Museum
London Film Museum

The London Film Museum, founded and created by Jonathan Sands in February 2008, is a museum dedicated to the British film industry. It was previously known as The Movieum of London and was originally situated in County Hall, but moved to a Covent Garden location in April 2012.It exhibits original props, costumes and sets from feature films. There was originally a section on how films are made, including information on all the major studios. Original pieces included costumes and props from British films, the autogyro 'Little Nellie' from You Only Live Twice, an original Superman meteor, the Rank Organisation gong used in their opening titles, and armour made by Terry English. There was also a corridor explaining how films are made with the chance to talk to those involved. Two previous special exhibitions have been: Ray Harryhausen - Myths & Legends. This 2010 exhibition featured original creatures from Ray Harryhausen's films including Pegasus, Medusa, and Talos. Charlie Chaplin - The Great Londoner. This covered his early life in Lambeth, and featured Chaplin's original bowler hat and cane with storage boxes. From March 2014, the Museum was dedicated to the Bond in Motion - The Largest Official Collection of James Bond Vehicles exhibition. This featured cars, other vehicles and original props from the film series. Bond in Motion closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. From July 2021 it was replaced by the Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition.