"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!"" (1947–1953), ""My Fair Lady"" (1958–1963), ""42nd Street"" (1984–1989) and ""Miss Saigon"" (1989–1999), the theatre's longest-running show. The theatre is owned by the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. After the eleven-year-long Puritan Interregnum, which had seen the banning of pastimes regarded as frivolous, such as theatre, the English monarchy was restored to the throne with the return of Charles II in 1660. Soon after, Charles issued"
"Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 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"
"Lane on 20 September 1989 and closed after 4,264 performances on 30 October 1999. The director was Nicholas Hytner with musical staging by Bob Avian and scenic design by John Napier. In December 1994 the London production became the Theatre Royal's (Drury Lane) longest running musical, eclipsing the record set by ""My Fair Lady"". Lea Salonga played the part of Kim, winning the Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award. The Engineer was originated by Jonathan Pryce, who also won the Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award for the role. The part of Chris was originated by Simon Bowman. The musical"
"Lynne, closed in September 2005. It was the longest running show ever at the London Palladium, taking in over £70 million in its three and a half year run. The Palladium's famous revolving stage (as seen on Sunday Night at the London Palladium) was entirely taken out to accommodate the technology and storage space for the flying Chitty car, which itself holds the Guinness World Record as the most expensive stage prop, costing £750,000. The Broadway production opened on April 28, 2005 at the Lyric Theatre (then the Hilton Theatre), garnering good reviews only for the lavish sets. Ben Brantley"
"spectacle became the norm at Drury Lane under the managements first of Harris, from 1879 to 1896, and then of Arthur Collins from 1896 to 1923. Examples include the 1909 play, ""The Whip"", which featured not only a train crash, but also twelve horses recreating the 2,000 Guineas Stakes on an on-stage treadmill. Jimmy Glover, Director of Music from 1893 to 1923, was a significant figure at the theatre during the Collins years and wrote books which record much more than its musical life. The last major interior renovation was in 1922, under the ownership of managing director Sir Alfred"
"Drury Lane pantomime Drury Lane pantomime is a long tradition at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, dating from the early 18th century. In every Christmas season, a pantomime is produced which has a leading place among the many other pantomimes of the capital. Other pantomimes are sometimes produced during the rest of the year. The first English pantomime was ""Tavern Bilkers"" performed at Drury Lane in 1702. This started a popular tradition in which the annual Christmas pantomime at Drury Lane was the foremost entertainment of this kind. The thirty seven pantomimes in the years 1852 to 1888 were all"
"fans who could not acquire a ticket for the final performance. It held the record as London's longest-running musical until 8 October 2006, when it was surpassed by ""Les Misérables"". The show made its debut on Broadway on 7 October 1982, at the Winter Garden Theater with the same production team. On 19 June 1997, ""Cats"" became the longest-running musical in Broadway history with 6,138 performances. It closed on 10 September 2000, after a total of 7,485 performances. Its Broadway record was surpassed on 9 January 2006 by ""The Phantom of the Opera"". It remains Broadway's fourth-longest-running show in history."
"and piercing his left eye). Grimaldi is reported to be a helpful apparition, purportedly guiding nervous actors skilfully about the stage on more than one occasion. The comedian Stanley Lupino claimed to have seen the ghost of Dan Leno in a dressing room. The paranormal investigation programme ""Most Haunted"" investigated the theatre for Episode 10 of the first series which aired on Living TV (now known as Sky Living) on 30 July 2002. Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden,"
"reopened with Noël Coward's ""Pacific 1860"" in 1946. In the post-war years, four of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals made their London debuts in Drury Lane, holding the stage almost continuously for nearly a decade, including ""Oklahoma!"" (1947–1950), ""Carousel"" (1950–1951), ""South Pacific"" (1951–1953) and ""The King and I"" (1953–1956). American imports also included Lerner and Loewe's ""My Fair Lady"", which began a five-year run in 1958. Productions in the 1960s included ""Camelot"" (1964–1965), ""Hello, Dolly!"" (1965–1967) and ""The Great Waltz"" (1970–1972). In 1974, Monty Python recorded an album at the theatre, ""Live at Drury Lane"". The theatre became part of"
"scene of the film ""Billy Elliot"" (2000) shows the lead character, Billy, played by Adam Cooper, as an adult about to perform in this production as the lead Swan. Swan Lake (Bourne) Matthew Bourne's ""Swan Lake"" was first staged at Sadler's Wells theatre in London in 1995. The longest running ballet in London's West End and on Broadway, it has been performed in the UK, Los Angeles, Europe, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Israel and Singapore. The story is based on the Russian romantic ballet ""Swan Lake"", from which it takes the music by Tchaikovsky and the broad outline of"
"to the poetry of T. S. Eliot. ""Cats"" (1981) was to become the longest running musical in London, where it ran for 21 years before closing. On Broadway, ""Cats"" ran for 18 years, a record which would ultimately be broken by another Lloyd Webber musical, ""The Phantom of the Opera"". ""Starlight Express"" (1984) was a commercial hit, but received negative reviews from the critics. It enjoyed a record run in the West End, but ran for less than two years on Broadway. The show has also seen two tours of the US, as well as an Australian/Japanese production, a three-year"
"October 21, 1913 opening of the George Bernard Shaw play, ""Caesar and Cleopatra"", staged by the Forbes-Robertson Repertory Company. The theatre's longest tenant was ""A Chorus Line"", which ran for 6,137 performances from 1975 to 1990 and set the record for longest running show in Broadway history. Later long runs have included ""Crazy for You"" (1992–1996), ""Chicago"" (1996–2003), ""Spamalot"" (2005–2009), ""Memphis"" (2009–2012) and ""Matilda the Musical"" (2013–2017). ""Hello, Dolly!"" achieved the box office record for the Shubert Theatre. The production grossed $2,403,482 over eight performances, for the week ending October 22, 2017. The theatre has also been a recurring venue"
"by 15 February 1776. ""The Runaway"" enjoyed 17 performances during its first season at Drury Lane and 39 in London by 1800, a success that encouraged Cowley to write more, even though her mentor Garrick retired after the 1776 season. She wrote her next two plays, the farce ""Who’s the Dupe?"" and the tragedy ""Albina"", before the year was out. ""Who’s the Dupe?"" and ""Albina"" encountered difficulties in production. The new manager of Drury Lane, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, shelved ""The Runaway"" for most of the 1777 season. Miffed, Cowley sent ""Albina"" to Drury Lane’s rival theatre in London, Covent Garden,"
"show in the world. It has exceeded 26,000 performances at the St Martin's. St Martin's Theatre St Martin's Theatre is a West End theatre which has staged the production of ""The Mousetrap"" since March 1974, making it the longest continuous run of any show in the world. The theatre is located in West Street, near Shaftesbury Avenue, in the West End of London. It was designed by W. G. R. Sprague as one of a pair of theatres, along with the Ambassadors Theatre, also in West Street. Richard Verney, 19th Baron Willoughby de Broke, together with B. A. (Bertie) Meyer,"
"the theatre for three months for a show called 'The Royalty Folies', which was later renamed 'The Great International Nude Show'. However, neither of these animals died while at the theatre and at the close of the show the animals were moved to a dolphinarium in the Far East. The remnants of the tank and its lifting equipment still remain below the stage and numerous visitors to the theatre claim to have heard in the vicinity a spectral squeaking, not unlike a crying baby. One possible explanation is that the London Underground Piccadilly line Aldwych spur used to pass very"
"Drury Lane. The production was cast via the hit BBC television series ""I'd Do Anything"". Jodie Prenger became the winner and was subsequently cast as Nancy in the production, with Rowan Atkinson as Fagin. The publicity and attention surrounding the production was unprecedented on the West End stage, and it was reported in January 2009 that the production was the fastest-selling show in West End history, with £15 million of pre-opening sales. In April 2010, Mackintosh staged a West End revival of the musical ""Hair"" in London's Gielgud Theatre. This production was transferred from Broadway where a production was revived"
"written by E.L. Blanchard. From 1893 to 1923, most of the music for the Drury Lane pantomimes was arranged by Jimmy Glover (1861–1931), Director of Music . Drury Lane pantomime Drury Lane pantomime is a long tradition at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, dating from the early 18th century. In every Christmas season, a pantomime is produced which has a leading place among the many other pantomimes of the capital. Other pantomimes are sometimes produced during the rest of the year. The first English pantomime was ""Tavern Bilkers"" performed at Drury Lane in 1702. This started a popular tradition in"
"Swan Lake (Bourne) Matthew Bourne's ""Swan Lake"" was first staged at Sadler's Wells theatre in London in 1995. The longest running ballet in London's West End and on Broadway, it has been performed in the UK, Los Angeles, Europe, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Israel and Singapore. The story is based on the Russian romantic ballet ""Swan Lake"", from which it takes the music by Tchaikovsky and the broad outline of the plot. Bourne's rendering is best known for having the traditionally female parts of the swans danced by men. This synopsis is derived from programme notes and the synopsis"
"Aberdeen Student Show, performed annually without interruption since 1921, under the auspices of the Aberdeen Students' Charities Campaign, is the longest-running of its kind in the United Kingdom. It is written, produced and performed by students and graduates of Aberdeen's universities and higher education institutions. Since 1929—other than on a handful of occasions—it has been staged at His Majesty's Theatre. The Student Show traditionally combines comedy and music, inspired by the North-East's Doric dialect and humour. National festivals which visited Aberdeen in 2012 included the British Science Festival in September, hosted by the University of Aberdeen but with events also"
"Black"" is the second longest running stage play. Written by Catherine Johnson, ""Mamma Mia!"" is the West End's longest running jukebox musical. Richard O'Brien's 1973 West End musical ""The Rocky Horror Show"" has been ranked among the ""Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"". Peter Shaffer's 1979 play ""Amadeus"" premiered at the National Theatre. Elton John composed the music for ""The Lion King"" (lyrics by Rice) and ""Billy Elliot the Musical"", with both running for over a decade on the West End. Eric Idle's ""Monty Python's Spamalot"" made its West End debut in 2006. ""Matilda the Musical"" (an adaptation of Roald Dahl's"
"as Endless in 'No Song no Supper,' and a third as Fustian in 'Sylvester Dangerwood' to the Dangerwood of Bannister. A portrait by Dewilde, engraved by Cawthorne, is in the National Art Library, South Kensington. Richard ""Dicky"" Suett Richard ""Dicky"" Suett (1755–6 July 1805), was an English comedian who was George III's favourite Shakespearean clown, and star at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane for twenty-five years. Suett was born in Chelsea in 1755, and at ten years of age entered the choir at Westminster Abbey as a pupil of Benjamin Cooke. In 1769 he sang at the Ranelagh Gardens, the"
"Theatre Royal Drury Lane with most of the original cast, including Charles Santley. (Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa replaced Helen Lemmens-Sherrington in the title role.) Santley recalled in his memoirs that although ""The Amber Witch"" contained some fine music, it played to nearly empty houses at Drury Lane. In 1866 at a concert to raise funds for Wallace's widow and children, two members of the original cast, Helen Lemmens-Sherrington and John Patey, sang three pieces from the ""Amber Witch"" – ""Hark! How the chimes"", ""When the elves at dawn do pass"" and ""My Long Hair Is Braided"". The opera was revived in London"
"Neil Simon Theatre The Neil Simon Theatre, formerly the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway venue built in 1927 and located at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan, New York City. As of 2011, the record for its longest running show is held by the musical ""Hairspray"", which opened August 15, 2002, and ran for 2,642 performances before closing on January 4, 2009. Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, the developer, real estate mogul Alexander Pincus originally named it the ""Alvin Theatre"" as an amalgam of the names of producers ALex Aarons and Vinton Freedley. It"
"the facility. Neil Simon Theatre The Neil Simon Theatre, formerly the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway venue built in 1927 and located at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan, New York City. As of 2011, the record for its longest running show is held by the musical ""Hairspray"", which opened August 15, 2002, and ran for 2,642 performances before closing on January 4, 2009. Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, the developer, real estate mogul Alexander Pincus originally named it the ""Alvin Theatre"" as an amalgam of the names of producers ALex Aarons and Vinton"
"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"
"Best Musical at both the Laurence Olivier Awards and the Tony Awards. The London production ran for 21 years and the Broadway production ran for 18 years, both setting new records. Actresses Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical. One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Broadway production for its entire run (from 1982 until 2000). As of 2018, ""Cats"" is the fourth-longest-running show in Broadway history, and was the longest-running Broadway show in history from 1997 until 2006 when it was surpassed by ""The Phantom of the Opera"". ""Cats"" is the sixth-longest-running West End show."
"in a modern style. The reconstructed theatre opened 8 July 1959 with John Gielgud's solo performance in ""Shakespeare speeches and sonnets, Ages of Man"". Since April 2004, the theatre has played host to Cameron Mackintosh's production of ""Les Misérables"" which transferred after 18 years at the nearby Palace Theatre. The musical celebrated its 20th anniversary at the venue on 8 October 2005 and overtook ""Cats"" as the longest running musical of all time a year later on 8 October 2006. The theatre was Grade II listed by English Heritage in June 1972. An extensive refurbishment was undertaken in the latter"
"popular after its debut, and was highly anticipated even before its first performance.[2] The play ran for eighteen consecutive nights, and received many revivals during the 18th century.[1] It made more money than any other play performed at Drury Lane up until that time.[1] The public largely did respond to the play in the way that Steele had intended.[1] However, despite Steele's claims about the importance of the scene where the duel is averted by Bevil's moment of composed reflection, critics disagree about whether or not audiences received this scene in the way that Steele intended. Some have agreed that"
"His show was the ""longest running solo stand-up show in London and perhaps all of Britain"", running in excess of 400 performances. He visited 47 British art centres and theatres in 2015 with a pay-what-you-want touring show. In December 2015, he performed a run of 12 dates at the Museum of Comedy under the show title ""Lewis Schaffer: Free until Famous, £10"". Lewis Schaffer performed his show ""Lewis Schaffer: American in London"" every Sunday at the Leicester Square Theatre in London for over three years until June 2014, making it the longest solo comedy residency at the theatre. In 2009,"
"an intimate atmosphere. Major productions in the last two decades of the century included ""Tom Foolery"" (1980–1981), ""Can't Pay? Won't Pay!"" (1981–1983), and the long-running ""Run for Your Wife"" (1983–1989). From 1996 to 2005, the theatre was home to productions of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, notably ""The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)"". The theatre hosted the first round of recalls for successful auditionees in ITV's ""Pop Idol"". The theatre is also used by leading drama institutions as a venue for their graduating students' annual showcases. From 2006 to 2015, the Criterion hosted the long-running melodrama ""The 39 Steps"", adapted"
"Theatre. On 3 October 2010, the show celebrated its 25th anniversary with three productions running in London: the original production at the Queen's Theatre; the 25th Anniversary touring production at its 1985 try-out venue, the Barbican Centre; and the 25th Anniversary concert at London's O2 Arena. The Broadway production opened 12 March 1987 and ran until 18 May 2003, closing after 6,680 performances. It is the fifth longest-running Broadway show in history and was the second-longest at the time. The show was nominated for 12 Tony Awards and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Subsequently, numerous tours"
"Butt, at a cost of ₤150,000, leaving a four-tiered theatre able to seat just over 2,000 people. It was decorated with one of the most notable interiors produced by the specialist ornamental plasterwork company of Clark and Fenn. Composer and performer Ivor Novello, immensely popular in his time though little-remembered today, presented his musicals in Drury Lane from 1931 until the theatre was closed in 1939 because of the outbreak of the Second World War. During the war the theatre served as the headquarters for the Entertainments National Service Association; it sustained some minor bomb damage as well. The theatre"
"""The Phantom of the Opera"", ""Lion King"" and Willy Russell's ""Blood Brothers"" which have also subsequently overtaken ""Cats"". However the non-musical Agatha Christie play ""The Mousetrap"" is the longest-running production in the world, and has been performed continuously since 1952. The following have been announced 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"" 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 Royal National"