This article is about the former London theatre. For the current theatre, see Shaftesbury Theatre.
The Shaftesbury Theatre was a theatre in central London, England, between 1888 and 1941. It was built by John Lancaster for his wife, Ellen Wallis, a well-known Shakespearean actress. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps and built by Messrs. Patman and Fotheringham at a cost of £20,000 and opened with a production of As You Like It on 20 October 1888.
Shaftesbury Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre (from the Pall Mall Gazette, 1888)
The theatre had a stage of 28' 6" square. The capacity was 1,196.[1] It was located on the south side of Shaftesbury Avenue, just east of Gerrard Place.
History
The theatre's first big hit was The Belle of New York produced by the prominent Broadway producer, George W. Lederer, which opened on 12 April 1898 and ran for an extremely successful 697 performances. In 1908–09 H. B. Irving became the lessee and manager of the theatre and presented a successful season of plays. Robert Courtneidge was lessee for most of the early years of the 20th century and produced mostly comic operas and Edwardian musical comedies, including Tom Jones (1907), the record-setting hit The Arcadians (1909), Oh! Oh! Delphine! (1913), The Pearl Girl and many others. In 1914 Basil Rathbone appeared at the Shaftesbury as the Dauphin in Shakespeare's Henry V.
In 1941 the theatre was so severely damaged by aerial bombardment that the lease was vacated, and in 1956 the site was appropriated by the London County Council for a proposed new fire station to replace the one next door. However it was to remain empty for over 40 years used only as a car park surrounded by advertising boards. The current Soho fire station was eventually built on the site in 1983.
References
Who's Who in the Theatre, edited by John Parker, tenth edition, revised, London, 1947, p. 1184.
^But see "Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road", Survey of London: Volumes 33 and 34, St Anne Soho: 296–312, 1966, retrieved 2 August 2010 which asserts that it was much larger.
^"Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road", Survey of London: Volumes 33 and 34, St Anne Soho: 296–312, 1966, retrieved 2 August 2010
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shaftesbury Theatre (1888–1941).
History of the theatre
March 27, 2023
shaftesbury, theatre, 1888, this, article, about, former, london, theatre, current, theatre, shaftesbury, theatre, shaftesbury, theatre, theatre, central, london, england, between, 1888, 1941, built, john, lancaster, wife, ellen, wallis, well, known, shakespea. This article is about the former London theatre For the current theatre see Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre was a theatre in central London England between 1888 and 1941 It was built by John Lancaster for his wife Ellen Wallis a well known Shakespearean actress The theatre was designed by C J Phipps and built by Messrs Patman and Fotheringham at a cost of 20 000 and opened with a production of As You Like It on 20 October 1888 Shaftesbury TheatreShaftesbury Theatre from the Pall Mall Gazette 1888 AddressShaftesbury AvenueWestminster LondonCoordinates51 30 45 N 0 07 48 W 51 5125 N 0 1301 W 51 5125 0 1301 Coordinates 51 30 45 N 0 07 48 W 51 5125 N 0 1301 W 51 5125 0 1301OwnerJohn LancasterDesignationDemolishedTypeWest End theatreCapacity1 196Current useCar parkConstructionOpened20 October 1888Closed1941Rebuilt1888 1941ArchitectC J PhippsThe theatre had a stage of 28 6 square The capacity was 1 196 1 It was located on the south side of Shaftesbury Avenue just east of Gerrard Place History EditThe theatre s first big hit was The Belle of New York produced by the prominent Broadway producer George W Lederer which opened on 12 April 1898 and ran for an extremely successful 697 performances In 1908 09 H B Irving became the lessee and manager of the theatre and presented a successful season of plays Robert Courtneidge was lessee for most of the early years of the 20th century and produced mostly comic operas and Edwardian musical comedies including Tom Jones 1907 the record setting hit The Arcadians 1909 Oh Oh Delphine 1913 The Pearl Girl and many others In 1914 Basil Rathbone appeared at the Shaftesbury as the Dauphin in Shakespeare s Henry V Courtneidge s successors from 1917 to 1921 were George Grossmith Jr and Edward Laurillard They produced a number of shows including Arlette by Austen Hurgon and George Arthurs 1917 Baby Bunting by Fred Thompson and Worton David 1919 and The Great Lover by Leo Ditrichstein Frederic Hatton and Fanny Hatton 1920 2 In 1941 the theatre was so severely damaged by aerial bombardment that the lease was vacated and in 1956 the site was appropriated by the London County Council for a proposed new fire station to replace the one next door However it was to remain empty for over 40 years used only as a car park surrounded by advertising boards The current Soho fire station was eventually built on the site in 1983 References EditWho s Who in the Theatre edited by John Parker tenth edition revised London 1947 p 1184 But see Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road Survey of London Volumes 33 and 34 St Anne Soho 296 312 1966 retrieved 2 August 2010 which asserts that it was much larger Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road Survey of London Volumes 33 and 34 St Anne Soho 296 312 1966 retrieved 2 August 2010External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shaftesbury Theatre 1888 1941 History of the theatre Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shaftesbury Theatre 1888 amp oldid 1127803618, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
