London’s Theatre Royal has seen several iterations. With the restoration of Charles II to the English throne in 1660, the puritan ban against “frivolous” pastimes such as theatre were lifted and the King issued letters patent licensing the formation of acting companies
One such was issued to Thomas Killigrew who formed The King’s Company and built a new theatre on Drury Lane. His playhouse, known as The Theatre Royal in Bridges Street opened on 7 May 1663 (Bridges Street was later renamed Catherine Street. The site backs onto Drury Lane)
In 1672 following a fire, Killigrew built a larger theatre on the site, opening in 1674 under the new name “Theatre Royal Drury Lane”
In 1791, the building was demolished to make way for a new theatre which opened on 12 March 1794, but it burnt down in 1809
The present building, designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt opened on 10 October 1812 with a production of Hamlet. The portico was added in 1820 and the Russell Street colonnade in 1831
Interior renovations took place in 1822 and again in 1922 and the building was listed as being of architectural interest in 1958
Composer and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber acquired the premises in 2000 and undertook an extensive restoration of the theatre to its original style to celebrate its 350th anniversary; opening on 15 May 2013
Drury Lane is considered to be one of London’s great west-end theatres as well as one of the largest with 1996 seats. Currently closed for a further £60 million restoration, it is scheduled to re-open in October 2020 as home to Disney’s “Frozen”
