London Theatres in 1900: Drury Lane

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Arthur H. Beavan continued his survey of London's theatres, in Imperial London, published in 1901, with this look at Drury Lane:

Inaugurated as the King's Theatre on exactly its present site in 1663, Drury Lane Theatre was rebuilt by Wren, re-opened in 1674, once more rebuilt, and again re-opened in 1794.

It was here that Mrs. Siddons - who dubbed it the "Wilderness" from its great size, made her debut. (It seated 3600 persons, but as many as 5000 had, on occasion, been squeezed into it.) In 1809 it came to an untimely end, being completely burnt out; and its reopening in 1812 was the occasion that suggested the famous Rejected Addresses of James and Horace Smith.

Mr. James Wyatt, the architect, had been instructed to avoid all superfluous adornment of the exterior of the building, and no one can complain that he failed to comply; and although the portico and colonnade were subsequently added - and do to a certain extent break the monotony of design - it still bears a striking resemblance to a big engineering shop, or warehouse transported from the docks.

It is distinctly stately, with an auditory well adapted for the diffusion of sound, and there are few places whence a good portion of the stage cannot be seen; not a small thing for so old a theatre to boast of, as, in the days when it was built, some houses, like the Adelphi, were so ill-planned, that from the sides it was impossible to see anything at all!

The Drury Lane auditorium, though smaller than it originally was, is quite big enough, a "full house" representing some 3500 people, and a cash value of £600 to £700 approximately.

The stage is probably the largest in Europe, the depth being nearly 100 feet, and capable of extension to 130 feet.

A nonogenarian, and the survivor of every other London theatre, it has been the subject of many radical changes.

No more do the

"...long wax-candles with short cotton wicks,
Touch'd by the lamplighter's Promethean art,
Start into light, and make the lighter start."

The new illuminant has displaced even the once-prized gas, for old Drury marches gallantly with the times, if it does not actually lead the van.

A spacious dock has been annexed in the rear, contributing largely to the already immense area of the main building, 360 x 120 feet.

There are new sheltered pit and gallery approaches, and the theatre has been refurnished and redecorated throughout, and is provided with every modern luxury and convenience, while its stage-machinery is silently worked with absolute exactitude by electric power; and, so far as the fabric of the building is concerned, it bids fair to last another century.

It was the scene of Miss Mellon's leave-taking in 1815, and in 1828 of the farewell of Joe Grimaldi, prince of clowns, (he was buried in St. James' churchyard, Pentonville, now transformed into a recreation-ground, but the grave of England's most famous clown has been left undisturbed) as also of Macready in 1881, and it was here Madame Celeste made her first London appearance.

Since then, the old house has welcomed every kind of dramatic performance; tragedy, comedy, and melodrama, Italian and German opera, until the late Sir Augustus Harris became sole lessee, and identified it with pantomime in a form never before attempted; year after year producing fresh marvels in the shape of gorgeous historical tableaux, and transformation scenes of transcendental beauty.

Then he brought out sensational pieces, such as Human Nature, A Run of Luck, Pleasure, etc, modern realistic plays, with boats floating on their native element, wonderful battle-scenes, and other remarkable effects fit to stagger an old-fashioned manager by their very audacity.

Next: London's Theatres in 1900: Covent Garden Theatre