The Stage is Set

The lights are returning to the West End. The last time all of London’s theatres closed was during the 11-year Interregnum period following the execution of Charles I. When his son, Charles II, was restored to the throne in 1660, he issued Letters Patent for the formation of two new acting companies, thus beginning Britain’s theatrical renaissance. One of those two groups, the King’s Company, was led by the witty dramatist, impresario and all-round rake, Thomas Killigrew. Within three years, Killigrew had opened a new theatre on a site near Covent Garden’s vegetable market that backed on to Drury Lane. Thus, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane can claim to be Britain’s oldest theatre – even if it has been rebuilt three times since.

The current Drury Lane, a sturdy, no-nonsense brick structure from 1812, is owned by the English theatre composer and impresario Andrew Lloyd-Webber. It is one of the largest theatres in the West End. The original was very different. Rather than a roof, there was a glass dome over the “pit” (the stalls) and performances would start at 3pm to make use of daylight