Drury Lane

Drury Lane, playhouse in Catherine Street, London, not far from Drury Lane. The current theatre is the fourth to have been built on the site and seats approximately 2,200. The original building, properly known as the Theatre Royal, was built under a royal patent in 1663 by the playwright Thomas Killigrew for his company, the King's Servants. Two years later the actress Nell Gwyn, who was later the mistress of Charles II, made her debut at Drury Lane.

After the theatre was badly damaged by fire in 1672, a new one was built from designs by Sir Christopher Wren and opened in 1674. Between 1695 and 1746 the theatre was involved in a constant struggle against financial difficulties, and its reputation suffered because of the superior offerings of rival playhouses. In 1746 management was assumed by the actor David Garrick; the following 30 years are considered the golden age of Drury Lane. After Garrick retired in 1776, the theatre was managed by the playwright Richard Sheridan, who presented his own comedies and later brought to stardom the actress Sarah Siddons.

A new theatre was built in 1791 but burned down in 1809 and was replaced by the present structure in 1812. From 1814 to 1820 Drury Lane audiences saw the performances of Edmund Kean, who appeared in many of Shakespeare's plays. Subsequently the theatre was used for a variety of productions, including operas and pantomimes starring Dan Leno, and Henry Irving gave his last season there in 1905.

Ivor Novello was a regular attraction at Drury Lane throughout the 1930s, and during World War II the theatre became the headquarters of ENSA (the armed forces entertainments organization), surviving bomb damage to reopen in 1946. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, Drury Lane became known as the London home of Broadway musicals, including several long-running successes by Rodgers and Hammerstein: Oklahoma! (1947), Carousel (1950), South Pacific (1951), and The King and I (1953). My Fair Lady (1958) by Lerner and Loewe ran for 2281 performances, and Hello Dolly! (1965), A Chorus Line (1976), and 42nd Street (1984) were also hits. However, the most successful show ever at Drury Lane is Miss Saigon (1989), which ran for over 10 years. Subsequent musicals have included The Witches of Eastwick (2000), productions of My Fair Lady (2001) and Anything Goes (2003) by the Royal National Theatre, and the stage version (2004) of the Mel Brooks film The Producers.