Lyceum Theatre

Lyceum Theatre, West End theatre, situated close to the Strand, London. A building was constructed there in 1765 in order to house exhibitions. In 1794 its new owner, Samuel Arnold, rebuilt it as a theatre. In 1802 it briefly returned to its original use, when it housed the first display of waxwork models by Madame Tussaud. From 1809 to 1812 it served as a temporary home of the Drury Lane company, awaiting the reconstruction of its own theatre, which had burnt down. The Lyceum, rebuilt in 1815 to a new design by Samuel Beazley, later burnt down itself, in 1830. The theatre was again rebuilt to Beazley's design in 1834, with the façade that remains today.

Among those who managed the new building was Madame Vestris, and when the Covent Garden theatre burnt down in 1856, the Lyceum again served as a temporary home for an outside company. It was, however, through its long association with Henry Irving that the Lyceum earned its historical reputation. Irving acted at the Lyceum from 1871, and in 1878 he took over as actor-manager, supported by his business manager, Bram Stoker, now better known as the author of Dracula. Irving and his leading lady, Ellen Terry, remained at the Lyceum, staging popular melodramas and visually extravagant productions of Shakespeare, until 1902, when they made their last stage appearance together. Following Irving's departure all but the façade of the Lyceum was demolished, and replaced with a music-hall venue; in succeeding years it presented a range of similar light entertainment such as musicals and variety shows. In 1939 serious drama returned to the Lyceum, when Sir John Gielgud acted in Hamlet; the performance was intended as a final farewell to the historic theatre, which was due to be demolished in a new road scheme. However, during World War II, plans changed and the scheme was abandoned, the Lyceum instead becoming a dance hall and, finally, lying vacant. It eventually reopened as a theatre in 1996 with a revival production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This was followed by a West End transfer of the hit Broadway musical of the Disney film The Lion King (1999), with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Elton John.