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     London Theatre Tickets » List of London Theatres » Duke of York's Theatre » History
Duke of York's Theatre - Information & History
The Duke of York's Theatre is situated in St Martins Lane and first opened its doors on the 10th of September 1892 with a production of a comedy opera called 'The Wedding Eve', which unfortunately was not a resounding success. The Duke of York's Theatre literally backs onto the Garrick Theatre on the Charing Cross road and was designed by the architect Walter Emden and constructed for Frank Wyatt and his wife Melnotte.
The Duke of York's Theatre was the first theatre to be built on St Martins Lane and consisted of 3 tiers with a seating capacity of 900 and it had an original feature of real log/coal fires in the auditorium. Originally called the Trafalgar Square Theatre, due to its close proximity to Trafalgar Square, it was changed to the Duke of York's Theatre in 1895 to honour the future King George V.
An early architectural review of the theatre described it as "A pretty little theatre which is unpretentious with its colourful choice of cream, gold and yellow tints, the back of the boxes being of a warm russet hue. The corridors are ornamented with coloured portraits of well-known actresses, and the decorations generally are remarkably chaste and refined. The stalls and dress-circle will be entered from St Martin's Lane. On the upper-circle tier are a large and ornamental vestibule and a pleasant saloon, with a balcony facing the roadway. The pit entrance is on the north side, and the entrance to the large gallery on the south side. The theatre is completely isolated, and from each of its four sections an extra exit has been made. It will be lighted by electricity, but in case of need gas will be available. The dressing rooms are in a detached building, connected to the theatre by a short, covered iron bridge; and a broad stone staircase leads from the stage to the open air. "
The Duke of York's Theatre had an American manager, namely Charles Frohman, from 1897. He managed to put on some successful productions using American Actors which he exchanged for British ones to work over in the States, perhaps one of the earliest international work exchange programmes.
The Duke of York's Theatre in 1900 saw a performance of David Belasco´s ´Madame Butterfly´, which on one occasion so excited and enthralled Puccini that he decided to transform the play into the now world famous operatic production which was later performed at the Duke of York's theatre in 1932 by the Carl Rosa Opera Company, which had inspired Puccini in the first place.
Frank Wyatt remained the owner of the Theatre until his death in 1926 when his wife took over the control until she sold the Duke of York's Theatre to William Hunter in 1928.
During the first year of the Second World War in 1940, the Duke of York's Theatre suffered some damage and was forced to close until May 1943, when it was repaired and reopened with a performance of 'Shadow & Substance'. The Duke of York's Theatre acquired new management in 1950 and a refurbishment was commissioned to brighten up the theatre. Unfortunately their choice of productions didn't match their expectations and they saw 2 productions on very short runs. 'All The Year Round' opened in October 1951 and lasted only 3 nights, but, worst of all, was the production 'Thirteen for Dinner' which closed on its opening night on the 17th of December 1953 to boos and jeers and audience disapproval.
The Duke of York's Theatre went on to stage reasonably successful productions and maintained self sufficiency over the next 20 years and was finally purchased by the aspiring Capital Radio station in the late 1970's. Shortly after this, the Duke of York's Theatre was closed in 1979 for renovations and reopened a year later with a production of 'Rose' starring Glenda Jackson. Success followed success as this small theatre put on productions such as Al Pacino's award winning performance in 'American Buffalo' and the Richard Harris comedy 'Steppin Out', which continued to run for 3 years.
Further successes continued at the Duke of York's Theatre with 'Shirley Valentine' by Willy Russell, which managed to run for 2 years. Some of the most successful productions were the 'Rocky Horror Show' and the Andrew Lloyd Webber / Alan Ayckbourn co production of 'By Jeeves'. The Duke of York's Theatre temporarily changed its name to The Royal Court Theatre Downstairs when the theatre underwent a detailed refurbishment. This lasted for 4 years and all productions at the Duke of York were transferred to The Royal Court Theatre. The Duke of York's Theatre refurbishment included the removal of several columns which obstructed view and the overall reduction in the seating capacity by the closure of the top gallery. This has reduced the seating capacity to a more modest 640 seats but with a more leg room and comfort.
The Duke of York's Theatre has continued to put on many critically acclaimed and successful productions including the Olivier Award winning production ´The Weir´, 'Stones in His Pockets´ and ´I Am My Own Wife´, which was a true story based on the astonishing life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf.
The Ambassador Theatre Group bought the Duke of York's Theatre in 1992.
Showing: Backbeat
Monday 26th September 2011 to Open ended run Duke of York's Theatre | Performances | Information | Directions | History
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