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     London Theatre Tickets » List of London Theatres » Lyceum Theatre » History
Lyceum Theatre - Information & History
The Lyceum Theatre is situated on the Haymarket on Wellington Street and is also known as other aliases, namely the Theatre Royal, the English Opera House and the Royal Lyceum Theatre. The Lyceum is one of the most important in London's West End Theatres history both for its theatrical pedigree and it's architecture. The current Lyceum was designed by Architect Bertie Crewe and opened its doors on the 31st of December 1904, although the Lyceum's history is rather complex and there has principally been a theatre on this site since 1772.
A building carrying the name Lyceum stood on the adjacent site in 1772, which is now covered by Wellington street itself. The site of the current Lyceum was originally occupied as early as 1765 by a gallery exhibiting paintings and from this came the idea to form the Royal Academy. The building was then used for musical entertainment and given to Charles Dibden and even became a small circus. Between 1794 and 1809 the then building on the site was used as a chapel, a concert room and also to exhibit waxworks by Madame Tussaud's, a truly diverse use of the building.
The building by 1809 to 1812 was used for dramatic purposes by the nearby Drury Lane theatre company after the destruction of their own theatre by fire until their new one was completed. In 1816 the building was used by the English Opera which also occupied the building on a temporary basis as their former home had been destroyed by fire. Fire was a common problem with theatres and auditoriums, as smoking was prolific and the safety controls were virtually non existent, so destruction by fire was a problem awaiting every public building at some point in their history. This temporary leasing of the building continued right up until 1830 when the Lyceum building was itself destroyed by fire and Samuel Beazley was commissioned to re design the current structure and to create this neo classical Romanesque building which was named under the title of the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House. This new building finally opened in 1834 and was for many years managed by Sir Henry Irving [famous thespian and theatre entrepreneur] in partnership with Ellen Terry [actress]. Their joint last performance was at the Lyceum in 1902.
Later reconstruction works and improvements were carried out by C.J. Phipps in 1882, when the Lyceum Theatre was partially reconstructed and improved, and 1884, when the circle fronts were redecorated and altered. Finally in 1904 when Bertie Crewe made the final structural changes to Beazley's structure and rebuilt behind Beazley's façade and portico, this became the building we have grown to love and see today.
The building tried to continue as the home of the English Opera House from 1816 under the direction of Balfe and to create a National Opera society but, despite the excellent performances, this began to fail and ultimately faded away. The Lyceum building remained closed for years until in 1871 Sir Henry Irving took over the lease and his theatrical experience was sufficient to stage a successful performance of 'The Bells' in 1871. With Irving taking the lead role as the ghost haunted burgomaster, the production played to full houses for just over 150 nights. The Lyceum had entered a new successful era.
A private members club was formed known as the 'Sublime Society of Beefsteaks' which was founded by John Rich in 1816. The members never exceeded 24 and they met every Saturday night in the old Lyceum building annex to talk and socialise, and to eat beefsteaks and drink excesses of port wine. The society was finally dissolved some 50 years later in 1867.
Irving followed that success in 1872 with a production of 'Charles 1st' which ran for 180 nights and again this was immediately followed by a Shakespearian performance of 'Hamlet' in 1873, which was when Henry Irving's popularity reached its zenith. This great actor was closely involved with the Lyceum for over 25 years and this success may have been due to his decision to appoint Ellen Terry to arrange the productions
The Lyceum under Irving and Terry decided to stage a production of the German play 'Faust'. The opening night's subscription for seats was overwhelming and the written applications, some thousands even coming from Germany, would have filled 12 theatres easily. Irving's success was international and he often went on tour to America where he was well received.
The Lyceum saw some of the most famous actors and actresses of the time including Forbes, Mrs Patrick Cambell, Sarah Bernhardt, Elennora Duse, Robertson and Martin Harvey, who was a pupil of Irving himself.
This success continued into the end of the Victorian era and the death of the Queen in 1901 when finally the old Lyceum run came to a close, when the interior was pulled down and the building was totally refurbished.
The Lyceum building of 1904 occupied a wider plot than the earlier building and consequently the portico and entrance are offset from the axis of the auditorium. The fantastic foyer and staircase leads down to the richly ornate interior and the auditorium must be one of the most elaborate and flamboyant in the UK today.
The Lyceum is of particular architectural importance as, despite the fact that the symmetrical neoclassical structure was altered in 1904 and the Domed Attic was lost forever, we are fortunate that the classical façade of Beazley pre-Victorian design remained intact, with its portico protruding roof supported by Corinthian columns overlooking the pavement. The full frontal neoclassical beauty of the Lyceum can be fully appreciated by approaching the Lyceum from the Strand. In 1919 Edward Jones made minor alterations.
The Lyceum was intended to be in competition with the Strand Palace and the London Coliseum but it failed to be as successful in this mode and soon changed to staging more drama.
The Lyceum continued with moderate success until 1939 when the then London County Council purchased the freehold for a planned demolition of the area and road redevelopment, which thankfully never took place and was later abandoned. The Council then had the Lyceum and decided it was best to lease the building to a theatre entrepreneur. The only takers were the gambling company Mecca which decided to convert the Lyceum into a Ballroom, which was carried out in 1951 by Matthews and Sons.
The Lyceum continued in this vein as a dance venue for most of post war London right up to the abolition of the Greater London Council in 1986. This led to a period of uncertainty for the Lyceum and the freehold was sold to The Theatre Trust. A lease was offered to the Brent Walker Group who finally transferred it to Apollo Leisure, who then set about a period of total restoration for the Lyceum. They reconverted it back to a theatre, the work carried out by Holohan Architects, and reopened the Lyceum in 1996. The Lyceum then became the theatre for large scale musicals as, with a large seating capacity of 2000, the Lyceum was ideal for this purpose.
One of the most striking alterations prior to the reopening in 1996 was the total rebuilding of the stage to facilitate an increased height for the most demanding of productions, and the orchestra pit was enlarged to be suitable for Grand Opera.
Recently the Lyceum became the home for popular drama for up to 10 months of the year and popular pantomime at Christmas time. The Lyceum is a notable theatre in the heart of London's west end.
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