Prince of Wales Theatre
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The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937. It is located on Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in the City of Westminster. The theatre should not be confused with the former Scala Theatre in Charlotte Street, off Tottenham Court Road that was known as the Prince of Wales Royal Theatre or Prince of Wales's Theatre from 1865 until its demolition in 1903.
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[edit] History
[edit] Phipps' theatre
The first theatre on the site opened in January 1884 when C.J. Phipps built the "Prince's Theatre" for actor-manager Edgar Bruce. It was a traditional three-tier theatre, seating just over 1,000 people. The theatre was renamed the "Prince of Wales Theatre" in 1886 after the future Edward VII. Located between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, the theatre was favourably situated to attract theatregoers.
The first production in the theatre was an 1884 revival of W. S. Gilbert's The Palace of Truth starring Herbert Beerbohm Tree, preceded by a one act comedy, In Honour Bound. This was soon follwed by a free adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House, called Breaking a Butterfly. In 1885, Lillie Langtry, reputedly the first "society" lady to become an actress, played in Princess George and The School for Scandal. The first successful production at the theatre was the wordless mime play L'Enfant Prodigue in 1891 which, together with A Pierrot's Life in 1897, brought respectability to mime troupes in Britain.
George Edwardes' musical play, In Town, often considered the first English musical comedy, was presented at the theatre in 1892 and was followed by Edwardes' even more successful A Gaiety Girl in 1893. In 1895, Basil Hood's Gentleman Joe, the Hansom Cabby began a long run starring the low comedian, Arthur Roberts, in the title role. The theatre then began to present straight plays with Maeterlinck's Pelléas et Mélisande (1898) and Wills's adaptation of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities as The Only Way (1899, also starring Harvey). Charles Hawtrey starred in the successful A Message from Mars (1901). In 1900-01, the musical comedy star Marie Tempest played the title roles in the play English Nell (based on Simon Dale's novel about Nell Gwynn) and Peg Woffington, a dramatization of Charles Reade's novel, as well as Becky Sharp in a dramatization of Thackeray's Vanity Fair.
The theatre played more musical comedies beginning in 1903, including the Frank Curzon and Isabel Jay hits Miss Hook of Holland (1907, its matinee version, Little Miss Hook of Holland was performed by children for children), King of Cadonia (1908), and The Balkan Princess (1910), and later the World War I hits, Broadway Jones (1914), Carminetta (1917), and Yes, Uncle! (1917).
The theatre then hosted plays such as Avery Hopwood's farce Fair and Warmer (1918) and Ivor Novello's The Rat (1924, Novello's first play, in which he also starred), and revues including A to Z (1921), Co-Optimists (1923), and Charlot's Revue (1924). They starred Gertrude Lawrence, Jack Buchanan, Beatrice Lillie, Stanley Holloway, and Jessie Matthews. These were followed by The Blue Train (1927), Alibi (1928, directed by Gerald du Maurier with Charles Laughton as Hercule Poirot), By Candlelight (1928), and Journey's End (1929). In 1930, Edith Evans became the manager at the theatre, presenting and starring in Delilah, which was not a success. Beginning in 1932, the theatre presented a series of risqué "Folies"-style revues, including Voila! Les Dames (1935) and its last production, Encore les Dames (1937). These shows were so successful that they funded the rapid rebuilding of the theatre in 1937.
[edit] Cromie's theatre
After 50 years, the theatre's 800 seats were deemed insufficient for productions of the day, and it was demolished. On June 17, 1937, Gracie Fields sang to the workmen as she laid the foundation stone of the new Art Deco-decorated theatre, designed by Robert Cromie, and the theatre opened on October 27 that year. The new theatre's seating capacity was about 1,100, and it had a larger stage and improved facilities for both the artists and the public, including a large, stylish stalls bar (the bar itself was 14 metres long), complete with dance floor. The first productions at the new theatre were Les Folies de Paris et Londres, starring George Robey, followed by Folies De Can-Can in 1938, a continuation of the old theatre's series of successful risqué revues, which ran continuously until 2am every night. The musical comedy, Present Arms, was offered in 1940, and in 1941 the theatre screened the UK premiere of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. The film had been banned in many parts of Europe, and the theatre's owner, Alfred Esdaile, was fined for showing it.
In 1943, Strike a New Note was notable for Sid Field's London debut, and he returned to the theatre in Piccadilly Hayride (1946, a revue that ran for 778 performances). In 1949, Harvey, Mary Coyle Chase's comedy about an imaginary rabbit, was a success, as was Diamond Lil in 1948 starring Mae West. In the 1950s, the theatre hosted variety and revues, starring such famous performers as Norman Wisdom, Peter Sellers, Bob Hope, Gracie Fields, Benny Hill, Hughie Green, Frankie Howerd, and Morecambe and Wise. In 1959, Paul Osborn's The World of Susie Wong became the theatre's longest running play to date with 832 performances.
Neil Simon's play, Come Blow Your Horn, starring Michael Crawford, played in 1962, followed by a season of Martha Graham's dance company, including the world premiere of her ballet Circe. Next was a string of Broadway musicals, including Funny Girl in 1966 with Barbra Streisand, Sweet Charity (1967), and Promises, Promises (1969). The Threepenny Opera was revived in 1972. In 1976, Bernard Slade's Same Time, Next Year was a hit, as was I Love My Wife (1977), and Bedroom Farce (1978). In 1982, Underneath the Arches was a long-running hit. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love (1989) smashed all previous box-office records at the theatre, running for 1,325 performances. More recent productions are listed below.
Refurbishment was carried out in 2004 to increase the seating capacity slightly to 1,160 seats and to modernise the theatre's facilities. The theatre re-opened with its present show, ABBA's musical Mamma Mia!.
[edit] Recent notable productions
- It's Magic (December 10, 1980 - February 6, 1982)
- South Pacific (January 20, 1988 - January 14, 1989)
- Aspects of Love (April 17, 1989 - June 20, 1992)
- Copacabana (June 23, 1994 - September 9, 1996)
- Smokey Joe's Cafe (October 23, 1996 - October 3, 1998)
- West Side Story (January 1999 - )
- Fosse (February 8, 2000 - January 6, 2001)
- The Witches of Eastwick (March 23, 2001 - October 27, 2001)
- The Full Monty (March 2002, British premiere)
- Mamma Mia! (June 9, 2004 - present)
[edit] Nearby tube stations
[edit] References
- Prince of Wales Theatre Feature
- History of the theatre
- Article on the theatre's history
- More information about the theatre's history
