Lyceum Theatre
Address
Lyceum Theatre
Wellington Street
London
WC2E 7RQ
Directions
Take the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden station and exit into the piazza. The theatre is approximately 10 minutes walk.
Access
Infra Red
Wheelchair access
Disabled toilets
Air conditioned
Map
Nearest Underground
Covent Garden & Charing Cross
Train
Charing Cross
The theatre has been home to the musical version of The Lion King since 1999.
The Lyceum Theatre was first built in 1765 on an adjacent site, and in the late 18th century, musical entertainments were given by Charles Dibdin.
In 1834, the present theatre opened under the name “Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House”. The theatre then became associated with adaptations of Charles Dickens’s novels and Christmas books. For instance, an adaptation of Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit ran for over 100 performances from 1844-45 here, a long run for that time.
Beginning in 1871, Henry Irving appeared at the theatre in, among other things, many Shakespeare works. In 1874, Irving played Hamlet at the theatre, perhaps his greatest triumph, running for 200 nights. Irving continued to star in plays there, engaging co-star Ellen Terry. Bram Stoker worked between 1878 and 1898 as business manager of the theatre under Irving, who was Stoker’s real-life inspiration for the character Count Dracula in his 1897 novel, Dracula. Stoker hoped that Irving, with his dramatic, sweeping gestures, gentlemanly mannerisms, and speciality playing villain roles, would play Dracula in the stage adaptation of his novel. However, Irving never agreed to appear in the stage version, although the play was produced at the Lyceum.
In 1904, the theatre was rebuilt and richly ornamented in rococo style by Bertie Crewe, retaining only the façade and portico of the original building. The theatre then presented music hall and variety, in an attempt to compete with the Palace Theatre and the London Coliseum, but this was not a success, and the theatre soon returned to presenting drama. In 1919, additional minor alterations to the theatre were made by Edward Jones. Between the wars, dramas played at the theatre for ten months each year, followed by Christmas pantomimes, including Queen of Hearts in 1938.
In 1939, the London City Council bought the building, with plans to demolish it to make room for road improvement. The theatre closed that year with a landmark performance of Hamlet directed by Sir John Gielgud (Ellen Terry’s great nephew). The road improvement plans collapsed, and after the war, in 1951, it was converted to a huge ballroom and reopened by Matthews and Sons, as the Lyceum Ballroom. Many big bands played here, including the Oscar Rabin Band which performed frequently. In the 1960s and 1970s, the theatre was used as a pop concert venue and for television broadcasts. Bob Marley, The Who, Emerson Lake and Palmer, U2, and Culture Club all played here.
A proposed redevelopment of Covent Garden by the GLC in 1968 saw the theatre under threat, together with the nearby Vaudeville, Garrick, Adelphi and Duchess theatres. An active campaign by Equity, the Musicians’ Union, and theatre owners under the auspices of the Save London Theatres Campaign led to the abandonment of the scheme. In 1973, the theatre gained protection and was Grade II* listed as Interior despite adaptation and alteration for present ballroom use retains a substantial part of Crewe’s work.
The theatre went dark in 1986, after the National Theatre’s promenade performances (in 1985) of Bill Bryden’s adaption of the Mysteries trilogy. Brent Walker leased the theatre during this time but later gave up his lease, and in 1996, it was restored and reconverted into a theatre for large scale musicals or opera (with a suitably large orchestra pit) by Holohan Architects.
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