St James's Theatre

For the New York theater see St. James Theatre.

The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's London. Built by the partnership of Peto & Grissell, it opened in 1835 and closed on July 27, 1957 being converted into an office building. It was for a short while called The Prince's.

It had a long and distinguished theatre life, and many famous people performed there including Oscar Wilde, Henry Irving, Lillie Langtry, Henry Ainley (who briefly co-managed with Gilbert Miller), George Alexander (who also managed it for over 25 years until he died), Claude Rains, Charles Hawtrey, Laurence Olivier and his wife Vivien Leigh and Orson Welles. Sir Gerald du Maurier was actor-manager of the St James's for several years in the 1920s and 1930s. He had appeared there as Lord Arthur Dilling in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, being succeeded in that role in 1925 by Henry Daniell. Daniell appeared again at the St James's in 1928 as Satollyon in The Return Journey, and also in 1932 as Max Lawrence in The Vinegar Tree.

Other performances included opera, Shakespearian readings, burlesque, ballet, and modern plays. Notable first performances include Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest on February 14 1895.

In 1957 the St. James, one of London's oldest and most historically important theatres, was slated to be converted into an office building. A nation-wide campaign, led by Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, involved street marches and a protest in the House of Lords. A motion was carried against the Government, but it was of no avail. However, the authorities were ordered to see to it that no living theatre would be demolished again in central London without a replacement being planned for.

References

• Who's Who in the Theatre, edited by John Parker, tenth edition, revised, London, 1947, pp. 477-478.

External links

• St James's Theatre for an extensive history of the theatre and its performances.