Theater Royal (Brighton)
| Theater Royal, Brighton | |
|
|
| location | |
| Address: | New Road, BN1 1SD |
| City: | Brighton |
| Coordinates: | 50 ° 49 '24 " N , 0 ° 8' 22" W |
| Architecture and history | |
| Opened: | 1807 |
| Spectator: | 952 seats on four levels |
| Architect: | Charles J. Phipps (extension 1854) |
| Named after: | George IV (United Kingdom) (1807) |
| Internet presence: | |
| Website: | theatreroyalbrighton.com |
| Owner: Ambassador Theater Group | |
The Theater Royal, Brighton is a theater in Brighton , England and a part of the West End Theaters . It houses u. a. touring musicals and theater performances. Opera and ballet are also performed.
history
As early as 1766, Brighthelmstone , as Brighton was previously called, had a theater in a converted barn. In 1806 the Prince of Wales (later George IV ) gave permission ( Royal Assent ) to build a new theater. It opened on June 27, 1807 with the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare , with Charles Kemble in the lead role. The theater later ran into trouble and was acquired in 1854 by actor Henry John Nye Chart , who had it renovated and expanded with the help of theater architect Charles J. Phipps . The theater regained its reputation and profitability and was continued to run the charts by his wife after his death. She was one of the first women to run a theater. The theater had a hidden liquor bar ("Gulp Bar") behind the scenes, where actors could have drinks during the performances.
In the 1920s, the good financial situation made it possible to acquire adjacent buildings such as the Colonnade Hotel and to expand the auditorium of the theater.
From the middle of the 20th century, the importance and national reputation of the theater continued to grow. Ibsen , Terence Rattigan , Coward and Orton performed their pieces there first before they played on other stages in the West End. The actor dynasty of the Regraves (which also includes Vanessa Redgrave ), Laurence Olivier , John Gielgud , Charlton Heston , Marlene Dietrich , Margot Fonteyn , Rex Harrison , Judi Dench and Paul Scofield performed at the Theater Royal.
The theater today
In 1984 the London impresario David Land bought the theater and subsidized the productions there out of his own pocket. There is talk of £ 400,000 a year invested. Land and later his son Brook ran the theater for 15 years and brought it to life with modern plays.
In 1999 the Theater Royal was sold to the Ambassador Theater Group , significantly modernized and converted to make it accessible for the disabled.
In 2007 the theater celebrated its 200th anniversary in the presence of the Queen of England . Today the place also offers backstage tours.
In recent years the Theater Royal Brighton has decided to offer a broader section of the population an alternative to the English pantomime , which in the past was often part of Christmas performances. These pieces are now increasingly being replaced by popular shows such as Monty Python's Spamalot (2011), The Rocky Horror Show (2012) or Priscilla Queen of the Desert (2013).
The Theater Royal regularly hosts separate performances during the annual Brighton Festival . 2016 included the world premieres of Neil Bartlett's “Stella” and “The Complete Deaths” (a play with all of Shakespeare's deaths on the stage) with the English comedy group Spymonkey and Tim Crouch.
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-brighton/history/
- ↑ http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-brighton/history
- ↑ http://history.buses.co.uk/history/fleethist/432dl.htm
- ↑ http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/indepth/theatreroyal/history/1305348.Stage_history/
Web links
- History of Brighton's theaters (including the Theater Royal), English