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The Comedy Theatre, Panton Street, SW1

Formerly The Royal Comedy Theatre

Above - The Comedy Theatre during the run of 'Donkey's Years'
Photo taken on the day before the Theatre's 125th anniversary - 14th of October 2006.

The Comedy Theatre opened as the Royal Comedy Theatre on the 15th of October 1881 with an 'Opera Comique' called 'The Mascotte.' The Theatre was designed by Thomas Verity and built by J. H. Addison as a Theatre for Comic Opera, with an auditorium on four levels, Stalls, Dress, Upper, and Gallery. It also originally had a Pit at the back of the stalls so that the capacity on opening was 1,055. Nowadays with modern seating the Theatre holds a more modest 796 to 820.

The Comedy Theatre is only one of three pre 1890 Theatres with its auditorium still relatively unchanged since opening. The others are the Royal Opera House and the Criterion Theatre. It was intended that this Theatre should be lit by the newest invention, electric light, but it ended up being lit with the more common gas lighting, even though the Savoy Theatre which opened only 5 days earlier was lit with electricity, the first in London to do so.

Right - Programme for 'El Capitan' at the Comedy Theatre in the early 1900s.

The Theatre dropped the 'Royal' from its name in 1884 and it was probably wise to do so as it had no reason to call itself Royal and no warrant to say that it could. Since opening, the Theatre has had some alterations, notably in the 1950s when an extension into land behind the Theatre in Oxendon Street gave the Theatre new dressing rooms and a newly positioned stage door.

Left - Programme for 'The Climbers' at the Comedy Theatre in the early 1900s.

On the day of the Theatre's opening The ERA printed a review of the new building in its 15th October edition which said: 'The cunning artificers in luxury and ease have exerted their skill and ingenuity on the construction of the private boxes and the seats of the dress circle. These seats are neither cribbed nor cabined, abundant room being set apart for each person while the upholstering has been done with no inconsiderable amount of taste and effect.

The pit is open and airy, the slope of the floor being so arranged here, as in every other part of the Theatre, that even when the house is crowded to its utmost capacity, everyone will have a full view of the stage.

Right - Programme for 'Memory's Garden' at the Comedy Theatre in 1902.

The architectural ornamentation of the interior reflects the highest credit, as does, indeed, the projection and entire carrying out of the plans, on Mr Verity, the distinguished architect of the building. It is Renaissance style, richly moulded and finished in white and gold.

Left - Programme for 'Secret and Confidential' at the Comedy Theatre in 1902.

The draperies of the boxes are of maroon plush, elegantly draped and embroidered in gold. The Royal box, with its elegantly appointed retiring room attached, is, in its chaste and artistic decorations, quite a sight in itself. It has a special entrance in Oxendon Street.'

Text in quotes from The ERA 15th October 1881

Right - Programme for 'Room For Two' at the Comedy Theatre in 1939.

Left - Wartime Programme for 'Rise Above It' at the Comedy Theatre in 1941.

London's West End Theatres

Adelphi Aldwych Apollo Apollo Victoria Arts Cambridge Comedy Criterion Dominion Drury Lane Duchess Duke Of Yorks Fortune Garrick Gielgud Haymarket Her Majesty's London Coliseum London Palladium Lyceum Lyric New Ambassadors New London Noel Coward / Albery Novello Old Vic Palace Peacock Phoenix Piccadilly Playhouse Prince Edward Prince of Wales Queen's Royal Opera House Savoy Shaftesbury St. Martin's Trafalgar Studios / Whitehall Vaudeville Victoria Palace Wyndham's