Theatre Royal Drury Lane

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Description of Theatre Royal

The Theatre Royal was built on Drury lane in London in 1663.1 It was the first theatre to have legal status granted to it by the state, and was the beginning of a time in which theatre was regulated.2 The theatre was built in a time in which theatre had mainly been absent from London. After uprising from the people King Charles II was in exile from the country and Oliver Cromwell was in charge.3 Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan and the Puritans believed that theatre was evil and attempted to end anything to do with the theatre.4 When Charles II came back, in 1660, the Puritans were no longer in charge and there was more freedom granted the actors and theatres.5 There were three theatres around at the time the Cockpit, the Red Bull, and the Salisbury Court.6 Eight actors and two elites name Thomas Killgrew and Sir Robert Howard paid the lease for the land on Drury Lane from the Earl of Bedford.7 This land was in the aristocratic part of town and was surrounded by the houses of Noblemen.8 The Royal Theatre was under the patent of Charles II.9 In 1737 the patent was made stronger which made it so that only theatres under the patent could perform "legitimate" theatrical performances.10 An illegitimate play was defined as "any performance other than a straight play with actors speaking dialogue."11 Since the theatre was initially built it has been destroyed and rebuilt four times. The most recent time is was damaged was in a bombing in 1940, but a barrel of liquid was also hit and put out the fire before it damaged the theatre.12 Since then the Theatre Royal has stood and become famous as one of the oldest theatres in London.

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The Theatre Royal, despite the fact that it focuses primarily on plays, did host its share of magicians. These magicians however did not perform singularly, they turned their art towards enhancing the plays being performed. Magic added to the plays being enjoyed. Often in newspapers advertising plays they would name the play and then state that it was being presented with illusion.13 Theatre goers were interested, not just in being told a story, but also in spectacle. In 1866 the manager of the Theatre Royal stated that, "people will not go where there is merely 'talking drama'; They will go where there is scenic effects and mechanical effects to please the eye. "14 Magical illusions went hand in hand with this idea of spectacle. For example they would portray ghosts using painting on glass and this was considered an interesting achievement for the theatre going public.15 Another magicians trick which was used often in the theatre was the trap door.16 The star trap, for example, was specifically made for appearances to be seen as magical and sprung to shoot the actor in the air from below stage.17 By the early 1900s the public had never seen anything on screen yet in a cinema so the effects of the illusions were even greater on them.18 One of the most impressive feats of illusion at the Theatre Royal was during its production of Ben Hur in 1902. For this play they succeeded in making real horses and chariots appear on stage, and yet not move. This was done through a complicated series of machinations, but for a long time the general public couldn't figure it out.19 These techniques were not credited as magic tricks, but were rather there to make the show better. However, the fact that the explanations were unknown and appeared magical drew in the crowds, and spurred an interest in seeing magical acts. Also, as the Theatre Royal was built in an aristocratic area and meant for aristocrats, this lead the interest in watching magical acts to spread to the upper classes of London.

Endnotes

1. Walter James Macqueen-Pope, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. -- (London : Allen, [c1945], 1945), 14

2. Ibid.

3. Brian Dobbs, Drury Lane : Three Centuries of the Theatre Royal, 1663-1971. (London : Cassell, 1972., 1972), 4

4. Walter James Macqueen-Pope, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. -- (London : Allen, [c1945], 1945), 16 and Brian Dobbs, Drury Lane : Three Centuries of the Theatre Royal, 1663-1971. (London : Cassell, 1972., 1972), 4

5. Brian Dobbs, Drury Lane : Three Centuries of the Theatre Royal, 1663-1971. (London : Cassell, 1972., 1972), 5

6. Walter James Macqueen-Pope, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. -- (London : Allen, [c1945], 1945), 16

7. Ibid, 23

8. Ibid, 25

9. Johnson, 156

10. Ibid

11. Ibid

12. Walter James Macqueen-Pope, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. -- (London : Allen, [c1945], 1945), 289

13. "THEATRE ROYAL DRURY-LANE." Morning Post, March 22, 1814. British Library Newspapers (accessed November 24, 2017). http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/5YmJ24.

14. Johnson, 157

15. Ibid, 158

16. Ibid, 160

17. Ibid, 159

18. Brian Dobbs, Drury Lane : Three Centuries of the Theatre Royal, 1663-1971. (London : Cassell, 1972., 1972), 166

19. Brian Dobbs, Drury Lane : Three Centuries of the Theatre Royal, 1663-1971. (London : Cassell, 1972., 1972), 168

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