The Surrey Theatre, London began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided entertainment of both horsemanship and drama (
hippodrama
Hippodrama, horse drama, or equestrian drama is a genre of theatrical show blending circus horsemanship display with popular melodrama theatre.
Definition
Kimberly Poppiti defines hippodrama as "plays written or performed to include a live horse ...
). It stood in
Blackfriars Road
Blackfriars Road is a road in Southwark, SE1. It runs between St George's Circus at the southern end and Blackfriars Bridge over the River Thames at the northern end, leading to the City of London. Halfway up on the west side is Southwark Und ...
, near the junction with
Westminster Bridge Road, just south of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
in what is now the
London Borough of Southwark.
History
The ''Royal Circus'' was opened on 4 November 1782 by the composer and song writer,
Charles Dibdin
Charles Dibdin (before 4 March 1745 – 25 July 1814) was an English composer, musician, dramatist, novelist, singer and actor. With over 600 songs to his name, for many of which he wrote both the lyrics and the music and performed them himself, ...
(who coined the term "circus" for that usage), aided by Charles Hughes, a well-known equestrian performer. The entertainments were at first performed by children with the goal of its being a nursery for young actors. Delphini, a celebrated
buffo, became manager in 1788 and produced a spectacle including a real stag-hunt. Other animal acts followed, including the popular dog act ''Gelert and Victor'', lecture pieces,
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
s and local spectacles. The popular comedian John Palmer then managed the theatre until 1789,
[Walford, pp. 368-83] when he was committed to
Horsemonger Lane Gaol as "a rogue and a vagabond".
[''The Royal Circus and Surrey Theatre'']
(Arthur Lloyd theatre history), accessed 10 July 2008
It continued in use until 1810, although it had a troubled existence, being burnt down in 1799 and again on 12 August 1805. Rebuilt in 1806 by the German architect of the
Old Vic,
Rudolph Cabanel, it was converted into a theatre by
Robert Elliston
Robert William Elliston (7 April 1774 – 7 July 1831) was an English actor and theatre manager.
Life
He was born in London, the son of a watchmaker. He was educated at St Paul's School, but ran away from home and made his first appearance on ...
. He renamed it the Surrey Theatre, being determined to perform
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
and other plays. He reopened on
Easter Monday
Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...
and to avoid trouble with the law, which did not allow dialogue to be spoken without musical accompaniment except at the two
patent theatre
The patent theatres were the theatres that were licensed to perform "spoken drama" after the Restoration of Charles II as King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1660. Other theatres were prohibited from performing such "serious" drama, but w ...
s, he put a ballet into every such production, including ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'', ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'', and
Farquhar
Farquhar is a surname of Scotland, Scottish origin, derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''fearchar'', from ''fear'' ("man") and ''car'' ("beloved"). Farquharson is a further derivation of the name, meaning "son of Farquhar". The name originated as a g ...
's ''
The Beaux' Stratagem
''The Beaux' Stratagem'' is a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on March 8, 1707. In the play, Archer and Aimwell, two young gentlemen who have falle ...
''. Contemporary reviewers noted that the Lambeth streets teemed with prostitutes.
[''The Railway Age'' Museum of Garden History (Lambeth Local History)]
accessed 18 Mar 2007
Elliston left in 1814, and the Surrey became a circus again until
Thomas Dibdin reopened it as a theatre in 1816. The arena where the equestrian exercises had been displayed was converted into a large pit for spectators, and the stables became saloons.
[ ]Fanny Fitzwilliam
Frances "Fanny" Elizabeth Fitzwilliam (''née'' Copeland) (26 July 1801 – 11 September 1854) was an English actress.
Life
She was the actress daughter of Robert Copeland, manager of the Dover theatrical circuit.
As "Miss Copeland" she made h ...
and Sally Brook starred in melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
s, but the theatre had little success overall. John Baldwin Buckstone
John Baldwin Buckstone (14 September 1802 – 31 October 1879) was an English actor, playwright and comedian who wrote 150 plays, the first of which was produced in 1826.
He starred as a comic actor during much of his career for various periods ...
made his first London appearance at the theatre, on 30 January 1823, as Ramsay in '' The Fortunes of Nigel''. George Holland also appeared at the theatre, in 1826.
When Elliston returned in 1827, the theatre's fortunes changed. In 1829, Douglas Jerrold
Douglas William Jerrold (London 3 January 18038 June 1857 London) was an English dramatist and writer.
Biography
Jerrold's father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook in Kent. In 1807 Dougla ...
's melodrama ''Black-Eyed Susan
''Black-Eyed Susan; or, All in the Downs'' is a comic play in three acts by Douglas Jerrold. The story concerns a heroic sailor, William, who has been away from England for three years fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. Meanwhile, his wife, Susa ...
'', with T. P. Cooke as ''William'', the nautical hero, ran for over 300 nights, which was extraordinarily successful for the time. Elliston made his last appearance at this theatre on 24 June 1831, twelve days before he died. Osbaldiston then took over and, among other plays, produced Edward Fitzball
Edward Fitzball (20 March 179327 October 1873) was a popular English playwright, who specialised in melodrama. His real surname was Ball, and he was born at Burwell, Cambridgeshire.
Fitzball was educated in Newmarket, was apprenticed to a Nor ...
's ''Jonathan Bradford; or, the Murder at the Roadside Inn'', which ran for 260 nights. Productions of Dickens dramas, among others, followed. Ira Aldridge
Ira Frederick Aldridge (July 24, 1807 – August 7, 1867) was an American-born British actor, playwright, and theatre manager, known for his portrayal of Shakespearean characters. James Hewlett and Aldridge are regarded as the first Black Ameri ...
, the first successful black actor, appeared here in the 1840s.[ C. Z. Barnett's adaptation, ''A Christmas Carol; or, The Miser's Warning'' played in 1844. Richard Shepherd, who succeeded ]Alfred Bunn
Alfred Bunn (April 8, 1796 in LondonDecember 20, 1860 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) was an English theatrical manager. He was married to Margaret Agnes (née Somerville) Bunn, a minor actress, in 1819.
Biography
Bunn was appointed stage manager of Drur ...
in 1848, remained at the theatre until 1869 and established its reputation for 'rough-and-tumble' transpontine melodrama.
On 29 January 1865, during the last scene of the pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
''Richard Coeur de Lion'', a fire began above the chandelier
A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent li ...
. The audience evacuated safely, but before the cast could leave the entire theatre was plunged into darkness, as the gas supervisor cut the gas supply to prevent an explosion. Panic ensued backstage, but the cast were led to safety through the burning scenery by the efforts of Green (acting manager), Rowella (the 'clown'), Evans (the 'pantaloon'), Vivian (the 'sprite') and others. The cast, still in their flimsy stage clothes, were conveyed to their lodgings in a fleet of cabs, provided by the police. In less than ten minutes the interior was ablaze, and the theatre was burnt down shortly after midnight.
A new theatre, designed by John Ellis, seating 2,161 people in four tiers, opened on 26 December 1865. Little of note took place until 1881, when George Conquest took over, staging melodramas, many of them written by himself, and pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
s.["Conquest family" in ]
The Surrey flourished until his death in 1901.
The Shields Daily Gazette and Shipping Telegraph
', 15 May 1901, p. 3. British Newspaper Archive
The British Newspaper Archive web site provides access to searchable digitized archives of British and Irish newspapers. It was launched in November 2011.
History
The British Library Newspapers section was based in Colindale in north London, u ...
. Retrieved 12 September 2015. The theatre was remodelled by Kirk and Kirk, as a music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
, but did not prosper, becoming a cinema in 1920. It finally closed in 1924, and the building was demolished in 1934. The site is now occupied by modern flats.
Notes
References
* Earl, John and Michael Sell. ''Guide to British Theatres 1750-1950'', pp. 250 (Theatres Trust, 2000)
*Knight, William G. ''A Major London 'Minor': The Surry Theatre 1805-1865''. London: STR, 1997.
*Raymond, George. ''Memoirs of Robert William Elliston, Comedian''. Olivier (194
*Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer and James Elmes, ''Metropolitan Improvements; Or London in the Nineteenth Century'' London: Jones & Co. (1827-1831); Reissued, New York: Benjamin Blom (1968), pp. 134 et. seq.
*Walford, Edward
"Blackfriars Road: The Surrey Theatre and Surrey Chapel"
in ''Old and New London: Volume 6 (1878)'', pp. 368–83. Accessed on 3 March 2007.
External links
Another image of the theatre
{{Authority control
Former theatres in London
Former music hall venues in the United Kingdom
1782 establishments in England
1920 disestablishments in England
Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Southwark
Theatres completed in 1782
Buildings and structures demolished in 1934