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). It stood in Blackfriars Road, near the junction with

Westminster Bridge Road Westminster Bridge Road is a road in London, England. It runs on an east–west axis and passes through the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. Between 1740 and 1746, the Commissioners of Westminster Bridge bought land from the Archbishop of C ...

, just south of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

in what is now the

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas ...

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 ''Opera buffa'' (; "comic opera", plural: ''opere buffe'') is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ''commedia in musica'', ''commedia per musica'', ''dramm ...

, 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 Horsemonger Lane Gaol (also known as the Surrey County Gaol or the New Gaol) was a prison close to present-day Newington Causeway in Southwark, south London. Built at the end of the 18th century, it was in use until 1878. History The gaol was b ...

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 Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

, Rudolph Cabanel, it was converted into a theatre by Robert Elliston. 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 natio ...

and other plays. He reopened on Easter Monday and to avoid trouble with the law, which did not allow dialogue to be spoken without musical accompaniment except at the two patent theatres, he put a ballet into every such production, including '' Macbeth'', ''

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'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 fal ...

''. 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 and Sally Brook starred in melodramas, 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 ''The Fortunes of Nigel'' (1822) is one of the Waverley novels by Sir Walter Scott. Set in London in either 1623 or 1624, it centres on the Scottish community there after the Union of the Crowns and features James VI and I . Composition and so ...

''. 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'', 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's ''Jonathan Bradford; or, the Murder at the Roadside Inn'', which ran for 260 nights. Productions of

Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

dramas, among others, followed. Ira Aldridge, 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 D ...

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

''Richard Coeur de Lion'', a fire began above the chandelier. 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

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. Retrieved 12 September 2015. The theatre was remodelled by Kirk and Kirk, as a music hall, 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