The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the London borough of Westminster. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The current building is the most recent in a line of four theatres which were built at the same location, the earliest of which dates back to 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London. For its first two centuries, Drury Lane could "reasonably have claimed to be London's leading theatre". For most of that time, it was one of a handful of patent theatres, granted monopoly rights to the production of "legitimate" drama in London.
The first theatre on the site was built at the behest of Thomas Killigrew in the early years of the English Restoration. Initially known as "Theatre Royal in Bridges Street", its proprietors hired a number of prominent actors who performed at the theatre on a regular basis, including Nell Gwyn and Charles Hart. In 1672 the theatre caught fire and Killigrew built a larger theatre on the same plot, designed by Sir Christopher Wren; renamed the "Theatre Royal in Drury Lane," it opened in 1674. This building lasted nearly 120 years, under the leaderships of Colley Cibber, David Garrick and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the last of whom employed Joseph Grimaldi as the theatre's resident Clown.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Shows
- Sun 12 Jan
- Mon 13 Jan
- Tue 14 Jan
- Wed 15 Jan
- Thu 16 Jan
- Fri 17 Jan
- Sat 18 Jan
- Sun 19 Jan
- Mon 20 Jan
- Tue 21 Jan
- Wed 22 Jan
- Thu 23 Jan
- Fri 24 Jan
- Sat 25 Jan
- Sun 26 Jan
- Mon 27 Jan
- Tue 28 Jan
- Wed 29 Jan
- Thu 30 Jan
- Fri 31 Jan
- Sat 1 Feb
- Sun 2 Feb
- Mon 3 Feb
- Tue 4 Feb
- Wed 5 Feb
- Thu 6 Feb
- Fri 7 Feb
- Sat 8 Feb
- Sun 16 Aug
- Mon 17 Aug
- Tue 18 Aug
- Wed 19 Aug
- Thu 20 Aug
- Fri 21 Aug
- Sat 22 Aug
Past shows
See all the shows that have been performed here at the venue history page.