Building    From 1705 

His Majesty's Theatre / Her Majesty's Theatre

Categories: Theatre

In 1705 Vanbrugh completed the Queen's Theatre, named in honour of Queen Anne, which quickly became informally known as the Haymarket Opera House (not to be confused with the Theatre Royal Haymarket / Haymarket Theatre nor with the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden). On the accession of George I in 1714 it became the King's Theatre and now formally changes names depending on the gender of the monarch. Initially it was not a success because of its terrible acoustics and in 1709 it was turned over to Italian opera. It was here that Handel produced 'Rinaldo', his first opera in England. After a fire in 1789 the theatre was rebuilt. See Little Whig and Kitt Catt for the strange story of the original foundation stones. In 1816-18 Nash and George Repton made alterations to the building which included the addition of the Arcade on the west side. The current theatre, designed by C.J. Phipps in 1897 for Herbert Tree, is the fourth on the site.
In 1948, the Government of New Zealand leased the site comprising the bombed rubble of the Carlton Hotel, Her Majesty's Theatre and the Royal Opera Arcade. New Zealand House, built on the site of the Carlton Hotel, was opened in 1963.

2023: On the coronation of King Charles III this theatre changed its name from Her Majesty's Theatre to His  Majesty's Theatre.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
His Majesty's Theatre / Her Majesty's Theatre

Commemorated ati

Her Majesty's Theatre - H Tree

This theatre was founded in 1897 by Herbert Tree, actor, and directed by him ...

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Her Majesty's Theatre - SWET

Theatreland - Heart of the performing arts in London Her Majesty's Theatre ...

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Royal Opera Arcade

The "plaque" is actually a very dull modern notice inside the arcade so for o...

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Thomas Doggett

This plaque raises some questions. Firstly, how could he have 'died a pauper'...

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Other Subjects

Gatti family

Gatti family

Swiss-Italian family.  Restaurateurs, music hall, theatre and electricity supply entrepreneurs. Four generations of note, all born in Dongio, Val di Blenio, Ticino, Switzerland: Carlo; Agostino (18...

Group, Commerce, Food & Drink, Theatre, Switzerland

1 memorial
Bolshoi Ballet

Bolshoi Ballet

Dance company. A school for a Moscow orphanage was created in 1773, and its pupils were employed by Prince Pyotr Urusov and the English theatrical entrepreneur Michael Maddox, to form part of a new...

Group, Dance, Theatre, Russia

1 memorial
Peter Hall

Peter Hall

Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall CBE was a theatre and film director who was born on 22 November 1930 in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. He founded the Royal Shakespeare Company and was its first artis...

Person, Cinema, Theatre

1 memorial
Marie Lloyd

Marie Lloyd

Music hall artiste. Born Matilda Alice Victoria Wood at 36 Plumber Street, Hoxton. She made her debut at the Eagle Tavern in 1884, using the name Bella Delmere. The following year, she changed her ...

Person, Music / songs, Seriously Famous, Theatre

3 memorials
Dame Joan Plowright, CBE

Dame Joan Plowright, CBE

Actor. Born Lincolnshire. Married Laurence Olivier in 1961 and survived as his widow in 1989.

Person, Cinema, Theatre

1 memorial