Members of The Theatre's acting troupe dismantled the old building. Its materials would become the bones of perhaps the most famous London theater of all, The Globe. Between 1597 and 1598, work proceeded on building The Globe on the South Bank of the River Thames. The Globe opened in 1599. There were already other theaters and playhouses in existence, such as The Rose, which was built in 1587. In those days, performances took place in the afternoons, since there were no theater lights yet. Often, plays were staged in tavern courtyards.
England's most celebrated playwright, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) had a stake in The Globe. He acted in some of his own plays that were performed there, including the role of the ghost in "Hamlet." During performances, real canons were fired for special effects, high wires enabled actors to "fly through the air" and trapdoors created other entertaining diversions. However, in 1613, The Globe's thatched roof was ignited by canon fire, and the theater burned down. The Globe 2 was built in 1614, this time with a tiled roof.
In Elizabethan times (1558 to 1603), there was theatricality off stage as well as at stage center. A trumpet would sound curtain time. For the convenience of theatergoers, a flagpole would fly a black flag to denote tragedy, a white flag for comedy and a red flag for historical presentations. The nobility could afford to be seated on chairs to watch the plays while the gentry sat on cushions in the galleries, and the least affluent paid one penny each to stand in the theater pit.
In 1596, public presentations of plays were banned within London's city limits. There was increasing disenchantment with the "bawdy" nature of attending the theater, since venues were often also gambling dens and places of prostitution. The writing was on the wall for the London theater, as the English Civil War approached between the Puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell, and the Royalists, who supported King Charles I. In 1642, all stage plays were suppressed, and in 1644, The Globe 2 was demolished. By 1648, orders went out to destroy all playhouses. The death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658 would lead to the reopening of theaters and the restoration of the English monarchy under King Charles II in 1660.
In 1663, the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, was established by a royal charter from King Charles II. It was destroyed by fire in 1672. Its replacement, built in 1674, survived for more than 100 years before it was demolished. A third theater, built in 1794, also burned to the ground 15 years later. The fourth and present Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, was built in 1812. It is renowned as the venue for some of the great musicals of our time---notably "My Fair Lady" from 1958 to 1963, with Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway among the original cast members.
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, is one of the many London theaters owned by The Really Useful Group, headed by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. The Really Useful Group also owns the London Palladium, which was established in 1910. Over the years, the London Palladium has hosted a long list of top performers from America, including Harry Houdini, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, Louis Armstrong, Laurel and Hardy, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Bob Hope. In 1968, Sammy Davis Jr., starred in "Golden Boy," the first major musical show at the Palladium.
There are more than 40 theaters in London's theater district, better known as the West End or Theatreland. The Ambassadors Theatre, which dates back to 1913, is known for the record-breaking production of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap," which ran between 1952 and 1973. Other London theaters include the Fortune established in 1924; the Piccadilly, 1928; the Duchess, 1929; the Phoenix, 1930; and The National Theatre, 1963.