| Postcards of the Past |
| Some more information about Covent Garden. |
"A World Stage - The History of the Royal Opera House"
by Paul Mcindoe
The Royal Opera House is the third theatre on the Covent Garden site. In 1728 an
actor/manager by the name of John Rich commissioned "The Beggars Opera" from John
Gay, a poet and dramatist. The success of this production helped provide the capital for the
first Theatre Royal to be built and on the 7th December 1732, it had its opening night.
The theatre was primarily a playhouse for the first hundred years or so, with King Charles II
granting John Rich and the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, as well as the Drury Lane
theatre, almost exclusive rights to present drama in London. Rich also began developing
pantomime as an art form which led to the tradition of pantomimes being performed every
Christmas - a tradition that lasted until the 1930's at Covent Garden and still continues today
at theatres across the country.
The first serious musical works to be performed at Covent Garden were the operas of
Handel, who gave regular seasons there from 1735 until his death in 1759. Unfortunately his
organ, which he had bequeathed to John Rich, was burned, along with most of the theatre,
in a fire in 1808.
The rebuilding of the theatre began at once and, in September 1809, the second Theatre
Royal opened in Convent Garden with a performance of Macbeth. To attempt to recoup the
costs of rebuilding the theatre, ticket prices were raised. However, after two months of
disgruntled theatre goers disrupting performances with booing and hissing, prices were
forced back down.
In 1846, a dispute with the management at Her Majesty's Theatre (the exclusive home to
ballet and opera in London at the time), conductor Michael Costa aligned himself with
Covent Garden, taking most of his company of singers with him. The auditorium at Convent
Garden was completely remodelled and the theatre re-opened in April 1847 as the Royal
Italian Opera.
Fire struck again in 1856, completely destroying the theatre, and work on the third and
present theatre began in 1857, before re-opening in 1858. Just over thirty years later, in
1892, the theatre officially became the Royal Opera House, with summer and winter
seasons of ballet and opera produced regularly. This carried on until the First and Second
World Wars, when the Royal Opera House became a furniture repository and a dance hall,
respectively.
Several renovations took place in the 1960s including improvements to the amphitheater,
but it was clear that the theatre needed a complete overhaul. Despite being given land
adjacent to the theatre to make room for the renovations in 1975, it wasn't until twenty years
later before work began when the newly created National Lottery granted the Opera House
£58.5 million towards the rebuilding costs. The new Royal Opera House was opened in
December 1999, with two new, smaller performance areas added to the theatre as well as
the now historic main auditorium.
Now open all day and not just for evening performances, visitors come from all over the
world to the theatre, packing the nearby hotels in London, and enjoying not only the
wonderful shows, but also the beautiful interior of a historic building. The views that the
Royal Opera House commands across London from the Amphitheatre Terrace have
delighted tourists and guests since it's re-opening, almost as much as the productions
performed.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Mcindoe
by Paul Mcindoe
The Royal Opera House is the third theatre on the Covent Garden site. In 1728 an
actor/manager by the name of John Rich commissioned "The Beggars Opera" from John
Gay, a poet and dramatist. The success of this production helped provide the capital for the
first Theatre Royal to be built and on the 7th December 1732, it had its opening night.
The theatre was primarily a playhouse for the first hundred years or so, with King Charles II
granting John Rich and the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, as well as the Drury Lane
theatre, almost exclusive rights to present drama in London. Rich also began developing
pantomime as an art form which led to the tradition of pantomimes being performed every
Christmas - a tradition that lasted until the 1930's at Covent Garden and still continues today
at theatres across the country.
The first serious musical works to be performed at Covent Garden were the operas of
Handel, who gave regular seasons there from 1735 until his death in 1759. Unfortunately his
organ, which he had bequeathed to John Rich, was burned, along with most of the theatre,
in a fire in 1808.
The rebuilding of the theatre began at once and, in September 1809, the second Theatre
Royal opened in Convent Garden with a performance of Macbeth. To attempt to recoup the
costs of rebuilding the theatre, ticket prices were raised. However, after two months of
disgruntled theatre goers disrupting performances with booing and hissing, prices were
forced back down.
In 1846, a dispute with the management at Her Majesty's Theatre (the exclusive home to
ballet and opera in London at the time), conductor Michael Costa aligned himself with
Covent Garden, taking most of his company of singers with him. The auditorium at Convent
Garden was completely remodelled and the theatre re-opened in April 1847 as the Royal
Italian Opera.
Fire struck again in 1856, completely destroying the theatre, and work on the third and
present theatre began in 1857, before re-opening in 1858. Just over thirty years later, in
1892, the theatre officially became the Royal Opera House, with summer and winter
seasons of ballet and opera produced regularly. This carried on until the First and Second
World Wars, when the Royal Opera House became a furniture repository and a dance hall,
respectively.
Several renovations took place in the 1960s including improvements to the amphitheater,
but it was clear that the theatre needed a complete overhaul. Despite being given land
adjacent to the theatre to make room for the renovations in 1975, it wasn't until twenty years
later before work began when the newly created National Lottery granted the Opera House
£58.5 million towards the rebuilding costs. The new Royal Opera House was opened in
December 1999, with two new, smaller performance areas added to the theatre as well as
the now historic main auditorium.
Now open all day and not just for evening performances, visitors come from all over the
world to the theatre, packing the nearby hotels in London, and enjoying not only the
wonderful shows, but also the beautiful interior of a historic building. The views that the
Royal Opera House commands across London from the Amphitheatre Terrace have
delighted tourists and guests since it's re-opening, almost as much as the productions
performed.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Mcindoe
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