Coliseum Theatre
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- For other uses, see Coliseum.
The Coliseum Theatre is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres, opening in 1904. It was designed by Frank Matcham, a famous theatrical architect who also designed the London Palladium.
The inaugural performance was a variety bill on 24th December 1904.
It was the creation of the most powerful theatre manager of the day, Oswald Stoll, and the foremost theatre architect, Frank Matcham. Their ambition was to build the largest and finest 'People's palace of entertainment' of its age. It was known as the London Coliseum, but became the Coliseum Theatre between 1931 and 1968 when 651 performances of the musical comedy White Horse Inn started on April 8, 1931).
It reverted to the original name when the Sadler's Wells Opera Company (having moved from Sadler's Wells Theatre) moved to the Coliseum in 1968. The Company changed its name to the English National Opera in 1974 and bought the freehold of the building for £12.8m.
It underwent extensive renovations between 2000 and 2004 and has the widest proscenium arch in London as well as being one of the earliest to have electric lighting. It was built with a revolving stage although this was rarely used.
The theatre was the setting for the 2004 Royal Variety Performance in the presence of HRH the Prince of Wales.
[edit] Trivia
As a 14th birthday treat, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was taken by her parents to a West End show, to see Sir Charles Hawtrey at the London Coliseum (on August 4, 1914). On the same day her future father-in-law, King George V, summoned the Privy Council and declared war (see World War I) on Germany.
The above event is commemorated in a poem by the Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion celebrating her 100th birthday in 2000.
