The Royal Opera
A World Stage: the History of the Royal Opera House
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 amphitheatre, 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.
About the Author
Paul McIndoe is an online, freelance financial journalist. He lives in Edinburgh with his two dogs.
Bjork – Isobel (LIVE @ ROYAL OPERA HOUSE)
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