Musical theatre in London first flourished following the English Reformation. The Theatre, built in 1576, was the first public playhouse in London, soon followed by The Curtain. Shakespeare's company used both of these locations. Timber from The Theatre was used to construct the famed Globe Theatre in 1599. This lead to the creation of the city's famed theatre district. Following the Restoration in 1660, theatre once again flourished in London. The first West End theatre was the Theatre Royal, located on Bridges Street. The original structure was destroyed by fire. Today, the Theatre Royal is located on Drury Lane.
Operas were the original musical performances in London's famed West End. In the 1700s, the Haymarket Theatre and Theatre Royal Covent Garden opened. Musicals were initially performed in small halls attached to playhouses. The opening of small halls and theatres in the early 1800s signified the official birth of the West End theatre district. Rules regarding the performance of plays were relaxed in the mid-1800s, leading to the opening of venues such as The Strand, The Vaudeville and the Royal Comedy Theatre. The West End grew in popularity into the 1900s with early stars such as John Liston, Robert William Elliston, Lennie Dean, Henry Irving, Nell Gwynne, Nellie Farren, Ellen Terry, Seymour Hicks, Marie Tempest and Lawrence Toole.
Censorship of the stage officially ended in 1968, leading to a thriving West End theatre district. The trend of film actors starring in West End productions started in the '90s and continues today. Today, London's West End rivals New York's Broadway as a prime destination for world class musicals. Popular West End theatres include Novello Theatre, Trafalgar Studios 2 Theatre, Victoria Palace Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Cambridge Theatre, Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, Aldwych Theatre and Playhouse Theatre.
Top West End musicals include Bette Blue Blues, set in the years just following the Second World War, the Lion King, based on the popular Disney movie with songs by Tim Rice and Elton John, Les Miserables, based on the classic Victor Hugo with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, Love Never Dies, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics Glenn Slater, Mama Mia with songs by Stig Anderson and the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic The Phantom of the Opera.
Operas were the original musical performances in London's famed West End. In the 1700s, the Haymarket Theatre and Theatre Royal Covent Garden opened. Musicals were initially performed in small halls attached to playhouses. The opening of small halls and theatres in the early 1800s signified the official birth of the West End theatre district. Rules regarding the performance of plays were relaxed in the mid-1800s, leading to the opening of venues such as The Strand, The Vaudeville and the Royal Comedy Theatre. The West End grew in popularity into the 1900s with early stars such as John Liston, Robert William Elliston, Lennie Dean, Henry Irving, Nell Gwynne, Nellie Farren, Ellen Terry, Seymour Hicks, Marie Tempest and Lawrence Toole.
Censorship of the stage officially ended in 1968, leading to a thriving West End theatre district. The trend of film actors starring in West End productions started in the '90s and continues today. Today, London's West End rivals New York's Broadway as a prime destination for world class musicals. Popular West End theatres include Novello Theatre, Trafalgar Studios 2 Theatre, Victoria Palace Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Cambridge Theatre, Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, Aldwych Theatre and Playhouse Theatre.
Top West End musicals include Bette Blue Blues, set in the years just following the Second World War, the Lion King, based on the popular Disney movie with songs by Tim Rice and Elton John, Les Miserables, based on the classic Victor Hugo with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, Love Never Dies, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics Glenn Slater, Mama Mia with songs by Stig Anderson and the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic The Phantom of the Opera.
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