Daly's Theatre facts for kids
Daly's Theatre was a famous theatre in London, located near Leicester Square. It opened its doors on June 27, 1893, and was a popular place for plays and musicals for many years. Sadly, it was torn down in 1937 to make way for a cinema.
The theatre was first built for an American showman named Augustin Daly. However, it became truly famous under the management of George Edwardes from 1895 to 1915. He put on many successful musical comedies, like The Geisha and The Merry Widow.
After Edwardes passed away, Daly's Theatre had one more huge hit called The Maid of the Mountains in 1917. This show ran for an amazing 1,352 performances! But after that, the theatre's luck changed. A play by Noël Coward called Sirocco in 1927 was a big flop. By the mid-1930s, the area around Leicester Square was becoming known more for movie theatres. Daly's Theatre was eventually sold to Warner Brothers, who tore it down to build a large cinema.
Contents
The Story of Daly's Theatre
How It All Started
In 1884, an American theatre producer named Augustin Daly brought his acting company to London. This was the first time a whole American theatre group had performed in London's famous West End. The shows were very popular, and Daly brought his company back to London several times. People and newspapers loved them so much that they thought Daly should have his own permanent theatre in London.
A London theatre boss named George Edwardes found a good spot for the theatre. It was owned by Lord Salisbury. Edwardes raised nearly £40,000 to build the theatre. The main architect was Spencer Chadwick, helped by Charles J. Phipps. Daly's Theatre was one of the first in London to use a special building method called the cantilever system. Its outside looked grand, like an Italian Renaissance building, and the entrance hall was very fancy. The theatre could hold over 1,200 people.
Daly's Theatre opened with a play called The Taming of the Shrew. After Daly's company finished their shows, the theatre hosted famous European actresses like Eleonora Duse and Sarah Bernhardt. In 1894, Edwardes brought A Gaiety Girl to Daly's, and the Carl Rosa Opera Company performed Hansel and Gretel for the first time in Britain.
In 1895, Edwardes put on another musical comedy called An Artist's Model, which was a big hit. After this, Augustin Daly brought his company back for what would be their last season. They performed Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Even with famous actors, London audiences didn't really connect with Daly's American-style classic plays. So, even though the theatre kept his name for the next 43 years, Daly's company never returned. For the next two decades, Daly's Theatre was run by George Edwardes.
The Edwardes Years: A Golden Age
George Edwardes, often called "the Guv'nor," ran Daly's Theatre in a very grand way. He had a large orchestra of 40 musicians and about 160 other staff, not including the actors and singers. It cost him more than £3,000 a week to run the theatre! He used to joke that he made all his money from touring versions of his London shows. His chorus, especially the women, were very famous. Many future stars, like Gladys Cooper, started their careers in the chorus at Daly's.
People said that a show at Daly's was a perfect example of the times. It had great taste, amazing art, and the very best of everything. Edwardes made sure to find the best artists, composers, scenery, costumes, and the prettiest girls.
Edwardes hired Sidney Jones as the main composer and music director. Daly's Theatre became famous for many very successful musical comedies. These included The Geisha (1896), which ran for 760 shows, A Greek Slave (1898), and San Toy (1899), which ran for 768 shows. Edwardes was very good at picking composers.
In the early 1900s, Edwardes's first new show at Daly's was A Country Girl (1902), which ran for 729 performances. Then came The Cingalee (1904).
In 1905, Edwardes started bringing shows from Europe. He presented The Little Michus (1905), which ran for 400 shows. While The Merveilleuses (1906) had a shorter run, The Merry Widow (1907) was a massive hit! It ran for 778 performances from June 1907 to July 1909. This show helped bring popular Viennese operettas to London.
Before World War I, Edwardes put on four more new shows. These were English versions of European operettas: The Dollar Princess (1909), The Count of Luxembourg (1911), Gipsy Love (1912), and The Marriage Market (1913). Edwardes's last show for Daly's was Betty.
After Edwardes: New Owners and Decline
Edwardes passed away in October 1915. His company was then run by Robert Evett and Edwardes's daughter, Dorothy Sherbrook. Their first show was The Happy Day (1916). The next year, the theatre's money problems were solved by the huge success of The Maid of the Mountains. This show, which introduced the famous singer José Collins, ran for an amazing 1,352 performances! It was followed by A Southern Maid (1920) and Sybil.
In 1922, the theatre was sold for £200,000 to James White, a property developer who wanted to be a theatre boss. Shows like The Lady of the Rose (1922), Madame Pompadour (1923), and Cleopatra (1925), all starring Evelyn Laye, were well-received.
However, in 1927, the theatre tried something different and put on a play by Noël Coward called Sirocco. It was a huge failure. Within a year, James White sold the theatre.
In 1929, Harry Welchman took over the theatre's management. Daly's went back to musical comedies but didn't find much success. Seymour Hicks took over in 1933. Under his management, That's a Pretty Thing played in 1933, and Charley's Aunt was brought back in 1934.
By the mid-1930s, Daly's was the last theatre left in Leicester Square, which was now full of large cinemas. Daly's Theatre finally closed in 1937 after its last show, The First Legion, on September 25, 1937. It was sold to Warner Bros. and torn down.
Warners built a large cinema on the site. This building was later torn down too, but its marble front was saved. The site is now the Vue West End cinema complex.
Images for kids
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Daly's Theatre and Leicester Square, around 1905
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Architects' plan of the theatre
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George Edwardes takes over the running of the theatre from the departing Augustin Daly
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The Geisha
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The Maid of the Mountains
