The downstairs bar at the Theatre Royal Haymarket during the interval really was the place to be at the performance I attended of Only Fools and Horses The Musical. Here were, amongst theatre regulars, people who were not regular patrons of the theatre, but were clearly fans of the BBC Television series. It was their opinions I was particularly interested in. There were many views expressed, including someone who had been ‘dragged along’ to see the show who thought the whole thing was flogging a … [Read more...]
Theatre Royal Haymarket Tickets - Only Fools & Horses Booking Now
Mais ouis, mais ouis, the world may have changed a lot since we first bid a jovial ‘au revoir’ to the Trotters of Peckham, but good ‘ol Del Boy, Rodney and the rest of the gang haven’t changed a bit… well, apart from the odd spontaneous bursting into song here, and the occasional dancing across the market, there.
The landmark, record-breaking and top-rated television series Only Fools and Horses, written by the late, great John Sullivan, undoubtedly holds a special place in the hearts of the British public. Now John’s son Jim Sullivan has teamed up with comedy giant Paul Whitehouse to write and produce a script and score to honour his father’s legacy; recreating the iconic series into a brand-new, home-grown British Musical spectacular. Lovely Jubbly!
PERFORMANCE TIMES
Monday to Saturday 7:30pm, Wednesday & Saturday 2:30pm
RUNNING TIME
2 hours and 30 minutes including an interval
Theatre Royal Haymarket
1720 – Built by carpenter John Potter, on the site of the King’s Head and a gunsmith shop. 1729 – Hurlothrumbo performed for 30 nights. During the 1730′s Henry Fielding produced several satires attacking both political parties and the Royal Family which so incensed the government of the day that censorship of plays by the Lord Chamberlain was introduced in 1737 – the act was not revoked until September 1968.
1737 – Under George II the Licensing Act became law, British citizens attended the theatre in large numbers to voice their grievance which caused the riot act to be enforced by the British Grenadiers and resulted in the closure of the theatre.
1794 – Twenty people died and many injured when a large crowd pushed to see His Majesty who was attending an evening performance.
1820/21 – The old Playhouse was closed and a new theatre was erected slightly further to the south, gaining a pleasing view from St James Square. It was designed by the Royal Court Architect John Nash during the remodelling of Regents Park and Regent Street.
1853 – John Baldwin Buckstone becomes a star at the Theatre Royal with 200 successful productions. His life was the theatre and he is still allegedly still haunting staff.
1862 – 400 nights of Our American Cousin with Edward Southern as Lord Dundreary, adding the word ‘dreary’ to the dictionary. John Buckstone clears more than 30,000 pounds profit.
1873 – A new concept is brought to the theatre: 2:00pm Matinees are introduced
1879 – Ownership of the theatre was taken over by the Bancrofts. The auditorium was reconstructed which enclosed the stage in the first complete picture frame proscenium. The abolition of the pit with the introduction of stalls seating separated by plain iron arms set a formidable precedent and caused a small riot.
1881 Lily Langtry made her debut at the theatre.
1893 – The premiere of Oscar Wilde’s first comedy A Woman of No Importance, followed by An Ideal Husband.
1904 – The Theatre closed for relaying of the foundations front of curtain, which were designed by Stanley Peach.
1939 – Overseen by Stuart Watson the stalls bar was excavated, but not completed until 1941 due to the war. John Gielgud produces a repertory season starting with The Circle and Love for Love, followed by Hamlet.
1962 – John Gielgud directs the School for Scandal with Ralph Richardson, Margaret Rutherford, Anna and Daniel Massey. as well as The Tulip Tree with Celia Johnson, John Clemente and Lynn Redgrave.
1981 – Impresario Louis I Michaels dies. The Theatre is owned by Louis I Michaels Ltd, headed by President, Enid Chanelle with Chairman, Arnold M Crook.
1994 – 1.3 million pounds are invested in major refurbishment work consuming twelve hundred books (each containing 25 x 80mm square sheets) of twenty-four carat English gold leaf. There is a refurbishment and reinforcement of the stage roof trusses which were installed in 1821. Art restoration to Joseph Harker’s ceiling and meticulous cleaning of two thousand lead crystals in a central chandelier. New carpet, upholstery, hand blocked wallpapers, marble polishing and air conditioning.
Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband as well as A Woman Of No Importance both premiered here. The theatre has a reputation for presenting high-quality plays – and the actors and actresses who have appeared over the years reads like a who’s who of British theatre.
When you visit the theatre look out for Buckstone, a friend of Charles Dickens and manager of the Haymarket from 1853-1879, whose ghost is allegedly still seen in the auditorium and dressing rooms, watching over his beloved Haymarket.
Venue and Travel Information
Theatre Royal Haymarket
8 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4HT
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Tube Lines: Bakerloo, Piccadilly
Directions from nearest tube: Go along Coventry Street and then take Haymarket on the right where the theatre will be approx. 200 metres along.
Railway Station: Charing Cross
Car Park: Leicester Square, Whitcomb Street
Within Congestion Zone: Yes
Venue Facilities: Air conditioned, Bar, Disabled toilets, Infrared hearing loop, Toilets, Wheelchair accessible
Only Fools and Horses The Musical London Theatre Tickets
Mais ouis, mais ouis, the world may have changed a lot since we first bid a jovial ‘au revoir’ to the Trotters of Peckham, but good ‘ol Del Boy, Rodney and the rest of the gang haven’t changed a bit… well, apart from the odd spontaneous bursting into song here, and the occasional dancing across the market, there. The record-breaking, popular television series Only Fools and Horses, written by the late, great John Sullivan, undoubtedly holds a special place in the hearts of the British public. … [Read more...]
Damian Lewis returns to the London stage in The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?
Ian Rickson will direct Damian Lewis in a new production of Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? which will open at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 24th March 2017 with an official opening night on 5th April 2017. A darkly comic and disturbing view on the collapse of familial relationships, Edward Albee’s The Goat has all of Albee’s characteristically witty tones as well as being a deeply tragic portrayal of a couple and their teenage son in crisis when the father embarks on an … [Read more...]
Casting announced for How The Other Half Loves
Casting has been announced for Bill Kenwright’s new West End production of Alan Ayckbourn’s farcical tale of matrimonial mishaps, How The Other Half Loves. The 1969 classic - the first of Ayckbourn’s plays to be staged on Broadway – returns to London to play the Theatre Royal Haymarket from Wednesday 23 March 2016 - Saturday 25 June, with a press night on 31 March 2016. As Bob and Fiona clumsily try to cover up their affair, their spouses’ intervention only adds to the confusion. William and … [Read more...]
Hilarious Bad Jews at Theatre Royal Haymarket – Review
Bad Jews is a hilarious play written by Josh Harmon exposing the tensions when three members of a Jewish family are forced to spend a night together in a cramped New York apartment following the death of “Poppy” their Holocaust survivor grandfather and most “important family member”. A beloved grandfather has died and a treasured family heirloom with religious significance is up for grabs. But who is most deserving of it? Bossy, overbearing, fanatically religious … [Read more...]