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Royal Summer

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.

is royal blue a bad color for a summer wedding?

i want a summer wedding but i love the color royal blue
but isnt that usually a winter color? does it matter? well
people care?

Royal blue sounds winter-ry to me but I have a suggestion. Pair it with yellow. That will make it summer-ry just like that!

Anothe neat trick would be to pair it with lighter blues as well. Just pair it with a complimentary pale color and it will all make sense. Good luck to you!

The Physics of Perception - Royal Society Summer Exhibition

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Royal Robbins Nuevo Summer Hoodie (Women's) - Creme $59.95 This cool, hip hoodie is a flynn jersey, one piece cowl neck and hoodie, roll up adjustable sleeve option, front pockets, low hip length, and UPF 30+ sun protection. Available Colors: Slate, Creme, Avocado, Rouge, Charcoal, Tomato.

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Royal Robbins Nuevo Summer Tank (Women's) - Creme $42.95 A flynn jersey with a cowl neck and double layered hem in contrast color. This jersey combines the naturally sustainable fiber, hemp, with organic cotton to create a unique textured knit. Also has a UPF 30+ protection. Available Colors: Creme, Ruby, Seafoam, Olive.

Suk: A Summer's Tale / Libor Pesek, Royal Liverpool $15.99 Virgin Classics Special Import:45057

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 at 7:57 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.