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Savoy Theatre, London

Britain in the nineteenth century saw unprecedented changes. Society was becoming increasingly democratic. More and more people were getting the vote and having access to education. Music was showing similar trends. Technological change in musical instrument production meant that music was no longer the preserve of the privileged. Just as more people could make music, more people were now able to listen to it, at huge new venues. By the 1850s the Crystal Palace in Sydenham was staging Britain's first regular series of popular concerts for large audiences. The Royal Albert Hall which opened in 1871 could hold 7000 people. New forms of shows were created to serve this growing popular market. The team of Gilbert and Sullivan led the way with a sequence of light operas in the 1870s and 1880s. Richard D'Oyly Carte, the impresario who directed the Gilbert and Sullivan operation, created a brand new theatre on the Strand for his shows. Named after a thirteenth century palace once owned by the Count of Savoy, Carte's Savoy Theatre opened on 10th October 1881. As was fitting for a venue staging exciting new popular shows, the theatre used the most modern of innovations. According to Michael Burgess in Richard D'Oyly Carte the Savoy Theatre was the first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electricity.

 

 

But while people welcome the new they are generally also nervous about it. This contradiction is clear in the shows Gilbert and Sullivan wrote, and also in buildings associated with them. The Savoy Theatre gave the appearance of serving the establishment in a smart and proper way. This was a beautifully appointed theatre, decorated in a colour scheme combining white, pale yellow and gold, with red boxes and dark blue seats. In 1889 Carte used profits from Gilbert and Sullivan shows to open a luxury hotel next to his theatre, called the Savoy Hotel. But while both the Savoy Hotel and Theatre seemed to serve a wealthy establishment, they both used their disguise to succeed in being cheekily subversive. The Savoy Theatre might not have been the Cavern Club, but neither was it simply a place of luxury for the privileged. It was also jazz, art deco, and show biz, reflecting a new popular culture.

Savoy Theatre is now a grade II listed building, and a landmark in the cautious way British society moved forward in the nineteenth century. A wide range of shows are still staged here, but popular musicals are still a regular feature of Savoy offerings.

 

 

Directions: The Savoy Theatre is in the Strand, central London. Click here for an interactive map centred on the Savoy Hotel And Theatre.

Address: Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, Strand, London, WC2R 0ET

Access: Level access is only possible to the Dress Circle via an entrance in Carting Lane. There is space for two wheelchairs in the Dress Circle. No level access to bars but drinks can be brought to seats. Arrive at the theatre at least half an hour before show time. Also ring ahead to discuss requirements with the theatre on 0844 871 7677

Contact:

Box Office 0844 871 7627

Web site: http://www.ambassadortickets.com/Savoy-Theatre/Information

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