Folly Theatre
| 1840 Lowther Rooms 1848 The London Oratory 1855 Polygraphic Hall 1869 Charing Cross Theatre 1876 Folly Theatre 1882 Toole's Theatre |
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Folly Theatre, programme from 1878–79 season
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| Address | William IV Street Westminster, London |
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| Coordinates | 51°30′27″N 0°07′23″W / 51.507466°N 0.122981°W |
| Owner | John Lawrence Toole |
| Designation | Demolished |
| Type | Music hall and playhouse |
| Capacity | 900 |
| Current use | Police station (on site) |
| Construction | |
| Rebuilt | 1869 Arthur Evers 1876 Thomas Verity 1882 J. J. Thompson |
| Years active | 1869 - 1895 |
| Architect | Bradwell and Field |
The Folly Theatre was a London theatre of the late 19th century, in William IV Street, near Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster. It was converted from the house of a religious order, and became a small theatre, with a capacity of 900 seated and standing. The theatre specialised in presenting music hall, burlesque and opera bouffe. The Beefsteak Club had quarters above the theatre.
As a stock company, under the direction first of Alexander Henderson and Lydia Thompson and then of John Lawrence Toole, the theatre was significant for beginning the professional careers of many Victorian era actors, writers and actor-managers. The theatre was demolished in 1895, possibly due to disturbance caused to the neighbouring Charing Cross Hospital.
The building opened as the Lowther Rooms in 1840. It was the residence of the Fathers of the London Oratory of St. Philip Neri from 1848–56 and was used for lectures. Here, in 1850, John Henry Newman delivered his Lectures on Anglican Difficulties, after his conversion to Catholicism. On the departure of the religious order, which moved to the Brompton Oratory, the hall became Woodin's Polygraphic Hall in 1855, where William S. Woodin gave monologue entertainments.
In 1869, the building was converted to a small Music hall and playhouse called the Royal Charing Cross Theatre and, in 1872 was renamed the Charing Cross Theatre and was advertised as the Theatre Royal, Charing Cross, in 1874-75. The theatre opened on 19 June 1869 with W. S. Gilbert's burlesque of Norma, called The Pretty Druidess, on the bill, and in 1870 it held Gilbert and Frederic Clay's The Gentleman in Black. In 1872, it hosted J. S. Clarke's revival of Sheridan's The Rivals, featuring Mrs Stirling in the role that was to make her famous as Mrs Malaprop. The name Charing Cross Music Hall was also adopted in the late 1880s by the brothers Carlo and Giovanni Gatti for their Gatti's-Under-the-Arches Music hall. This became the Hungerford Music Hall in 1883, later returning to the former name.
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