Greenwich Theatre
| 1855 Rose and Crown Music Hall 1871 Crowder's Music Hall 1879 Royal Borough Theatre of Varieties 1898 Parthenon Theatre of Varieties 1912 Greenwich Hippodrome |
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The two facades of the theatre, to either side of the Rose and Crown pub, 2007
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| Location |
Greenwich London, SE10 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°28′47″N 0°00′30″W / 51.479722°N 0.008333°W |
| Public transit |
  Greenwich
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| Capacity | 421 |
| Production | Visiting productions |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1969 |
| Rebuilt | 1871, 1898, 1969 |
| Website | |
| greenwichtheatre.org.uk | |
Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London.
Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the Richardson travelling theatre annually performed. The current Greenwich Theatre is the heir to two former traditions. It stands on the site of the Rose and Crown Music Hall built in 1855 on Crooms Hill at the junction with Nevada Street. But it takes its name from the New Greenwich Theatre built in 1864 by Sefton Parry on London Street, opposite what was then the terminus of the London and Greenwich Railway.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Richardson travelling theatre made its annual tented appearance during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair. In Sketches by Boz, Charles Dickens reminisced enthusiastically, “you have a melodrama (with three murders and a ghost), a pantomime, a comic song, an overture, and some incidental music, all done in five-and-twenty minutes.”
In 1842, The Era reported that performances at Richardson's theatre attracted upwards of 15,000 people.
The Fair was closed down in 1853 “in consequence of the drunkenness and debauchery (it) occasioned, and the numerous convictions of pickpockets that took place before the police magistrates”.
On at least two subsequent occasions, the Greenwich Theatre celebrated its Richardson heritage. In April 1868 at Eleanor Bufton's first night as manager, she recited a poem written for the occasion, weaving the Richardson saga around her own. Five years later, at Easter 1873, lessee and manager Mr J. A. Cave reproduced Richardson's performances as closely as possible and even brought back Paul Herring, veteran clown of the 1820s Fair.
There are also two later newspaper references to a theatre in Greenwich that was burnt down around 1835 but so far no details have come to light.
After extensive experience as actor/comedian travelling the world and manager/theatre builder in South Africa, Sefton Parry built his first English theatre on a vacant site on London Street (now Greenwich High Road) at Greenwich. It was opened in May 1864 with seating for a thousand people. He promised that the style of performance would be similar to that of the old Adelphi, but there would be improvements to suit contemporary taste that made the most of the latest skills and recent inventions. His aim was to attract the highest class of residents by superior pieces carefully acted by a thoroughly efficient company. His first recruits were Bessie Foote from the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh, Eliza Hamilton from the Theatre Royal, Sadler's Wells, Sallie Turner eldest daughter of Henry Jameson Turner of the Royal Strand, Josephine Ruth from the Theatre Royal, Portsmouth, and Marion Foote; also Messrs. Frank Barsby from the Theatre Royal, Brighton, W. Foote from the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh), E. Danvers from the Royal Strand Theatre, and Mr Westland. On opening night The Era described it as 'perhaps the most elegant Theatre within twenty miles of London'
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Wikipedia