Terry's Theatre
| Grand Casino Cinema (1910) | |
Terry's Theatre in 1887
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| Address |
Strand Westminster, London |
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| Coordinates | 51°30′38″N 0°07′15″W / 51.510556°N 0.120833°W |
| Owner | Edward Terry |
| Designation | demolished |
| Type | West End theatre |
| Capacity | 800 seated on 3 tiers |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1887 |
| Closed | 1923 |
| Rebuilt | 1905 Frank Matcham 1910 conversion to cinema |
| Architect | Walter Emden |
Terry's Theatre was a West End theatre in the Strand, in the City of Westminster, London. Built in 1887, it became a cinema in 1910 before being demolished in 1923.
The theatre was built in 1887, near Fountain's Court, on the site of a former public house, the Old Coal Hole, and was designed by Walter Emden for the publican, Charles Wilmot and a Dr Web. The theatre was built to accommodate 800, seated in pit and stalls, balcony and a dress circle. Fountain's Court was named for 'Fountain's Tavern', where the Fountain Club met – formed by Robert Walpole's political opponents. In 1826, Edmund Kean, the actor, founded a late supper club here, known as the 'Wolf Club' for carousing. It ran until the 1850s, introducing entertainments similar to Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms, in nearby Covent Garden.
Edward Terry, as owner-manager, opened the theatre on 17 October 1887, with the farce The Churchwarden, followed by The Woman Hater. Terry had been the leading comedian of the Royal Strand Theatre and then starred in John Hollingshead's company at the Gaiety before entering theatre management. He achieved considerable success with his own production of Arthur Wing Pinero's Sweet Lavender, which opened at Terry's Theatre on 21 March 1888 and ran for 683 performances, producing a £20,000 profit. The play was quickly revived. Its cast included: Terry, Brandon Thomas, Maude Millett and Carlotta Addison.
Thomas Hardy's The Three Wayfarers premièred at the theatre on 3 June 1893 with four other one act plays on the bill. This was typical of theatres of the time, offering 3–4 one-act plays commencing at 7:45pm, and running until 11pm. Many of the principal parts would be taken by Terry, himself, with other members of a permanent company sharing the other roles. Pinero also wrote "In Chancery" (1890) and "The Times" (1892) for the theatre. Law's farce The New Boy played in 1894.
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