Theatre Royal Haymarket

Theatre History

There has been a theatre in Haymarket since 1720 when local carpenter John Potter built The Little Theatre in the Haymarketon the site of the King's Head Inn. The local entertainment venue proved popular over the years attracting more than one royal visit. In fact one such royal visit in 1794 caused the death of 20 people and injury to many more, after a large crowd, desperate to see King George III got out of control. In 1820, under new management the original playhouse closed its doors and a new theatre built just south of the original site.

Designed by John Nash and with the name Theatre Royal Haymarket; King George III awarded the venue with a patent in 1766, the theatre reopened and remained much as it is today.

Since opening the playhouse has had many famous names grace its stage, with a number of well known playwrights using the theatre to house their productions. Oscar Wilde premiered both An Ideal Husband and A Woman of No Importance at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Henry Fielding was associated with the venue for a number of years. Fielding's outlandish productions, that satirised the Royal Family and political parties of the time led to the Lord Chamberlain introducing a censorship act in 1731 for theatrical productions. This censorship remained in place until 1968.

Famous not only for its colourful history, the Theatre Royal Haymarket was interestingly the first London theatre to introduce matinée performances.