Gaiety Theatre, London

The Gaiety Theatre stood on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand in the City of Westminster. Built in 1864 as the Strand Musick Hall, it became the Gaiety Theatre in 1868 under manager John Hollingshead. The theatre first specialised in music hall and later in musical burlesque, pantomime and operetta. From the 1860s to the 1890s it shaped modern musical comedy. Many productions featured Nellie Farren in leading roles alongside comic Fred Leslie. The Gaiety introduced new styles of musical theatre in London during the 1890s. These Edwardian musical comedies featured witty leads and the famous Gaiety Girls. Shows like The Shop Girl (1894) ran for long seasons and inspired imitations worldwide. Under George Edwardes the theatre produced hit after hit, including Theodore & Co (1916) and Going Up (1918). Robert Evett took over after Edwardes and continued the success. Visitors found a grand theatre with over two thousand seats and plush restaurants inside. A bill at the Gaiety could last four hours, mixing comic plays, musical extravaganzas and ballet. The auditorium had electric lighting on the frontstage by the late 1870s. The stage hosted works by W. S. Gilbert, Jacques Offenbach and Dion Boucicault. The building itself was rebuilt at the corner of Aldwych and the Strand in 1903 before later demolition.