Theatre Royal Drury Lane: House Receipt Book No 1

Includes detailed information on total house, libraries, cash at doors, cloak rooms, programme sales, bar receipts. The productions are Cinderella, Pavlova, and Garden of Allah. Full contemporary dark-red diced calf, gilt lettered on the upper boards. The binding is rather rubbed and has some wear to the spine and board edges, oblong folio.

The Theatre Royal, the oldest in London, started its tradition of spectacular annual Christmas pantomimes in 1888, and they were a major success. The 145 performances of Cinderella, one of its most notable productions, brought in over £68,000. There is good reason that this volume was not completed for on 2nd April 1921 the record-breaking run of The Garden of Allah was brought to an end after a run of over 350 performances in order that the theatre could be closed for a radical renewal of the auditorium by Emblin Walker etc, at a cost of £150,000. The Anna Pavlova Company performed in 1920, and the Victoria and Albert Museum has the contract between Cecil Roy and the Theatre Royal for 1st May 1920 extending her season. It also has an original skirt which was worn in a production of Anna Pavlova's ballet 'Autumn Leaves' performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 3rd May 1920. Anna Pavlova and her Ballet Russe, were assisted by Alexandre Volinine, Ivan Clustine (Balletmaster), and a Corps de Ballet of fifty dancers and a sixty-member orchestra. The orchestra was conducted by Theodore Stier, and the repertoire included The Sleeping Beauty, The Walpurgis Night, and several Divertissements

Open for research although at least 24 hours advance notice should be given.

Bought from Ken Spelman

The Theatre Royal, the oldest in London, started its tradition of spectacular annual Christmas pantomimes in 1888, and they were a major success. The 145 performances of Cinderella, one of its most notable productions, brought in over £68,000. There is good reason that this volume was not completed for on 2nd April 1921 the record-breaking run of The Garden of Allah was brought to an end after a run of over 350 performances in order that the theatre could be closed for a radical renewal of the auditorium by Emblin Walker etc, at a cost of £150,000. The Anna Pavlova Company performed in 1920, and the Victoria and Albert Museum has the contract between Cecil Roy and the Theatre Royal for 1st May 1920 extending her season. It also has an original skirt which was worn in a production of Anna Pavlova's ballet 'Autumn Leaves' performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 3rd May 1920. Anna Pavlova and her Ballet Russe, were assisted by Alexandre Volinine, Ivan Clustine (Balletmaster), and a Corps de Ballet of fifty dancers and a sixty-member orchestra. The orchestra was conducted by Theodore Stier, and the repertoire included The Sleeping Beauty, The Walpurgis Night, and several Divertissements.

Catalogued on the Library's archives catalogue, https://archives.libraries.london.ac.uk/Details/archive/110057912

The Library also holds a petition relating to damage caused by the fire at the Theatre Royal, Dury Lane in 1672 (MS264), Theatre Royal playbills (HPF/5A/1), and scene designs at the Theatre Royal (MS1007). The Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Theatre and Performance holds minutes, accounts, correspondence and financial papers of the Theatre Royal, c1747-c1927. The Folger Shakespeare Library holds journals, accounts, pay books, inventories, order books, ledgers, lists of plays, c1714-c1880. The British Library holds a list of shareholders, papers relating to patent, receipts, recitation addresses, Sheridan's correspondence including accounts and memoranda, 1684-19th century, as well as manuscript performance material, 19th-20th centuries. London Metropolitan Archives holds papers, c1739-1940.