Coliseum Theatre (Londres)

Topologie du théâtre

Nombre de salles actives: 1
Salle 1: (2358) 1904 - Actif

Accès

En métro: Leicester Square
En bus: 3, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 22, 23, 24, 29, 38, 88, 91, 94, 139, 159, 176, 453
Adresse: St. Martin's Lane, London, WC2

Evolution

Bâtiment: The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best-equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham (designer of the London Palladium), for impresario Oswald Stoll. Their ambition was to build the largest and finest music hall, describe as the 'People's palace of entertainment' of its age. It is currently the home of the English National Opera
Nom: London Coliseum

Propriétaire(s)

Remarquable

Matcham’s little-altered masterpiece, a superb variety theatre in the heart of the West End, incorporating every convenience for the comfort of a new breed of theatre-goer.

The year was 1902, and the new-found opulence and bravado that came to typify Edwardian London were in full flow. King Edward VII exemplified the art of pleasure-seeking, particularly during the social ‘Season’, lasting from Easter to August, when both English and visiting American society had to be seen ‘in Town’. For lesser mortals the corner pub provided solace among the endless rows of Victorian terraced houses filling out a rapidly expanding suburbia. In both city and suburbs there was ‘new money’ to be found, and elaborate variety theatres were more than ready to charm that money from willing pockets.
This was the background against which a new job came into the Holborn offices of Frank Matcham and Co.: the commission to interpret the ultimate vision of young entrepreneur Oswald (later Sir Oswald) Stoll, who in 1899 had created, with Edward Moss, 15 years his senior, the theatrical operator Moss Empires Ltd. What Stoll wanted was a grand new family-oriented variety theatre, the Theatre de Luxe’ of London, to be built at the foot of St Martin’s Lane, close to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Matcham would certainly have been familiar with the area, having recently added the London Hippodrome (for Moss Empires), nearby in Charing Cross Road, to his tally of over 60 theatres designed and built during the previous 25 years. In the 18th century St Martin's Lane was best known for drinking and fighting, but by 1900 the rather jaded brick-fronted residential buildings on the theatre site, immediately north of the long, narrow Brydges Place (formerly Taylor's Buildings), were free from sin and ripe for redevelopment.
From the site the land falls steadily away to Trafalgar Square with its dominant Nelson’s Column, fountains and pigeons, overlooked by the church of St Martin-in-the-Flelds, James Gibbs's masterpiece of 1722; Matcham would have known that something very special was required of him among such illustrious neighbours. It would be of absolutely no use to create a building that conformed to the rhythm and scale of the existing low-rise architecture; on the other hand, a gargantuan block would be equally inappropriate. Matcham solved the problem brilliantly, dividing the terracotta-faced (now painted) frontage by the deft use of
a triple-arcaded ground storey, restricting its visual height to that of the existing adjacent buildings. His pièce de résistance was the introduction of an exuberant tower above the main entrance, at the southern end of the elevation, topped by a revolving illuminated globe bearing the word ‘coliseum’.
The free baroque asymmetrical façade Is cleverly balanced by a pavilion tower at its northern end, In a relaxed yet controlled design from a man at the peak of his career. The linking body of the theatre Is capped by a continuous balustrade behind which was a refreshment room within a glazed Iron framework, a unique feature In a London theatre; It was removed In 1951. At the end of the 20th century all that remained of this elegant structure were graceful imprints on the tower walls. Entry is via a small, glazed semicircular canopy into an ornate vestibule with banded marble walls under an elaborate Byzantine mosaic dome, signed Diesperser. Oddly, this Byzantine theme Is quickly
abandoned, and the spacious main foyer is comparatively delicate, relying for its welcoming qualities on cream and gold Adamesque ornament. The barrel-vaulted box office was originally a ladies’ powder room.
Stoll's concept at the Coliseum was innovative in every sense, from the lifts provided for the convenience of the audiences to the royal lounge designed to move silently on tracks from the street to the royal box, where it would double as a retiring room. Presumably this did not work well, as it was almost Immediately abandoned in favour of a small retiring room adjacent to the main foyer, redecorated for King George V (from which redecoration an amazing panelled WC and washbasin enclosure survives today), and a second, larger room behind the present royal box. Rising from the main foyer to the simple ‘classical’ dress-circle foyer Is a superb grand staircase of stubby marble balusters and a heavy handrail. Long gone, however, are the, tearooms at all levels, the baronial smoking hall and the state-of-the-art information bureau, a startllngly new Idea in 1902.
The white, cream and gold auditorium, designed to seat over 3,000, is a wonderful three-tier space, richly ornamented in eclectic classical detail. Pairs of bow-fronted boxes under domed canopies adjoin niches originally designed to accommodate an auditorium choir, but now converted to boxes. Over the whole stretches a fine domed celling. Matcham was no stranger to modern engineering practices, and the cantilevered balconies make use of the finest early 20th-century technology.
Behind the proscenium arch, the Coliseum is quite massive in scale. It was originally fitted out with a triple revolve incorporating an outer table 75 feet in diameter, all of which was removed in 1977. Seventy- one counterweight sets were provided, along with 10 sets of two-ton counterweights intended to raise heavy props. In the 1970s a cyclorama track was in situ on the rear wall, but this was seen In pieces, lying on the stage of the disused Alexandra Palace Theatre in north London - where it was almost certainly removed In a compromise effort to preserve it, there being In the late 1990s a sadly unfulfilled move to create a Museum of Theatre Technology.
Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt and Dlaghilev all appeared at the Coliseum in its early 20th-century glory days. Later, for seven years from 1961, it was used as a cinema before becoming home to the Sadler's Wells Opera Company, now the English National Opera. Long may It continue to be so.
Lack of finance over decades saw the theatre in what seemed to be an unstoppable decline. But with a life-saving Heritage Lottery Fund contribution, and the artistry of Nick Thompson of RHWL Architects, the beauty of Matcham’s glorious design was again revealed, both internally and externally, on 21 February 2004, to open with The Rhinegold.

The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best-equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham (designer of the London Palladium), for impresario Oswald Stoll. Their ambition was to build the largest and finest music hall, describe as the 'People's palace of entertainment' of its age. It is currently the home of the English National Opera

London Coliseum

Matcham’s little-altered masterpiece, a superb variety theatre in the heart of the West End, incorporating every convenience for the comfort of a new breed of theatre-goer.

Musical
Revival

34) Hairspray (Revival)

Joué durant 4 mois 1 semaine

Première preview: 23 April 2020
Première: 23 April 2020
Dernière: 29 August 2020

Compositeur: Marc Shaiman •
Parolier: Marc Shaiman • Scott Wittman •
Libettiste: Mark O'Donnell • Thomas Meehan •
Metteur en scène: Jack O'Brien •
Chorégraphe: Jerry Mitchell •
Avec: Michael Ball, Marisha Wallace, Lizzie Bea

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Musical
Original

33) Fermeture COVID (Original)

Joué durant 1 an 4 mois

Première preview: 16 March 2020
Première: 16 March 2020
Dernière: 19 July 2021

Compositeur:
Parolier:
Libettiste:
Metteur en scène:
Chorégraphe:
Avec:

Commentaire: Tous les théâtres anglais ont dû fermer dès le 16 mars 2020 suite à la pandémide de COVID… (plus)

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Musical
Concert

32) Pirate Queen (The) (Concert)

Joué durant

Nb de représentations: 1 représentations

Première preview: 23 February 2020
Première: 23 February 2020
Dernière: 23 February 2020

Compositeur: Claude-Michel Schonberg •
Parolier: Alain Boublil • Claude-Michel Schonberg •
Libettiste: Alain Boublil • Claude-Michel Schonberg •
Metteur en scène:
Chorégraphe:
Avec: Rachel Tucker (Grace O'Malley), Jai McDowall (Tiernan), Matt Pagan (Donal)

Commentaire: A charity concert production with proceeds to Leukaemia UK. (plus)

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