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The Criterion Theatre is a theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the West End of London and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a capacity of 594.
Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond decided to develop the site of a seventeenth century posting inn, The White Bear, an area of sloping ground stretching between Jermyn Street and Piccadilly Circus, known as Regent Circus. A competition was held and, out of 15 entries, Thomas Verity was commissioned to design a new development consisting of a large restaurant, dining rooms, ballroom, and galleried concert hall in the basement. The frontage, which was the facade of the restaurant showed a French Renaissance influence using Portland stone. Having commenced building work it was decided to alter the proposed concert hall, (though retaining the composers names which still line the tiled staircases to this day), to a theatre with the large Criterion Restaurant and dining rooms above it and a ball room on the top floor. It was hardly suprising that when Spiers and Pond applied for a licence, the authorites were doubtful. The Metropolitan Board of Works had to vote twice before the necessary licence was issued. The problem was that the theatre was underground and lit by gas, fresh air had to pumped into the auditorium to prevent the audience from being asphyxiated; even so the atmosphere would have been stuffy. It was not until October 1881 that the first theatre was lit electrically - The Savoy. The building was completed in 1873 with the interior decoration for the entire project carried out by Simpson and Son. The tiles formed a major part of the decor and were a great feature of the building. They were however criticsed for not being original artistic decorations since this style had already been used in a number of public buildings including the Grill of the newly opened Victoria & Albert Museum. Early years The first production opened on 21st March 1874 under the management of Henry J Byron & EP Hingston. The programme consisted of An American Lady written and performed by the manager Byron and a piece by W. S. Gilbert entitled Topsyturveydom. Unfortunately the opening does not seem to have made much impression on Mr. Gilbert. In a letter to Edgar Pemberton, author of the book on The Criterion in 1903, Gilbert wrote: "I am sorry to say that in my mind is an absolute blank to the opening of The Criterion. I never saw Topseyturveydom. If you happen to have a copy of it and could lend it to me for a few hours it might suggest some reminiscences: as it is I don't even know what the piece was about!" Charles Wyndham became the manager and lessee in 1875 and under his management The Criterion became one of the leading light comedy houses in London. The first production under the new flagship was The Great Divorce Case, opening on 15th April 1876. When Wyndham left in 1899, to open his own theatre The Wyndham's Theatre (and then the New Theatre, now called the Noel Coward Theatre, in 1903) he remained the lessee bringing in various managements and their companies. In March 1883 the theatre had to close for alterations demanded by the Metropolitan Board of Works. The pumping of fresh air in to the auditorium some thirty feet below street level, now 10 years old, was deemed unsatisfactory. Thomas Verity supervised the alterations (Verity by now had also designed the Comedy Theatre in 1881 and The Empire Theatre in 1882). The new direct access ventilation shaft meant cutting off a considerable portion of the adjoining Criterion Restaurant. New corridors were built altogether with several new exits. The auditorium was greatly reconstructed and the stage re-equipped. The old dressing rooms were demolished and new ones built and most importantly, electricity had been installed. Dramatic Notes (1884) states The Criterion Theatre, transformed from a stuffy band-box to a convenient, handsome, and well ventilated house, reopened on April 16th". Further alterations and redecorations took place in 1902-03, when the theatre was closed for seven months. 20th century Between the world wars notable productions included 'Musical Chairs' with John Gielgud and in 1936, a three year run of 'French Without Tears' which launched the career of Terence Rattigan. During World War II, The Criterion was requisitioned by the BBC - as an underground theatre it made an ideal studio safe from the London blitz - and light entertainment programmes were both recorded and broadcast live. After the war The Criterion repertoire included avant-garde works such as Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and pieces by Anouilh, Dario Fo and others. In the 1970's the whole of the Criterion site was proposed for redevelopment, which caused much protest as people feared the theatre would be lost. In February 1975 the GLC Planning Committee approved the development on the condition that the theatre continued in full, continuous and uninterrupted use while the redevelopments took place. Throughout the 1970s and early 80s the row increased and the Equity Save London's Theatre Committee organised high profile demonstations (campaigners included John Gielgud, Edward Woodward, Diana Rigg, Robert Morley and Prunella Scales) as they feared that the theatre would still be lost. Eventually the theatre's future was secured but it had to close temporarily from April 1989, until it reopened in October 1992 whilst the Criterion Block which exists today was built around it. Having undergone major refurbishment both back, and front of house, The Criterion retains an almost perfectly preserved Victorian auditorium, with all the intimacy and atmosphere that make the building a pleasure to both visit and work in. Recent years From 1996 to 2005 it was home to productions of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Complete History of America, and The Bible, The Complete Word of God. The Criterion's current production is The 39 Steps adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow from John Buchan's Novel and memorably filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935. Recent Notable Productions | ||||||||
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