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Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre. In the early decades of the 20th century, Tree produced spectacular productions of Shakespeare and other classical works, and the theatre hosted premières by major playwrights such as George Bernard Shaw, J. M. Synge, Noël Coward and J. B. Priestley. Since World War I, the wide stage has made the theatre suitable for large-scale musical productions, and the theatre has specialised in hosting musicals. The theatre has been home to record-setting musical theatre runs, notably the World War I sensation ''Chu Chin Chow''〔Larkin, Colin (ed). ''Guinness Who's Who of Stage Musicals'' (Guinness Publishing, 1994) ISBN 0-85112-756-8〕 and the current production, Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of the Opera'', which has played continuously at Her Majesty's since 1986. The theatre was established by architect and playwright John Vanbrugh, in 1705, as the Queen's Theatre. Legitimate drama unaccompanied by music was prohibited by law in all but the two London patent theatres, and so this theatre quickly became an opera house.〔''theatrical monopoly'' in Banham, Martin ''The Cambridge guide to theatre'' pp. 1105 (Cambridge University Press, 1995) ISBN 0-521-43437-8〕 Between 1711 and 1739, more than 25 operas by George Frideric Handel premièred here.〔D(''Handel's Compositions'' ) GFHandel.org, accessed 21 December 2007〕 In the early 19th century, the theatre hosted the opera company that was to move to the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, in 1847, and presented the first London performances of Mozart's ''La clemenza di Tito'', ''Così fan tutte'' and ''Don Giovanni''.〔Einstein, Alfred. ''Mozart: His Character, His Work'' (NY: Oxford University Press, 1945)〕 It also hosted the Ballet of her Majesty's Theatre in the mid-19th century, before returning to hosting the London premières of such operas as Bizet's ''Carmen'' and Wagner's ''Ring Cycle''. The name of the theatre changes with the sex of the monarch. It first became the King's Theatre in 1714 on the accession of George I. It was renamed Her Majesty's Theatre in 1837. Most recently, the theatre was known as His Majesty's Theatre from 1901 to 1952, and it became Her Majesty's on the accession of Elizabeth II. The theatre's capacity is 1,216 seats, and the building was Grade II * listed by English Heritage in 1970. Really Useful Theatres has owned the building since 2000. The land beneath it is on a long-term lease from the Crown Estate. == History == The end of the 17th century was a period of intense rivalry amongst London's actors, and in 1695 there was a split in the United Company, who had a monopoly on the performance of drama at their two theatres. Dramatist and architect John Vanbrugh saw this as an opportunity to break the duopoly of the patent theatres, and in 1703 he acquired a former stable yard, at a cost of £2000, for the construction of a new theatre on the Haymarket. In the new business, he hoped to improve the share of profits that would go to playwrights and actors. He raised the money by subscription, probably amongst members of the Kit-Cat Club:
He was joined in the enterprise by his principal associate and manager William Congreve and an actors' co-operative led by Thomas Betterton.〔Downes, Kerry. ''Sir John Vanbrugh: A Biography'' (London: Sidgwick and Jackson 1987) ISBN 0-283-99497-5〕 The theatre provided the first alternative to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, built in 1663 and the Lincoln's Inn, founded in 1660 (forerunner of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, built in 1728). The theatre's site is the second oldest such site in London that remains in use. These three post-interregnum theatres defined the shape and use of modern theatres.〔Earl, John and Michael Sell. ''Guide to British Theatres 1750–1950'', p. 117 (Theatres Trust, 2000) ISBN 0-7136-5688-3. Sadler's Wells Theatre was founded as a music room in 1683, and a theatre was built on the site in 1765.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Her Majesty's Theatre」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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