Toole's Theatre

rdf:langString Toole's Theatre

rdf:langString William IV Street

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rdf:langString Man in Graeco-Roman costume but wearing a white top hat

rdf:langString Theatre poster showing a large bell and the name of the show: Les cloches de Corneville

rdf:langString Theatre poster showing confused indoor scene with man on floor whose top hat has fallen off and four other people gesticulating

rdf:langString Theatre poster giving the names of the three shows in a triple bill: Namesakes; Paul Pry; and Great Tay-Kin

rdf:langString Theatre poster giving the names of the three shows in a triple bill: Hester's Mytery; Upper Crust; and Ici on parle français

rdf:langString Façade of Toole's Theatre, 1882

rdf:langString Les cloches de Corneville, 1878

rdf:langString The Bungalow, 1890

rdf:langString Toole as Paw Claudian, 1884

rdf:langString Triple bill, 1885

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rdf:langString Westminster, London

rdf:langString Demolished

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rdf:langString left

rdf:langString center

rdf:langString Bungalowtoole.jpg

rdf:langString J L Toole as Paw Claudian.jpg

rdf:langString Les-cloches-Folly-theatre.jpg

rdf:langString Toole's-Theatre-Paul-Pry-Tay-Kin.jpg

rdf:langString Folly-Theatre-Upper-Crust-and-Ici-on-parle-français.jpg

rdf:langString Street view of front of Victorian theatre of modest proportions, with glass and iron canopy across its width

rdf:langString Playhouse

rdf:langString Toole's Theatre, was a 19th-century West End building in William IV Street, near Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster. A succession of auditoria had occupied the site since 1832, serving a variety of functions, including religious and leisure activities. The theatre at its largest, after reconstruction in 1881–82, had a capacity of between 650 and 700. As the Charing Cross Theatre (1869–1876) the house became known for bills offering a mixture of drama, burlesque and operetta. Among the authors of its burlesques were W. S. Gilbert and H. B. Farnie. Its stars included Lydia Thompson, Lionel Brough and Willie Edouin. In 1876 Thompson and her husband, Alexander Henderson, became lessees of the theatre and renamed it the Folly Theatre. They continued the theatre's customary mix of operetta and burlesque. Their greatest successes were with English adaptations of French opéras bouffes and opéras comiques, most conspicuously Les cloches de Corneville, which began its record-breaking run (705 performances) at the Folly in 1878. In 1879 the comic actor J. L. Toole took over the lease. In 1881 he changed the name to Toole's Theatre and had the building substantially reconstructed. He continued the policy of staging burlesques, but introduced more non-musical comedies and farces. Among the authors who wrote for the theatre were John Maddison Morton, F. C. Burnand and Henry Pottinger Stephens; composers included George Grossmith and Edward Solomon. The theatre was important for beginning the professional careers of many actors, writers and actor-managers. Among the playwrights whose early works were presented at Toole's were Arthur Wing Pinero and J. M. Barrie. Future stars who were members of the company as beginners included Kate Cutler, Florence Farr, Seymour Hicks, Irene and Violet Vanbrugh and Lewis Waller. The lease of the theatre expired in 1895, and the lessor, the Charing Cross Hospital, did not renew it. The theatre was demolished in 1896.

rdf:langString William IV Street

rdf:langString 1833 Lowther Rooms

rdf:langString 1855 Polygraphic Hall

rdf:langString 1869 Charing Cross Theatre

rdf:langString 1876 Folly Theatre

rdf:langString 1881 Toole's Theatre