| 1870/04/16 |
Charles J Phipps |
Architect |
Vaudeville Theatre theatre, designed by architect C J Phipps and decorated in a Romanesque style by George Gordon, opens with Andrew Halliday's comedy, For Love Or Money and a burlesque, Don Carlos or the Infante in Arms. |
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| 1889/00/00 |
Charles J Phipps |
Architect |
Lessee Thomas Thorne demolishes two houses to create a foyer block in the Adamesque style, behind a Portland Stone facade on the Strand. The theatre is refurbished with more spacious seating and an ornate ceiling. |
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| 1891/01/13 |
Jerome K Jerome |
Playwright |
The Vaudeville reopens with a performance of Jerome K Jerome's comedy, Woodbarrow Farm, preceded by Herbert Keith's one-act play The Note of Hand. The foyer and the four storey frontage survive from this period. |
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| 1891/06/00 |
William Schwenck Gilbert |
Playwright |
W S Gilbert's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, a burlesque "in Three Short 'Tableaux'", is presented as a benefit matinee at the Vaudeville Theatre. |
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| 1901/12/00 |
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Seymour Hicks and his wife Ellaline Terriss star in a series of Christmas entertainments at the Vaudeville, including their popular Bluebell in Fairyland. |
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| 1902/00/00 |
J M Barrie |
Playwright |
Quality Street, a Regency-set comedy in four acts by J M Barrie, opens at the Vaudeville. Starring Seymour Hicks and his wife Ellaline Terriss, the play ran for 459 performances. |
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| 1904/00/00 |
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Seymour Hicks and Zena Dare musical, The Catch of the Season, written by Hicks and Cosmo Hamilton, based on the fairy tale Cinderella, holds the stage for 621 performances. |
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| 1925/11/07 |
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The Vaudeville closes to reconstruct the interior. Designed by Robert Atkins, the auditorium is changed from a horseshoe to a rectangle, the seating is reduced and a new dressing room block with an ornate boardroom is built near Maiden Ln. |
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| 1926/02/23 |
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The Vaudeville theatre reopens with a popular revue by Archie de Bear called RSVP, notable because its final rehearsal was broadcast by the BBC. |
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| 1930/09/30 |
W Somerset Maugham |
Playwright |
William Somerset Maugham's comedy, The Bread-Winner, premieres. |
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| 1940/05/01 |
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Peril at End House, adapted into a play by Arnold Ridley, opens in the West End. Poirot is played by Francis L Sullivan. |
Peril at End House (book) |
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| 1954/08/05 |
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Salad Days moves to the Vaudeville. Premiering in the UK at the Theatre Royal, Bristol in June 1954, it ran for 2,283 shows to become the longest-running show in musical theatre history until My Fair Lady in the US (1956) and Oliver! in the UK (1960). |
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| 2008/01/22 |
Oscar Wilde |
Playwright |
"The Importance of Being Earnest" is revived at the Vaudeville theatre. Starring Penelope Keith, the comedy ran until 26 April 2008. |
The Importance of Being Earnest (play) |
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