Duke of York's - History
The Duke Of York’s Theatre opened in 1892, on the 10th September with a production of Wedding Eve. When it first opened it was known as the Trafalgar Square and was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife Violet Melnotte with design by Walter Emden. The name was changed to the Trafalgar in 1894, and then the Duke Of York’s in 1895 in honour of the future King George V. Melnotte managed to keep the theatre until her death in 1935.
1894 was also the year that the theatre hosted Adrian Ross’s and F Osmond Carr’s Go Bang, one of the earliest musical comedies which went on to be a huge success for the theatre.
The theatre has a long history and has been the home to countless plays. It featured an early version of Madame Butterfly by David Belasco, which was viewed by the famous Puccini, who went on to turn it into the famous opera we know and love today. The early 1900s was also a period that featured the likes of Jerome K Jerome’s Miss Hobbs as well as J M Barrie’s Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up in 1904.
The 1930s was good for the theatre. In 1932, Puccini’s Madame Butterfly returned to The Duke Of York’s in its new form by the Carl Rosa Opera Company. In the same year Basil Rathbone appeared onstage in Tonight Or Never as the Unknown Gentleman (he initially appeared at the theatre in Madame Sand in 1920). In the same decade there were also productions of Grand Guignol, The Ballet Rambert and an appearance by Markova and Dolin.
The next notable decade was the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1979 the theatre closed for refurbishment after being bought by Capital Radio. When it reopened, the year was 1980 and Rose debuted starring Glenda Jackson. This was followed by David Mamet’s American Buffalo, which starred Al Pacino in an award winning performance, then Richard Harris’ Stepping Out and Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine.
In the 1990s, Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden appeared after the purchase of the theatre by The Ambassador Theatre Group. The Rocky Horror Show then celebrated its 21st Birthday in 1995. In 1999 the Royal Court and ATG’s co-production of The Weir appeared which won it the Olivier Award for Best New Play.
Modern Day
The new millennium has continued to be a success for the theatre, with many successful plays and famous actors making their mark, including The Dresser in 2005 (with Nicholas Lyndhurst and Julian Glover), Embers in 2006 (with Jeremy Irons and Patrick Malahide) and In Celebration in 2007 (with Orlando Bloom).
The most recent production is No Man’s Land by Harold Pinter, which stars Michael Gambon and David Walliams. Following this, A View From The Bridge appears with Ken Stott.
