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6 unusual facts about Her Majesty's Theatre


Clive Steele

Setting up private practice in 1924 as a consulting engineer, he designed and supervised structural works including the State Savings Bank of Victoria building in Melbourne, the members' stand at Flemington Racecourse, the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia Ltd building in Brisbane, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney and the Melbourne Town Hall.

Georges Coulon

Georges Coulon was officially the son of the actress Augustine-Antoinette Finot-Léonard and Antoine Coulon, choreographer and ballet director at the Paris Opera and Her Majesty's Theatre in London.

Guy Street

From 1898 to 1963, the street was home to Her Majesty's Theatre, a key performing arts venue.

Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney

The $100 Australian banknote (in the background of the Dame Nellie Melba portrait) features an image of the interior of the theatre.

Jean-Baptiste Malter

He and his wife joined the company of French actors raised by Francisque for the 1734-35 season at the Haymarket, as well as making several trips back and forth between London and Paris.

Sound TV

The managing director of the channel was comedian and folk singer Richard Digance, a talent popular on variety shows such as the Sunday evening Live from... (Her Majesty's/the Piccadilly/the Palladium) series (produced by LWT for ITV) and also on Summertime Special, a moderately popular variety showcase of the 1980s.


Amanda Muggleton

Out of Marvellous Party! came Darling It's Noel, produced by International Concert Attractions and directed by Rodney Fisher at the Sydney Opera House in May 2004 and at His Majesty's Theatre, Perth in June 2004.

Archibald Salvidge

Sir Archibald Tutton James Salvidge KBE PC (5 August 1863 – 11 December 1928) was an English politician, most notable for securing the political dominance of the Conservative Party in Liverpool through the use of the Working Men's Conservative Association (WMCA), earning him the nickname "the king of Liverpool" (by Warden Chilcott, MP for Liverpool Walton).

Booth's Theatre

Several arched doors led to a grand vestibule, where a large statue of Edwin Booth's father, the great Shakespearean actor, Junius Brutus Booth, by the sculptor Thomas Ridgeway Gould, greeted the audience.

The Theatre featured a grand vestibule with Italian marble floors and a large statue of Edwin Booth's father, the Shakespearean actor, Junius Brutus Booth by the sculptor Thomas Ridgeway Gould.

In 1869, Edwin Booth, then one of the world's most distinguished stage tragedians and arguably America's greatest Hamlet, opened his theatre, Booth's Theatre, in Manhattan on the southeast corner of 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue.

Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington

General Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington, G.C.H., PC, PC (Ire) (17 March 1753 – 5 September 1829), styled Viscount Petersham until 1779, was a British soldier.

Chubb detector lock

In 1817, a burglary in Portsmouth Dockyard which had been carried out using false keys to gain entry prompted the British Government to announce a competition to produce a lock that could be opened only with its own key.

Constitution of Malta

On July 27, 1960, the Secretary of State for the Colonies declared to the British House of Commons the wish of Her Majesty’s Government to reinstate representative government in Malta and declare that it was now time to work out a new constitution where elections could be held as soon as it was established.

Domenico Reina

He joined John Ebers's company at the King's Theatre, Haymarket and in 1823 sang in the first London performances of Gioachino Rossini's operas Ricciardo e Zoraide, La donna del lago and Matilde di Shabran.

Dumbarton People's Theatre

Writers who have been involved with the group include Tom Gallacher and David Watson.

Dunning baronets

He was Inspector of Constabulary at the Home Office between 1912 and 1930.

Edmund Robertson, 1st Baron Lochee

Edmund Robertson, 1st Baron Lochee PC, QC, LLD, DL (28 October 1845 - 13 September 1911), was a Scottish barrister, academic and Liberal politician.

Elaine C. Smith

For many years she was a regular in pantomime at the Kings' Theatre, Glasgow, starring alongside Gerard Kelly in performances such as Aladdin, Mother Goose and Sleeping Beauty.

Ford's Theatre

The restoration of Ford's Theatre was brought about by the two decade-long lobbying efforts of Democratic National Committeeman Melvin D. Hildreth and Republican North Dakota Representative Milton Young.

Gareth Mitchelson

Other notable performances have included participation in many Folk Festivals and Fiddlers Rallys, in the Capitol Theatre and His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen, several Royal performances, commission pieces for Scottish Dance Traditions (Generating Heat & Funky Faeries), twice appearing at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles and several TV Hogmanay Shows.

Gary Watson

Gary Watson (13 June 1930 in Shropshire, England) is a retired British television actor who started out as a stage actor most notably acting in Friedrich Hebbel's 1962 play Judith at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, England with Sean Connery.

Georgina Cookson

She was no less busy in the 50s, with notable appearances including Lionel Shapiro’s The Bridge for Bristol Old Vic (1952); 13 for Dinner (Duke of York's Theatre, 1953); the world premier of I Capture the Castle, with Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers and a young Roger Moore, which opened at Grand Theatre, Blackpool before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in 1954; and Robert Morley’s Six Months’ Grace (Phoenix Theatre, 1957).

Her Majesty's Australian Ship

This prefix is derived from HMS (Her/His Majesty's Ship), the prefix used by the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, and can be equally applied to warships and shore bases (as Australia follows the British tradition of referring to naval establishments as ships or stone frigates).

HM Prison Portland

In March 2000, an inspection report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons severely criticised conditions at Portland YOI, including foul-smelling toilets and filthy showers.

HM Prison Risley

In September 2003, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons criticised Risley Prison for its policy of mixing sex offenders with other inmates.

HMVS Gordon

The Royal Australian Navy was formed in 1911 and from this time she was referred to as HMAS Gordon.

Iain Softley

A stage adaptation of Softley's film Backbeat was performed at the Duke of York's Theatre, London (17 September – 24 March 2011), co-written with Stephen Jeffreys, musical direction by Paul Stacey, and directed by David Leveaux.

Illya Woloshyn

He started acting at a very young age, playing the role of Jacob in Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang at Young People's Theatre in Toronto, and later Gavroche in the original Toronto production of Les Misérables at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 1988.

Joseph Anthony

From March 1960 through March 1961, Anthony successfully opened the original Broadway productions of four shows which ran simultaneously: The Best Man at the Morosco Theatre, Under the Yum Yum Tree at Henry Miller's Theatre, Rhinoceros at the Longacre Theatre, and Mary, Mary at the Helen Hayes Theatre.

Karen Dunbar

Over Christmas 2007, Dunbar made her first appearance in pantomime, at the King's Theatre in Glasgow, playing Nanny Begood in Sleeping Beauty.

Little Airplane Productions

Founded by Josh Selig in 1999, Little Airplane Productions created and produced Wonder Pets and Oobi! for Nick Jr. (TV channel), Go, Baby! & Emma's Theatre for Playhouse Disney, and 3rd & Bird for BBC's CBeebies and Disney Junior.

Memorials to Abraham Lincoln

Ford's Theatre and Petersen House (where he died) are maintained as museums, as is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, located in Springfield.

Mrs. John Wood

The Woods played Boston for three seasons and for the first three months of their third, appeared at the Wallack's Theatre in New York City.

Murder of April Jones

On 8 October 2012, a 19-year-old male from Chorley in Lancashire was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment in a Young Offender Institution for posting comments about Jones and Madeleine McCann on his Facebook page, after pleading guilty to sending a grossly offensive message, an offence under section 127 (1)a of the Communications Act 2003.

Murder of Rosie Palmer

Warehouses, industrial buildings, and disused buildings around the adjacent docks were searched while HM Coastguard, a police helicopter, and a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat searched the sea and shore.

Myles Ponsonby

In 1951, he entered the British government's Foreign Service, later transferring to the Diplomatic Service, and held posts in Egypt (1951), Cyprus (1952–53), Beirut (1953–56), Djakarta (1958–61), and Nairobi (1963–64).

National Civil War Museum

collection of memorabilia from Lincoln’s assassination including a lock of Lincoln’s hair, a sash from the funeral train, (the original) telegram ordering the arrest of John Wilkes Booth, a ticket to that night’s production of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre, a replica of his "life mask", and a fragment of Mary Todd Lincoln's dress that she wore the night of the assassination

National Offender Management Service

In January 2008, the Secretary of State for Justice announced major organisational reform which resulted in the Director-General of Her Majesty's Prison Service, Phil Wheatley, becoming the Chief Executive of NOMS, and assuming responsibility for both the National Probation Service (NPS) as well as HM Prison Service and management of contracts for private sector operation of prisons and prisoner escorting.

RAF Search and Rescue Force

In the UK, maritime search and rescue is coordinated by HM Coastguard, while land-based operations are usually coordinated by the local Police force.

The military and civil roles are shared with the Sea King helicopters of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, while the civil search and rescue role is also shared with the helicopters of HM Coastguard.

Rona Munro

Her new play, "The Last Witch", was performed at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival, directed by Dominic Hill, and in 2011 by Dumbarton People's Theatre.

Saturday Banana

On one show, West Side Story star George Chakiris, then starring in 'Passion of Dracula' in a London production at the Queen's Theatre, opened the show by being driven, in a horse-drawn hearse, across Northam Bridge (by the studios), bringing startled drivers to a virtual halt.

Schoolhill railway station

Closed in 1937, the few remains of the station lie adjacent to His Majesty's Theatre's car park.

Smoke on the Mountain

It was originally workshopped at the McCarter Theatre in 1988, given a full staging at the McCarter in 1990, and was subsequently moved by the McCarter to Lamb's Theatre in New York City, New York in 1990 and had 475 performances.

St Issey

On 28 December 1942 the British tug HMS St. Issey (Lt. J. H. W. Howe, RNR) was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine (U-617) off Benghazi, Libya.

The Massacre at Paris

Scotland and tour - In 1981 on 30th Jan - 14th Feb there was a two week run of the play at the Glasgow Citizen's Theatre, with Robert Gwilym as the Guise, and which saw a 20 year old Gary Oldman make his professional debut.

Una McLean

She starred in Jack and the Beanstalk alongside Jimmy Logan in his last pantomime appearance at King's Theatre, Glasgow as Wondergran, a show that also featured Alyson McInnes, John Ramage, and Euan McIver.

William Frederick Mitchell

Mitchell wrote a short autobiography for the 1904 May/June issue of The Messenger, a magazine for deaf people, in which he describes how scarlet fever deprived him of his hearing but at home his father, an HM Coastguard stationed at Calshot Castle, taught him to speak.

William Nunn

Mr Nunn was also a British diplomat and was the final British Ambassador to Siam(now Thailand)and in his latter days would recount stories of his 'adventures' there to the children whom he knew.

William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington

William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington GCH, PC, PC (Ire) (20 May 1763 – 22 February 1845), known as Lord Maryborough between 1821 and 1842, was an Anglo-Irish politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington.

Ynys Lochtyn

In February 1997, a Nissan Mistral (called Nissan Terrano in UK) driven by a Coastguard Officer (who was carrying out a survey prior to arranging an air-sea rescue practice test) slipped on wet grass on the cliffs above the beach adjacent to Ynys Lochtyn and it was unable to gain traction.


see also

Arnold Safroni-Middleton

He played the violin in the Orchestra of "Her Majesty's Theatre" in Sydney, the Orchestra of the Opera House in Auckland, the Providence Opera House in Providence (Rhode Island), the Tokyo Orchestra, the Government House (Sarawak) Orchestra and the Government House (Hayti) Mexico Orchestra.

One Man, Two Guvnors

Debuting at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in Hong Kong as part of the annual Hong Kong Arts Festival, the tour will subsequently visit Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide, Australia, The Aotea Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, The Sydney Theatre in Sydney, Australia, before culminating at the Playhouse in Melbourne, Australia.