 The Theatre Royal is a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon
Tyne. It was designed by Richard Grainger, and opened on 20 February 1837 with a performance of The Merchant
of Venice.
Following a performance of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, a huge fire destroyed the
interior of the building in 1899. It had its
interior redesigned by Frank
Matcham and reopened on 31
December 1901. The theatre's restaurant
is named after Matcham. Externally, the building is exactly as it was when it
was first built. It underwent a major refurbishment and restoration in the latter part of the
1980s, reopening on 11 January
1988 with a performance of A Man For All
Seasons starring Charlton Heston.
The theatre hosts a variety of shows, including ballet, contemporary dance,
drama, musicals and opera. The Royal Shakespeare Company visits
annually, and considers the Theatre Royal its northern base. The Christmas pantomime is also very popular.
Almost all of the shows that come to the Theatre Royal are part of a national
British tour, and in a typical year the theatre will have 30 to 35 visiting
shows. For the annual pantomime, and any visiting musicals and opera
performances, there is a sizeable orchestral pit available. This can seat 60
musicians if necessary. The stage itself is also of substantial size, and can
house 50 singers, dancers, actors and musicians.
Over 100 people staff the theatre, most of whom work behind the scenes. The
theatre is reputedly also home to a resident ghost (supposedly a very friendly
lady from the 19th century nicknamed 'The Grey Lady'). (She apparently committed
suicide in the main theatre hall by jumping off the gods' circle) But details of
this are hard to come by, and she certainly hasn't been seen recently. Theatre
literature and leaflets do, however, mention her.
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