Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane Review

This is London's best-known auditorium and almost its largest. Since World War II, Drury Lane's forte has been musicals (from My Fair Lady and South Pacific to Miss Saigon and Shrek)—though David Garrick, who managed the theater from 1747 to 1776, made its name by reviving the works of the by-then-obscure William Shakespeare. Drury Lane enjoys all the romantic accessories of a London theater—a history of fires (it burned down three times), riots (in 1737, when a posse of footmen demanded free admission), attempted regicides (George II in 1716 and his grandson George III in 1800), and even sightings of the most famous phantom of theaterland, the Man in Grey (in the Circle during matinees). One-hour dramatized tours, led by actors, are available.