Olympic Theatre

Olympic Theatre, London, in Wych Street, Strand. This was erected by Philip Astley while Astley's Amphitheatre was being rebuilt in 1803, and was constructed mostly of timber from a French warship, with a little brickwork and a tin roof, in the shape of a tent. It opened as the Olympic Pavilion, housing circus acts and performances of horsemanship in an arena. It was not a success, and in 1813 was bought by R. W. Elliston, who changed its name to the Little Drury Lane Theatre. This was objected to by Drury Lane as infringing its patent, and Elliston's licence was withdrawn. However, by the end of the year he had obtained a new licence for burletta only, and he reopened the theatre as the Olympic. It did well for the next five years with a mixed programme of pantomime, ballet, farce, and melodrama, and was then reconstructed and reopened with an excellent company which attracted a fashionable audience and made so much profit that Elliston was able to purchase the patent of Drury Lane on the proceeds. He leased the Olympic to a series of lessees, the majority of whom went bankrupt as did Elliston himself. The theatre was put up for sale and bought by the owner of the Adelphi, who used it for melodramas until at the end of 1830 Mme Vestris leased it from him and opened in 1831 with a programme which included Planché's Olympic Revels. Her policy of low prices and beautifully staged light entertainment made the Olympic a success. In 1835 Charles J. Mathews made his first appearance there and three years later he and Mme Vestris were married, leaving the Olympic in 1839 to go to Covent Garden. The theatre then led a precarious life until it was burned down in 1849. Rebuilt to seat 1,750, it reopened, but had to close hurriedly when the manager was arrested on charges of defalcation and forgery. William Farren then took over, with Frederick Robson as his star and later co-manager. It was under him that Tom Taylor's The Ticket-of-Leave Man had a successful run in 1863. Robson died prematurely the following year, and his successor introduced a series of new plays with Henry Neville and Kate Terry. Neville himself became manager for six years, during which Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone (1877) was first produced. Charles Wyndham appeared in 1880 in Bronson Howard's Brighton with great success, and in 1883 Geneviève Ward was seen in her own productions. A succession of managements came and went until the theatre closed in 1889, and after reconstruction opened under Wilson Barrett two years later. It was never again successful, and closed for the last time in 1897, being demolished in 1904.