Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 2, 2023

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Exterior of His Majesty's Theatre in 2023

His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. It stands on the site of the Queen's Theatre (1705) designed by John Vanbrugh, where more than 25 operas by George Frideric Handel premiered. The present building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) there. In the early 20th century, the theatre hosted spectacular productions of Shakespeare and other classical works, and premieres by such playwrights as Bernard Shaw and Noël Coward. The theatre's capacity is 1,216 seats, and it was Grade II* listed by English Heritage in 1970. LW Theatres has owned the building since 2000. The land beneath it is on a long-term lease from the Crown Estate. Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera has run at His Majesty's since 1986. It was known as "Her Majesty's Theatre" during the reigns of Victoria and Elizabeth II. (Full article...)

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