The Garrick Theatre, also known as ''Garrick's Subscription'' was a small theatre located in Leman St,

Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

. The theatre opened in 1831, and closed in about 1881. The theatre was named for the actor,

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

, who had made his début at the nearby Goodman's Fields Theatre on 9 October 1741, playing the role of ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

''. The performance on 11 May 1840 was ''Marie!'' and ''Virginius the Rum’un!'', from an existent

playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

. The plays were probably

melodramas A melodrama is a dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on dial ...

and some indication of the fare available at the time. The first theatre burned down in 1846, and was rebuilt to open as ''The Albert and Garrick Royal Amphitheatre''. During rebuilding from 1852 to 1854, the neighbour, a gun manufacturer, obtained an injunction against the proprietor, Lawrence Levy, to restrict the height of the adjacent wall so as not to impede light to his premises. The theatre was managed by Lawrence Levy from 1854 until 1864. He returned to manage the theatre between 1867 and 1868. In 1856 E.B. Gaston was Stage Manager. The second theatre had a capacity of 462, although when Lawrence Levy put the theatre up for sale in 1866–1868, he claimed it "will hold 1,600 persons" and "can be made to hold 2,500", and then in 1868 was claiming "Was built for a circus" and "Holds 1,700 persons; can be made for 8,000". A young

Barney Barnato Barney Barnato (born Barnet Isaacs; 21 February 1851 – 14 June 1897) was a British Randlord and diamond magnate who was one of the entrepreneurs who gained control of diamond mining, and later, gold mining in South Africa from the 1870s up ...

is reputed to have begged pass outs from theatre leavers, to sell them on to others for a halfpenny. After

actor-manager An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used co ...

J. B. Howe's

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

in 1875, the theatre remained empty until 1879. Actress-manageress May Bulmer then ran the theatre until it was demolished, having a personal success in the light opera ''A Cruise to China''. Although Lawrence Levy had died in 1873, the theatre was still part of his estate in 1882 when his trustee testified at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

in the trial of two men called Culver and Jacobs. They had been claiming to hold the lease of the theatre, and had fraudulently been taking payments from actors on the promise of providing them with engagements. The site of the theatre is today occupied by the old Leman Street Police Station, built in 1891.

References

{{Reflist Former theatres in London Theatres completed in 1831 1881 disestablishments in England Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets 19th century in London