The Casino Theatre was a theatre located at

Amaliegade Amaliegade () is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which makes up the longer of the two axes on which the Rococo district Frederiksstaden is centred. Amaliegade extends from Sankt Annæ Plads to Esplanaden, passing through the central pl ...

10 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. It was built as an entertainment venue by

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli (), is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Kla ...

-founder

Georg Carstensen Johan Bernhard Georg Carstensen (31 August 1812 – 4 January 1857) was a Danish army officer and one of the developers of Tivoli Gardens. He spent most of his childhood in the Near East. He travelled widely and had a career in the military Roya ...

but was converted into a theatre in 1848. It closed in 1937 and the building was demolished in 1960.

History

Origins

Built by

, founder of

, Casino was originally envisioned as a "Winter Tivoli" with bazaar, promenade concerts and soirées. Carstensen financed the project through the sale of shares. In November 1845, he had raised 200,000

Danish rigsdaler The rigsdaler was the name of several currencies used in Denmark until 1875. The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rijksdaalder were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively. These currencies were of ...

. The building was designed by H. C. Stilling who had also worked for Carstensen during the establishment of Tivoli Gardens. The entertainment venue opened on 22 February 1847.

The theatre

The entertainment never gained popularity in its original form and was soon converted into a theatre. The first play premiered on 26 December 1848. The Casino Theatre catered to a broader audience than the Royal Theatre at

Kongens Nytorv Kongens Nytorv (literal translation, lit. "The King's New Square") is a town square, public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the Pedestrian zone, pedestrian street Strøget. The largest square of the city, it was l ...

. It was a place where common people went, often with their children. Its repertoire consisted of comedies, revue

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

s and operettas. Revue as Danish theatre genre was founded with ''Nytårsnat 1850''. Productions included

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

's ''Meer end perler og guld'' and ''Ole Lukøje'' as well as comedies by

Jens Christian Hostrup Jens Christian Hostrup (20 May 1818 in Copenhagen – 21 November 1892 in Frederiksberg) was a Danish poet, dramatist and priest. Comforting and encouraging the people, he created poems that filled the hearts of his compatriots. His precise pers ...

and Thomas Overskou.

Political meetings, carnivals and concerts

Casino is associated with the Casino Meetings, two public political meetings which took place during the so-called March Revolution in March 1848, culminating in the adoption of the

Constitution of Denmark The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark (), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution (, , ), is the constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark, applying equally in the Realm of Denmark: Denma ...

. The first meeting took place on 11 March 1848 at the initiative of the national liberal leaders Hvidt, H. N. Clausen and Tscherning, attracting approximately 2,300 participants. The occasion was news about the political demands made by Schleswig-Holstein at a political rally in

Rendsborg Rendsburg (, also ''Rensborg'', , also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Eckernförde. , it had a populati ...

. The second Casino Meeting, which took place on 20 March, resulted in the adoption of a resolution written by

Orla Lehmann Peter Martin Orla Lehmann (15 May 1810 – 13 September 1870) was a Danish statesman, a key figure in the development of Denmark's parliamentary government. Early life and education He was born in Copenhagen, son of (1775–1856), assessor ...

. The next day, approximately 15,000 people marched to

Christiansborg Christiansborg Palace (, ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also, ...

where

Christian VII Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. He was affected by mental illness and was only nominally king for most of his reign. His roya ...

had just dissolved his government. New political meetings took place in Casino on 29 August and 28 September 1854, resulting in the foundation of an association for the defence of the Constitution. Another political meeting took place in the Casino Theatre in 1863, leading to the fatal decision that Schleswig should be incorporated into Denmark. The Casino Theatre was also used as a venue for balls, concerts and a series of carnivals.

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

's Piano Concerto in A minor was for the first time performed on 3 April 1869 in the Casino Theatre.

20th century

Fritz Petersen took over the position as theatre director in 1904. The Casino Theatre closed in 1937 as a result of the economic crisis of the 1940s and the growing popularity of motion films. The theatre reopened for a farewell show with scenes from its most popular productions on 1 April 1939. The building was converted into a warehouse. It was demolished in 1960.

Notable productions

* 3 October 1849: ''Meer end Perler og Guld'' * 1 March 1850: ''Oke Lukøje'' * 1935: ''Champagnegaloppen''

Directors

Cultural references

Herman Bang Herman Joachim Bang (20 April 1857 – 29 January 1912) was a Danish journalist and author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough. Biography Early life and education Bang was born in Asserballe, on the small Danish island of Als, the son o ...

's ''Stucco'', a

roman à clef A ''roman à clef'' ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This m ...

, contains a mocking description of the Casino Theatre.

References

External links

{{coord, 55.6824, N, 12.5921, E, source:wikidata, display=title 1847 establishments in Denmark 1937 disestablishments in Denmark Buildings and structures demolished in 1960 Demolished buildings and structures in Denmark Former buildings and structures in Copenhagen Former theatres in Copenhagen 19th century in Copenhagen