Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House London
Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD
Nearest Underground: Covent Garden (Piccadilly line), Leicester Square (Piccadilly line, Northern line)
Nearest Buses: 1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 26, 68, 76, 77a, 91, 168, 171, 176, 188, 501(southbound only), 505, 521, X68 all go to the Aldwych.
Theatre Facts & History
Date opened: 7 December 1732
Theatre designed by: James Shepherd
First production: The Way of the World by William Congeve
Number of seats: 2268
Other info:The first theatre on this site was called the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden (opened 7 December 1732). It burnt down on 20 September 1808. The second theatre opened on 18 September 1809 designed by Robert Smirke with a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It was reconstructed and reopened on 6 April 1847 as the Royal Italian Opera House, but burnt down on 5 March 1856. The third and current theatre was designed by Sir Edward M. Barry and opened as the Royal Italian Opera House on 15 May 1858 with a production of Les Huguenots by Meyerbeer.