Palace Theatre

The Palace Theatre was originally built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte to be the premier home of English grand opera. When it opened in January 1891, the venue was known as the Royal English Opera House. Its debut production, Arthur Sullivan's Ivanhoe, was a lavish and expensive spectacle that required a double cast to perform the music night after night. Despite the initial success of the opening, the venture failed when the production closed and D'Oyly Carte had no other works prepared to take its place. The theatre was sold at a loss within its first year and was subsequently converted into a grand music hall.