Opera Comique, Theatre in City of Westminster, England.
The Opera Comique was a theatre building on Wych Street in Westminster, designed by architect Francis Fowler to host both spoken drama and musical productions. The building no longer exists, as the street itself was demolished to make way for the construction of Aldwych in the early 20th century.
The theatre opened in 1870 and ran for over three decades as one of the working theatres of central London. It closed in 1902 when the area around Wych Street was cleared to build the new Aldwych road.
The Opera Comique is closely tied to the early Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, including "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "The Pirates of Penzance", which had their London premieres here before moving to the Savoy Theatre. For anyone interested in the history of British musical theatre, this name calls up the origins of a genre that shaped popular entertainment for generations.
The building no longer stands, but the area around Aldwych and the Strand is easy to reach on foot from central London and well served by public transport. Those interested in the history of the site will find several other historic theatres still operating nearby.
During a dispute in the 1870s, two rival companies both claimed the right to perform at the theatre at the same time, leading to a stand-off that became known as the "carpet quarrel". The conflict involved Richard D'Oyly Carte and directly shaped how he later managed his productions, eventually leading him to build the Savoy Theatre.
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