In 1728, John Rich, actor-manager of the Duke's Company at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, commissioned The Beggar's Opera from John Gay.

The first theatre before the fire of 1808 The main auditorium is a Grade I listed building. The proscenium is 14.80 metres (48 ft 7 in) wide, with the stage of the same depth and 12.20 metres (40 ft 0 in) high. The main auditorium seats 2,256 people, making it the third largest in London, and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies and the amphitheatre gallery. The façade, foyer, and auditorium date from 1858, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive reconstruction in the 1990s. The current building is the third theatre on the site, following disastrous fires in 18 to previous buildings. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there. A year later, the first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel, began. The first theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal (1732), served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The Royal Opera House ( ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. Royal Opera House Covent Garden FoundationĮdward Middleton Barry (current building) Royal Opera House (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom

Mary allen royal opera house