Savoy Theater, London

We were really lucky to get our own private tour of the Savoy Theater. They do not offer public tours.  We went by the theater to get a glimpse of the outside one evening. At the theater they were putting on a Beatles show.  I went and asked the doormen at the adjacent Savoy Hotel if that indeed was the Savoy Theater of Gilbert and Sullivan days. They said yes. They kindly asked the man in charge at the entrance whether they would let us see the inside of the theater sometime. I was given the business card of the stage manager and was told to contact him. We headed home. I sent an email to the stage manager and got an automated reply saying he was on holiday. He gave info on how to contact the acting stage manager. On the way back from the BBC studio tour we dropped by the theater again. The box office workers were no help. We went home and I checked my email. The acting manager sent me a message saying he could give us a tour that afternoon. We hopped to it and went back there.

The acting manager Glenn Cottenden met us and showed us around for a full hour. He is in charge of building maintenance, so was helpful in telling us about the building.  The inside has a 1920s look to it. The walls before you enter the theater are yellow with bunches of green circles that look like large grapes. They are actually supposed to be balloons! The theater burned down in 1993. They had to rebuild it. Fortunately they had the interior decorating plans from the late 1920s in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Why? Well during WWII rumor had it that Hitler was thinking about taking up residence in the Savoy Hotel next door. So before Hitler could get there the staff of the theater went around and took detailed notes of the decorating scheme. They also took any valuables and sent them off to hide in Scotland. I don't think Hitler made it there, but everyone is thankful that the detailed plans of the interior were made before the theater burned down. They chose to rebuild it with the 1920s look.

The theater has 3 levels of seating plus one small royal box on the side (that actually has an obstructed view of the stage!). There are 4 different colors of seats of red and yellow hues. There is an orchestra pit that can be configured for a small band or larger orchestra. With the bigger set up it is necessary to take out the first 3 rows of seats and take the cover off the floor. 

The stage is small width wise but it is deep. It is very interesting to note where street level is in the theater. The theater is on a slope with the back side facing the Thames and the front side facing the Strand (street name). In order to get props on to the stage from street level in back the props come in very high compared to the stage level. Then they have to lower the props down on to the stage. Very awkward. Likewise in the auditorium street level is pretty far up (seen by a door half way up the wall). 

We were shown the back of the theater. It was formerly the main entrance of the theater in Gilbert and Sullivan days. Not sure why they switched it around. Originally they could drive up their coaches to the entrance and get out comfortably.  In the foyer behind those current back doors is the last place Gilbert and Sullivan had contact with each other before they disbanded.

Down the road from the back of the theater is a quaint park by the river. In the park is a statue of Sullivan's bust with a lady draped around him. There is a Gilbert quote on the side. 

Below are several photos of the theater and that statue in the park. It was hard to get good photos in the dark theater so sorry for the poor quality. The wooden doors side by side are in the back side of the theater building. The neon signs are now in the front of the theater. 

One thing I forgot to mention is about the Savoy Hotel. It was built from the profits of the Gilbert and Sullivan shows put on in their era. At some point the hotel took over the operations of the theater. I think this was post Gilbert and Sullivan time. They kept putting on Gilbert and Sullivan shows there up to the year 2000. Not sure why they stopped other than to get more money-making shows in there. Now a management agency runs it.

One thing Glenn told us is that the theater is a grade 2 listed building. That means you can't do any work on the building without permission (not even a nail in the wall!). There are plans to organize tours in the future. There are aluminum panels on a few sides of the theater inside. It gets tricky to repair them if damaged. A nice new piece of metal would look shinier than the surrounding pieces of metal and would oxidate at a different rate than the other pieces. You may have to replace the whole set of panels. What a pain!

Glenn told us he has been to Austin recently for the South by Southwest Music Festival. Nice Texas connection there!