From Wikipedia.
The first theatre on the site was built at the behest of Thomas Killigrew in the early 1660s, when theatres were allowed to reopen during the English Restoration. Initially known as "Theatre Royal in Bridges Street", the theatre's proprietors hired prominent actors who performed at the theatre on a regular basis, including Nell Gwyn and Charles Hart. In 1672, the theatre caught fire and Killigrew built a larger theatre on the same plot, renamed the "Theatre Royal in Drury Lane"; it opened in 1674. This building lasted nearly 120 years, under the leaderships of Colley Cibber, David Garrick and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the last of whom employed Joseph Grimaldi as the theatre's resident Clown.The second Drury Lane theater which burned, could sit 3,611 audience members.
In 1791, under Sheridan's management, the building was demolished to make way for a larger theatre which opened in 1794. This new Drury Lane survived for 15 years before burning down in 1809. The building that stands today opened in 1812. It has been the residency of well known actors including; Edmund Kean, comedian Dan Leno, and the musical composer and performer Ivor Novello. From the Second World War, the theatre has primarily hosted long runs of musicals, including Oklahoma! (1947–1953), My Fair Lady (1958–1963), 42nd Street (1984–1989, 2017–2019) and Miss Saigon (1989–1999), the theatre's longest-running show.[3] The theatre is owned by the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
From the old Barbican exhibit in 1984.
On February, 1809, Sheridan was in the House of Commons about to speak in a debate on the Spanish War, when he received the news that the theatre was on fire. Adjourning to the Piazza Coffee House, he was able to watch the conflagration (which could be seen for miles) from the window and contemplate his ruin.
Very little was saved from the fire and it was discovered that the building had been vastly under-insured.
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