d by
Hutton as having few equals. In this year also (1774) the Theatre Royal
was erected (at a cost of nearly L5,700) though the latter half of its
title was not assumed until August, 1807, on the occasion of the Royal
assent being given to the house being "licensed." A bill had been
introduced into the House of Commons for this purpose on the 26th of
March, 1777, during the debate on which Burke called Birmingham "the
great toyshop of Europe," but it was thrown out on the second reading.
The King Street Theatre, like its predecessor in Moor Street, after a
time of struggle, was turned into a place of worship in 1786, a fate
which, at a later date, also befell another place of public
entertainment, the Circus, in Bradford Street, and the theatrical
history of the town, for a long term of years centred round the Theatre
Royal, though now and then spasmodic attempts were made to localise
amusements more or less of a similar nature. One of these, and the
earliest, was peculiarly unfortunate; early in 1778 a wooden pavilion,
known as the "Concert Booth," was erected in the Moseley Road, dramatic
performances being _given_ between the first and last parts of a vocal
and instrumental concert, but some mischievous or malicious incendiary
set fire to the building, which was burnt to the ground Aug. 13 of the
same year. Four years later, and nearly at the same date (Aug. 17) the
Theatre in New Street met with a like fate, the only portion of it left
being the stone front (added in 1780) which is still the same,
fortunately coming almost as safely through the next conflagration. The
proprietors cleared away the ruins, and erected a more commodious
structure, which, under the management of Mr. William Macready, was
opened June 22, 1795. In the meantime, the King Street Theatre having
been chapelised, the town appears to have been without any recognised
place for dramatic entertainments other than those provided in the large
rooms of the hotels, or the occasional use of a granary transmogrified
for the nonce into a Thespian arena. On the night of the 6th of January,
1820, after the performance of "Pizarro," the Theatre Royal was again
burnt out, but, possibly from having their property insured up to
L7,000, the proprietors were not so long in having it rebuilt, the doors
of the new house being opened on following Aug. 14. This is,
practically, the same building as the present, which has scats for about
3,500, the gallery holding 1,0