FOREWORD
These walks have been developed on numerous forays to London over the past twenty-five years. Even though many of the historical places
visited no longer exist, we feel that some sense of the past can be captured
by knowing you are on the site and by physically coming to grips with the
way in which the theatre districts, the theatres, and the theatre practitioners
have moved about the city. . . .
Even the casual tourist with an interest in theatre will find the walks a fascinating
adjunct to the primary joy of seeing London’s high quality live theatre. There is no need to fear
you will sacrifice the city’s major sights for out of the way corners. Most
of the walks follow established tourist routes and will take you by or near
places like Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, etc.
Purposefully avoided have been pronouncements on how to pack, where to stay,
where to eat, and how to deal with the city. The phone numbers and opening
and closing hours of sites or attractions have also generally been omitted
as they often change over time or by the season. Things of this nature are
best gathered just before you leave for London or immediately upon your arrival.
Dr. Jim De Young,
Professor of Communication and Theatre Arts,
Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL.
Note
by the British co-author
It has taken me more than 40 years of theatergoing in London to complete my tally of all the theatres covered by these walks, culminating
in the long-awaited and triumphant opening of the reconstructed Globe Theatre
in 1997. I also had the very great pleasure of being present when the other
Globe, on Shaftsbury Avenue, was renamed in honour
of our greatest living actor—John Gielgud—an
occasion for which many of the names mentioned in this book gathered to do
him honour. In my collaborations with Sir John on his memoirs
for radio, television, and two subsequent books, I have learnt much from his
encyclopaedic knowledge of the theatre, and I have
endeavoured to add some of that history to these
pages. I hope these walks will inspire in the reader the same deep love of
the magic of the theatre that has motivated the authors.
John Miller
Author, broadcaster, and theatre historian
FOREWORD TO THE SECOND
EDITI0N
With John Miller’s
blessing my wife and I have re-walked each of the routes and made appropriate
corrections, deletions, and additions. We hope we have caught and corrected
the minor errors of style, fact, and clarity that crept into the first edition
without creating too many more new ones. We maintain that directions and descriptions
are current as of publication, but recognize that a living city waits for
no book. Changes will continue to occur.
Jim de Young
Professor Emeritus
Monmouth College
