Editing Shoreditch (section)

===Victorian entertainments===
[[File:1867 NationalStandardTheatre.jpg|thumb|upright|left|1867 poster from the National Standard Theatre]]
[[File:HettyKingDark.jpg|thumb|right|upright|1907 [[Hetty King]] sheet music, expressing a concern of modern residents]]

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Shoreditch was a centre of entertainment to rival the [[West End of London|West End]] and had many theatres and [[music hall]]s:

* The National Standard Theatre, 2/3/4 Shoreditch High Street (1837–1940). In the late 19th century this was one of the largest theatres in London. In 1926, it was converted into a cinema called The New Olympia Picturedrome. The building was demolished in 1940. [[Sims Reeves]], Mrs Marriott and James Anderson all appeared here; also performed were programmes of classical opera and even Shakespeare, with actors including [[Henry Irving]]. There was considerable rivalry with the West End theatres. John Douglass (the owner, from 1845) wrote a letter to ''The Era'' following a [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane]] first night, in which he commented that "seeing that a hansom cab is used in the new drama at Drury Lane, I beg to state that a hansom cab, drawn by a live horse was used in my drama ... produced at the Standard Theatre ... with real rain, a real flood, and a real balloon."<ref>{{cite web|title=Shoreditch Theatres and Halls|url=http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Shoreditch.htm|website=Arthur Lloyd|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref>
* The Shoreditch Empire, also known as The London Music Hall, 95–99 Shoreditch High Street (1856–1935). The theatre was rebuilt in 1894 by [[Frank Matcham]], the architect of the [[Hackney Empire]]. [[Charlie Chaplin]] is recorded as performing here, in his early days, before he achieved fame in America.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shoreditch Empire|url=http://www.overthefootlights.co.uk/20.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019221738/http://www.overthefootlights.co.uk/20.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-19 |url-status=live|website=Over the Footlights|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref> Purchased in 1934 by adjacent drapery business [[Jeremiah Rotherham & Co]] and rebuilt as a warehouse.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31661163/london_music_hall_purchase_by_jeremiah/ Satisfactory turnover] ''The Guardian'', London, 28 Feb 1935, p. 14</ref>
* The Royal Cambridge Music Hall, 136 [[Commercial Street, London|Commercial Street]] (1864–1936), was destroyed by fire in 1896, then rebuilt in 1897 by [[Finch Hill]], architect of the [[Britannia Theatre]], in nearby [[Hoxton]]. ''[[Building (magazine)|The Builder]]'' of 4 December 1897 said "The New Cambridge Music Hall in Commercial Street, Bishopsgate, is now nearing completion. The stage will be {{convert|41|ft|m|1|disp=sqbr}} wide by {{convert|30|ft|m|1|disp=sqbr}} deep. The premises will be heated throughout by hot water coils, and provision has been made for lighting the house by electric light."

None of these places of entertainment survives today. Music hall was revived for a brief time in Curtain Road by the temporary home of the [[Brick Lane Music Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bricklanemusichall.co.uk|title=Brick Lane Music Hall}}</ref> This too has now moved on.

A number of playbills and posters from these music halls survive in the collections of both the [[Bishopsgate Institute]] and the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]].