D'Oyly Carte

Patience opened at the Opera Comique on 23rd April 1881, and played there for over six months. Closing at the Opera Comique on 8th October, Patience then became the first Savoy opera by opening the newly built, red-brick and Portland stone, Savoy Theatre on 10th October 1881.

The theatre was designed by a well-known theatre architect, C.J. Phipps. The theatre had been erected in a comparatively short space of time, and was situated on a site which, though rich in historical associations, was also rich in the olfactory sense. Mr Rimmeil’s scent factory was close by as was Burgess’s Noted Fish-Sauce Shop.

The Savoy was the first public building in the world to be lit by the new electric light. Patience continued at the Savoy until 22nd November 1882.