The Adelphi Theatre

Having celebrated its bicentenary in 2006, the current theatre is the fourth venue here on the Strand – and it’s changed names no fewer than seven times. The original theatre, the Sans Pareil (‘Without Compare’, for you non-French speakers) was launched by businessman John Scott in 1806, primarily so he could show off the talents of his daughter. Luckily, writer and pianist Jane Scott had the skills to show off and proved to be a massive success over the next 14 years. She not only wrote and appeared in more than 50 pieces ranging from farces, melodramas, comic operas, and pantomimes, but she also changed the face of British theatre forever by putting on works that appealed to all classes, instead of just catering to the privileged few. Jane finally retired in 1819 at which point her father sold the theatre for a very healthy profit.