The Royal Opera House has a history dating all the way back to 1734. The current building is the third to be built on the site due to previous fires, and despite many renovations over the years, the present theatre has retained many of its original features.
The Royal Opera House first showed a production of William Congreve's The Way of the World in 1734, and alongside the nearby Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, it was the only place in London with the rights to produce spoken drama! Ballet and opera also featured heavily during these early years.
The venue went through a period of being a dance hall during the Second World War, but was reverted back to a theatre once the war was over and music publishers Boosey and Hawkes bought the building.
Today the Royal Opera House presents lots of exciting performances on a regular basis, usually opera or ballet. Guided tours of the building are also available outside of show hours.