When he returned to England in 1860, Dion Boucicault initially teamed up with the management at the New Adelphi Royal Theatre. By 1862, he was experiencing financial difficulties and was declared bankrupt. For short period, he moved, with Agnes Robertson to Liverpool. On his return to London, Boucicault set up in partnership with George Vining at the Princess’s Theatre while also selling permissions to other theatre managers for his plays to be performed under licence throughout England, Scotland and Ireland.
The Illustrated London News reported on the Queen's Theatre and Opera House in their 14th of February 1857 edition:- “This newly built theatre […] is considered to be creditable to the taste and skill of the architect, both as regards the picturesque frontage of the building and the commodious and convenient construction of the interior.” The Royal Patent from the former Theatre Royal, Shakespeare Square, Edinburgh was transferred to the Broughton Street Theatre in 1859 after the Shakespeare Square Theatre was demolished. Sadly in January 1865 the Queen's Theatre and Opera House was also destroyed by fire. [http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Edinburgh/TheatreRoyal.htm]
The Britannia was built by theatre architects Finch Hill & Edward Lewis Paraire and opened on Monday the 8th of November 1858. Located in the east end of London, the Britannia was one of the most important 'Saloon Theatres' of its period. Originally there had been a 'Saloon Theatre' behind the Britannia Public House built for Samuel Lane. This was so successful that in 1858 Lane commissioned Finch Hill & Paraire who had previously built a number of early music halls, to build him a new Theatre with a horse-shoe shaped auditorium. Hoxton.
