The 20th-century theatre was the life's work of actor
Bernard Miles and his wife,
Josephine Wilson. His original Mermaid Theatre was a large hall at his home,
Duff House, St John's Wood, in north west London. It seated 200 people, and during 1951 and 1952 was used for concerts, plays and an opera production of
Dido and Aeneas with
Kirsten Flagstad,
Maggie Teyte and
Thomas Hemsley, conducted by Geraint Jones, which was recorded by
His Master's Voice. For the third season in 1953, the Mermaid Theatre was moved to the
Royal Exchange. Miles was encouraged to build a permanent theatre and, raising money from public subscriptions, and his revenues from publicity spots for the
Egg Marketing Board, he oversaw the creation of the new building on land formerly occupied by a warehouse. The new Mermaid Theatre opened on 28 May 1959 with a production of
Lock Up Your Daughters and it was the venue for many other productions, such as
Cowardy Custard and an annual staging of
Treasure Island, with Miles reprising his role of
Long John Silver, which he also played in a television version. The Mermaid Theatre also ran the Molecule Club, educating children about science. Other notable productions include the 1978 première of
Whose Life Is It Anyway?, with
Tom Conti and
Rona Anderson. and also in 1978
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour by
Tom Stoppard. The
Royal Shakespeare Company sometimes transferred Stratford productions to the Mermaid, including a residency during 1987 which saw the staging of seven plays. Gomba Holdings, a property company owned by Ugandan Asian businessman Abdul Shamji and his family, which claimed to have interests in the
Garrick and
Duchess theatres as well as
Wembley Stadium, bought the theatre in the mid-1980s in the hope of redeveloping the Puddle Dock site. Bernard Miles' tenure as honorary artistic advisor was terminated and the theatre's importance declined. In 1989, Abdul Shamji was sentenced to 15 months in prison over his involvement in the
Johnson Matthey bank collapse. Josephine Wilson died in 1990 and Bernard (by then Lord) Miles died in 1991, financially destitute.
Marc Sinden was appointed
artistic director in 1993, opening the Bernard Miles Studio as a second performance area, but left the next year. After a further change of ownership the theatre was slated for demolition in 2002 as part of redevelopment plans. It had fallen into disuse, the buildings being used more often as a conference centre than a theatre. A preservation campaign by actors and other supporters attempted to reverse the decision. In April 2003
Ken Livingstone, the
Mayor of London, ordered the council to block the demolition. The
BBC Concert Orchestra used it for occasional concerts, and the BBC recorded a weekly radio show,
Friday Night Is Music Night, which showcased musicians such as the violinist
Nigel Kennedy and singer
Josh Groban. ==Loss of theatre status, and redevelopment plans==