London’s Grand Guignol versus the Lord Chamberlain: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Theatre

This chapter tells the story of a theatrical experiment that took on the Lord Chamberlain’s Office and, despite failing, laid the foundations for the future of horror theatre on the English stage. In establishing London’s Grand Guignol in 1920, José Levy knew he would face opposition from George Street, the Reader for the Lord Chamberlain’s Office. The original Parisian Théâtre du Grand-Guignol was notorious for its explicitness and horror, but as part of the post-war popularity of the stage thriller, Levy was confident he could establish a permanent horror theatre in Britain, especially with the assistance of two rising stars, Lewis Casson and Sybil Thorndike. Opening in September 1920, London’s Grand Guignol was an immediate success. The eight seasons it staged over two years attracted enthusiastic audiences and scripts from Noël Coward and others. Core to the story of London’s Grand Guignol is the struggle between Street and what he called “this troublesome theatre”. Many plays were heavily annotated in blue pencil, and some were refused a license outright. The theatre resorted to tricks and subterfuge to outwit Street, but its victories were short-lived and intense scrutiny and censure doomed this theatrical experiment and it closed in June 1922.