ACT TWO: SECRET COVENT GARDEN

Musical Theatre aficionados know Covent Garden as the place Eliza Doolittle sold her flowers in My Fair Lady. Originally the grounds of a Benedictine convent (from where the name derives), the site has actually been a sacred site since at least 410AD. Many of the area’s streets still bear names indicating their original use and geography (for example The Strand, which name means “beach” indicating just how far the river Thames once encroached. Nowadays, the area is known for its boutique shops, street entertainers and numerous theatres and opera houses. We reveal Covent Garden’s fascinating history, rich with intrigue and scandal; the royal love affair conducted through secret underground tunnels, the rise and ruin of Oscar Wilde, a bloody theatrical murder and the warring wits of Gilbert & Sullivan…and so much more!