WEBVTT
1
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In London. The theateral Drury Lane is one of the
2
00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:07.120
oldest performance spaces in the UK, named after Sir Robert Jury,
3
00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:09.800
who built a magnificent mansion on the land at the
4
00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:13.439
turn of the sixteenth century. But after his descendant's death
5
00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:17.600
in sixteen fifteen, the building underwent many iterations and new ownership.
6
00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.800
The Earl of Craven took it over and it became
7
00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:23.960
a London townhouse, then a public bar and tavern, which
8
00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.879
served as a tribute to his mistress, the Queen of Bohemia.
9
00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:29.719
The structure as we know it today dates back to
10
00:00:29.719 --> 00:00:33.359
eighteen fifteen, and the restoration and repurposing happened following a
11
00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:38.439
devastating fire two years earlier. Inside the plush, furnished and
12
00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:41.759
lavish auditorium, almost every actor worthy of his name, as
13
00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:47.200
great stage performances, notorious and legendary, have been enjoyed and endured.
14
00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:51.280
The entire gamut of theatrical talent as trodden these boards.
15
00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:55.320
But there is one patron who pays no ticket, who
16
00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.520
reserves no seat, who seems to be simply present to
17
00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:04.599
enjoy the show, free gratis, unchallenged and unsullied. He is
18
00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:08.040
a smartly dressed gent the garments and fashions of the
19
00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:10.959
late eighteenth century mark him out from the Murden crowd.
20
00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:14.359
Every time he appears, it's almost always the same time,
21
00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:18.120
almost to the minute. Early performances and perhaps tea time
22
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.879
shows are good for his regular favorite. His position in
23
00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:24.439
the theater is always the same, a modest seat with
24
00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:27.879
a good view from the upper circle, and there he
25
00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:30.400
remains for as long as he wishes, but never more
26
00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:33.680
than ten minutes before he rises from his sedentary position
27
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.920
and walks across the theater and through a wall. One
28
00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:40.359
actor who had to show almost halted by seeing this
29
00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:44.239
mysterious figure was Morgan Davis. A production of Carousel had
30
00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:46.640
been going well when Davis noticed the man in the
31
00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:50.159
upper circle. His eyes firmly fixed on the actor. They
32
00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:52.519
seem to lock looks, and after a short while, the
33
00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:55.680
man rose and stretched out his arm. It was then
34
00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:58.439
that David surrealized a truth which almost made him lose
35
00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:03.079
his cue. See right through this gent he was clearly there,
36
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:07.760
but he was also not. Morgan Davis is not the
37
00:02:07.799 --> 00:02:12.120
only witness to this mysterious audience. During a rehearsal for
38
00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:16.479
a large ensemble production, fifty actors were on stage when
39
00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:20.719
the onlooker made his appearance, those actors saw exactly the
40
00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:25.199
same thing. A mass sighting cannot really be discounted. So
41
00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:28.319
who is this fan of theater, this ticket evading entity?
42
00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:31.319
Theory is abound, but one which seems to hold the
43
00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:34.000
most credibility is that of a shade of a spirit
44
00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:36.319
of a man whose remains were found in the building
45
00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:40.360
in eighteen forty eight. As workmen performed renovations in the
46
00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.520
middle of the nineteenth century, they uncovered a false wall
47
00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:46.639
at the back of the upper circle, though on behind
48
00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:49.319
had been secreted and walled up, and on removing the
49
00:02:49.319 --> 00:02:52.840
brick work, they discovered a body. The man in question
50
00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:55.680
had not had a peaceful end. He had been placed
51
00:02:55.719 --> 00:02:59.960
into the crevice, presumably already dead, with a large knife
52
00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.360
protruding from his ribs. The specter, though has never caused
53
00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:07.680
alarm or unease. His presence is seen as something of
54
00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:11.520
a welcome attraction to audience goers and staff alike, and
55
00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.319
those making a production regard him as a good omen,
56
00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:18.280
as he only ever deigns to attend productions which subsequently
57
00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:19.360
become successful
1
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.640
In London. The theateral Drury Lane is one of the
2
00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:07.120
oldest performance spaces in the UK, named after Sir Robert Jury,
3
00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:09.800
who built a magnificent mansion on the land at the
4
00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:13.439
turn of the sixteenth century. But after his descendant's death
5
00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:17.600
in sixteen fifteen, the building underwent many iterations and new ownership.
6
00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.800
The Earl of Craven took it over and it became
7
00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:23.960
a London townhouse, then a public bar and tavern, which
8
00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.879
served as a tribute to his mistress, the Queen of Bohemia.
9
00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:29.719
The structure as we know it today dates back to
10
00:00:29.719 --> 00:00:33.359
eighteen fifteen, and the restoration and repurposing happened following a
11
00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:38.439
devastating fire two years earlier. Inside the plush, furnished and
12
00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:41.759
lavish auditorium, almost every actor worthy of his name, as
13
00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:47.200
great stage performances, notorious and legendary, have been enjoyed and endured.
14
00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:51.280
The entire gamut of theatrical talent as trodden these boards.
15
00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:55.320
But there is one patron who pays no ticket, who
16
00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.520
reserves no seat, who seems to be simply present to
17
00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:04.599
enjoy the show, free gratis, unchallenged and unsullied. He is
18
00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:08.040
a smartly dressed gent the garments and fashions of the
19
00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:10.959
late eighteenth century mark him out from the Murden crowd.
20
00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:14.359
Every time he appears, it's almost always the same time,
21
00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:18.120
almost to the minute. Early performances and perhaps tea time
22
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.879
shows are good for his regular favorite. His position in
23
00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:24.439
the theater is always the same, a modest seat with
24
00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:27.879
a good view from the upper circle, and there he
25
00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:30.400
remains for as long as he wishes, but never more
26
00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:33.680
than ten minutes before he rises from his sedentary position
27
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.920
and walks across the theater and through a wall. One
28
00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:40.359
actor who had to show almost halted by seeing this
29
00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:44.239
mysterious figure was Morgan Davis. A production of Carousel had
30
00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:46.640
been going well when Davis noticed the man in the
31
00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:50.159
upper circle. His eyes firmly fixed on the actor. They
32
00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:52.519
seem to lock looks, and after a short while, the
33
00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:55.680
man rose and stretched out his arm. It was then
34
00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:58.439
that David surrealized a truth which almost made him lose
35
00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:03.079
his cue. See right through this gent he was clearly there,
36
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:07.760
but he was also not. Morgan Davis is not the
37
00:02:07.799 --> 00:02:12.120
only witness to this mysterious audience. During a rehearsal for
38
00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:16.479
a large ensemble production, fifty actors were on stage when
39
00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:20.719
the onlooker made his appearance, those actors saw exactly the
40
00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:25.199
same thing. A mass sighting cannot really be discounted. So
41
00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:28.319
who is this fan of theater, this ticket evading entity?
42
00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:31.319
Theory is abound, but one which seems to hold the
43
00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:34.000
most credibility is that of a shade of a spirit
44
00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:36.319
of a man whose remains were found in the building
45
00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:40.360
in eighteen forty eight. As workmen performed renovations in the
46
00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.520
middle of the nineteenth century, they uncovered a false wall
47
00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:46.639
at the back of the upper circle, though on behind
48
00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:49.319
had been secreted and walled up, and on removing the
49
00:02:49.319 --> 00:02:52.840
brick work, they discovered a body. The man in question
50
00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:55.680
had not had a peaceful end. He had been placed
51
00:02:55.719 --> 00:02:59.960
into the crevice, presumably already dead, with a large knife
52
00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.360
protruding from his ribs. The specter, though has never caused
53
00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:07.680
alarm or unease. His presence is seen as something of
54
00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:11.520
a welcome attraction to audience goers and staff alike, and
55
00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.319
those making a production regard him as a good omen,
56
00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:18.280
as he only ever deigns to attend productions which subsequently
57
00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:19.360
become successful
