Palace Theatre, London was musical director at the theatre from 1900 until 1920. The Marx Brothers appeared at the theatre in 1922, performing selections from their Broadway shows. In 1925, the musical comedy "No, No, Nanette" opened at the Palace Theatre, followed by other musicals, for which the theatre became known. "The Sound of Music" ran for 2,385 performances at the theatre, opening in 1961. "Jesus Christ Superstar" ran from 1972 to 1980, and "Les Misérables" played at the theatre for nineteen years, beginning in 1985. In 1983, Andrew Lloyd Webber purchased and by 1991 had refurbished the theatre. "Monty Python's Spamalot" played
Musical theatre hall, pantomime and burletta dominated the London musical stage into the 1870s. In America, mid-18th century musical theatre entertainments included crude variety revue, which eventually developed into vaudeville, minstrel shows, which soon crossed the Atlantic to Britain, and Victorian burlesque, first popularized in the US by British troupes. A hugely successful musical that premiered in New York in 1866, "The Black Crook", was an original musical theatre piece that conformed to many of the modern definitions of a musical, including dance and original music that helped to tell the story. The spectacular production, famous for its skimpy costumes, ran for