The new Mermaid Theatre opened on May 28, 1959 with a successful production of "Lock Up Your Daughters" and it was the venue for many other very successful productions, such as "Cowardy Custard" (often cited as responsible for the revival of interest in Noël Coward's works) and including 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.