In 1879 the house was taken over by the Bancrofts, who re-opened the theatre with a revival of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's "Money", followed by Victorien Sardou's "Odette" (for which they engaged Madame Helena Modjeska) and "Fedora", and Arthur Wing Pinero's "Lords and Commons", with other revivals of previous successes. The auditorium had been reconstructed, and the stage enclosed in a complete picture frame proscenium, the first in London. The abolition of the pit by the introduction of stalls seating divided by plain iron arms caused the opening night play, "Money", on 31 January 1880, to be delayed for half an hour while the audience in the galleries expressed their anger. Mr. Bancroft, in the character of Sir Frederick Blount, vainly endeavoured to pacify them, until he bluntly asked whether the play should proceed and thus obtained silence. The Bancrofts gave up management of the theatre in 1885.