The Theatre Royal, Queen Street, Glasgow

View of the Theatre Royal, Queen Street, drawn by James Denholm and engraved by Robert Scott.

In Glasgow and its Clubs, 1856, writing about The What-You-Please Club, John Strang commented about the theatre, pages 319-20: “It was here that Kean first enunciated in Scotland, amid breathless silence , “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer!” – that Miss O’Neil, as Mrs. Beverley, roused the feeling to such a pitch, as nightly to cause ladies to be carried out insensible from the boxes – that Miss Stevens’ siren voice first charmed the Glasgow musicante – that John Sinclair aided her in the duets in “Rob Roy” and “Guy Mannering” – that Miss M. Tree drew forth a never-failing encore after her “Home, sweet home!” – and Madame Catalani first, and many times afterwards, exhibited the powers of her unrivalled vocalisation, and excited that never-to-be-forgotten burst of patriotic approbation, when pouring out, in triumphant notes, above band and chorus, “Britannia rules the waves!”