On December 20, 1808, the original Covent Garden Theatre was destroyed by a fire along with most of the scenery, costumes and scripts. The damage was estimated at £150 000. However, a public subscription was introduced by the Duke of York and King George III, which contributed £19 000.

The new theatre opened on September 18, 1809. The cost of constructing and furnishing the building, however, was so high that the management was forced to raise the prices from six shillings to seven for the boxes, from 3 shillings and sixpence to four shillings for the pit, and the third tier, usually reserved for the public, was converted into private boxes at a rent of £300 per year. The gallery price was unchanged, but people inside could only see the legs of the performers.

On the opening night, riots broke out during a performance of Macbeth and continued throughout the play. At the end, the audience refused to leave so Kemble sent for the Bow Street police, but this only made the situation worse, and the rioters did not disperse until 2AM. After the first night, the rioters only came in at half price time, and the inside of the theatre was covered with banners and slogans.

At one point, a coffin was carried in with the message "Here lies the body of the new price, which died of the whooping cough on 23 September 1809, aged 6 days". The riots were to last another 64 days. However, unlike earlier riots, no damage was done to the theatre and the whole affair was done in a "spirit of fun".

Kemble issued an apology and the situation returned to normal, until he tried to maintain half the number of private boxes at the start of the next season - the riots started again, forcing him to withdraw his plan.