Liverpool Empire Theatre
| Liverpool Empire Theatre | |
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 Liverpool Empire Theatre |
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 Location in Merseyside
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| General information | |
| Type | Theatre |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Address | Lime Street |
| Town or city | Liverpool |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°24′32″N 2°58′41″W / 53.4089°N 2.9781°WCoordinates: 53°24′32″N 2°58′41″W / 53.4089°N 2.9781°W |
| Groundbreaking | 1924 |
| Completed | 1925 |
| Opening | 9 March 1925 |
| Renovated | 1977, 1999 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Steel frame |
| Design and construction | |
| Client | Moss Empires |
| Owner | Ambassador Theatre Group |
| Architecture firm | W. and T. R. Milburn |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 2.350 |
| Website | |
| Liverpool Empire Theatre | |
Liverpool Empire Theatre is located on the corner of Lime Street and London Road in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The theatre is the second to be built on the site, and was opened in 1925. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in Britain and can seat 2,350 people. During its time it has hosted many types of entertainment, including variety shows, muscials, operas, pop concerts, and plays. The Beatles appeared in the theatre in their early days. The theatre has hosted two Royal Command Performances and, in 2007, a Royal Variety Performance to mark Liverpool's being designated a European City of Culture the following year. It is sited in the William Brown Street Conservation Area.
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[edit] History
The first theatre on the site, opening on 15 October 1866, was named the "New Prince of Wales Theatre and Opera House". It was at that time Liverpool's largest theatre. On 29 July 1867 its name was changed to the "Royal Alexandra Theatre and Opera House" in honour of Princess Alexandra, Princess of Wales.[1] The theatre closed in 1894, but was re-opened the following year under the ownership of Empire Theatre (Liverpool) Ltd. In 1896 the theatre was sold to Messrs. Moss and Thornton for £30,000 (£2,570,000 as of 2012),[2] and re-named "The Empire".[3] This theatre closed on 16 February 1924, and it was demolished.[1]
It was replaced by the present larger theatre, which opened on 9 March 1925.[1] In 1977 the theatre was still owned by Moss Empires, who were making plans to dispose of it. Two years later it was acquired by Merseyside County Council. During the following two years a total of £680,000 was spent on improving the back stage facilities, and extending the stage and orchestra pit.[3] The theatre underwent a further major refurbishment in 1999; this included increasing the size of the stage and improving the facilities for the audience.[1] By 2002 the theatre was owned by Clear Channel Entertainment.[3] In that year an extension was built on the north side of the building.[4]
[edit] Architecture
[edit] Exterior
The theatre was designed by W. and T. R. Milburn for Moss Empires; the carving and the ornamentation in the auditorium were carried out by E. 0. Griffiths. The building is constructed on a steel frame, with a Portland stone façade and brick elsewhere. The architectural style of the façade is free Neoclassical. The front of the theatre is in five bays, the central three of which have an attic, rising above the two lateral bays. The ground floor of the central bays contains the entrance doors, and over them is a steel canopy decorated with medallions and guilloché bands. The storey above ground level contains the balcony, with single and paired Ionic columns, between which are recessed windows. Over this is a dentilled cornice and the attic. In the first floor of the side bays there are windows in architraves that are flanked by shallow pilasters, above which is a plain parapet.[5]
[edit] Interior
The entrance foyer is on the ground level, with stairs to the balcony on both sides of the foyer. The seats are raked both to the sides and to the rear in order to improve the lines of sight. The internal decoration is in Louis XVI style. It contains "many curious decorative features including carved elephant caryatids".[5]
[edit] Assessment
On 16 October 1990 the theatre was designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.[5] When it was opened its design was considered advanced, owing to the raked seating layout.[5] There are 2,350 seats, Britain's largest two-tier auditorium.[1] It is sited in the William Brown Street Conservation Area.[6]
[edit] Past performances
Performers in the original theatre included George Formby, Sr., Harry Tate, Dan Leno, Florrie Forde, The Two Bobs, and Wilson, Keppel and Betty. The first production in the present theatre was Better Days, starring Stanley Lupino, Maisie Gay and Ruth French.[1] Subsequent performers have included Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Mae West, Laurel and Hardy, Roy Rogers and Trigger, Charlton Heston, Sarah Bernhardt, Henry Irving, Vesta Tilley, and Arthur Askey.[1][7] More recent artists include Johnny Mathis, The Carpenters, Neil Sedaka, The Osmonds, Tommy Steel, Adam Faith, Bruce Forsyth, Victoria Wood, Morecambe and Wise, Ken Dodd, Shirley Bassey, Kate Bush, and Cilla Black. In 1957 a local pop group called The Quarrymen appeared at the theatre. They returned in 1959, having changed their name to "Johnny and the Moondogs". They returned to the Empire again in 1962, now named The Beatles.[1] The Beatles gave their last performance in this theatre on 5 December 1965.[3] During the 1970s two Royal Command Performances were held in the Empire,[7] and in 2007 the theatre was the venue for the Royal Variety Performance. marking Liverpool's being a European City of Culture the following year.[8]
[edit] Present day
The Empire Theatre continues to stage productions in various genres, including musicals, pop concerts, comedians, plays, opera, and wrestling.[9] The theatre is reputed to be haunted by at least two ghosts, one a former painter at the theatre called Len, the other a girl aged about nine or ten in Victorian dress.[1] As of 2011 the Empire is part of the Ambassador Theatre Group.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Pye, Ken (2011), Discover Liverpool, Liverpool: Trinity Mirror Media, pp. 16-17, ISBN 978-1-906802-90-5
- ^ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Lawrence H. Officer (2010) "What Were the UK Earnings and Prices Then?" MeasuringWorth.
- ^ a b c d The Empire Theatre - The History, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/localhistory/journey/lime_street/empire_theatre/theatre.shtml, retrieved 4 August 2011
- ^ Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 326, ISBN 0-300-10910-5
- ^ a b c d "The Empire Theatre, Liverpool", The National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), 2011, http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1252934, retrieved 3 August 2011
- ^ William Brown St Conservation Area, Liverpool City Council, http://www.liverpoolworldheritage.com/visitingthewhs/areas/williambrownstreet/index.asp, retrieved 4 August 2011
- ^ a b An invite to a night at the Empire..., BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/localhistory/journey/lime_street/empire_theatre/programmes.shtml, retrieved 4 August 2011
- ^ 2007, Liverpool Empire, Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, http://www.eabf.org.uk/royal-variety-performance/archive/2000s/2007, retrieved 4 August 2011
- ^ a b What's On, Ambassador Theatre Group, http://www.liverpoolempire.org.uk/whatson.asp?ProductionTitle=&VenueID=99&intPage=2&PageSize=50&page=2, retrieved 4 August 2011
[edit] External links
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