Royal Hippodrome Theatre

Last updated

Royal Hippodrome Theatre
Theatre Royal and Opera House
TheRoyalHippodrome2018.jpg
Royal Hippodrome Theatre
AddressSeaside Road
Eastbourne, East Sussex
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Coordinates 50°46′08″N0°17′32″E / 50.7689°N 0.2922°E / 50.7689; 0.2922
Owner Eastbourne Borough Council
Designation Grade II listed
Type Variety theatre
Capacity 516 on 3 levels
Construction
Opened2 August 1883
Rebuilt1990 proscenium arch and boxes refurbished

2018 facade restored

2023 auditorium restored
Architect Charles J. Phipps
Website
www.royalhippodrome.com

The Royal Hippodrome Theatre is a theatre in Eastbourne which dates back to 1883, making it the oldest theatre in the town. It was designed and built for the theatre manager and impresario George Beaumont Loveday by the eminent theatre architect C J Phipps. The venue has been host to one of the longest running summer seasons in the country for several years, opening in April and closing in October. [1]

Contents

History of the theatre

Origins and early years

The Royal Hippodrome Theatre opened on Thursday 2 August 1883. At the time Eastbourne was emerging as a highly fashionable destination, encouraged by regular visits from the Prince of Wales.

Its original name "Theatre Royal and Opera House" survived for about 20 years but from around 1904 it became The Royal Hippodrome Theatre. The reason for the name change is unclear, but it seems to mirror a change in style and use. In the early days plays and light opera (including the touring company of the D'Oyly Carte) were presented but these gradually gave way to music hall and variety shows. Music hall programmes had been staged in the Bourne Inn in nearby Pevensey Road until around 1900, and it is true that the Royal Hippodrome Theatre was, and still is at the unfashionable end of town.

The music hall star Vesta Tilley appeared on a bill here in May 1903. The theatre also attracted several other star names during the music hall era including Harry Houdini, Marie Lloyd, Albert Chevalier, Little Tich, Charlie Chaplin, Gracie Fields, Harry Lauder, George Robey, Flanagan and Allen and Max Miller.

Although the foyer was substantially remodelled during the 1930s, the auditorium remains much as it was in 1883. From 1933 summer repertory variety flourished with the Eastbourne Players (a stock company) – there was a resident orchestra of 13 under the baton of Mr Alfred Brocklebank and a permanent theatre staff of 40.

The theatre closed for part of the Second World War, though not before a young Hylda Baker had graced its boards in early 1942. The streets to the east became known as "Hellfire Corner" as they were heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe. The theatre itself escaped a direct hit, almost miraculously since The Lion pub and Caffyn's motor garage only yards away were obliterated; however blast damage caused much of the theatre's original ornate plaster work to be damaged beyond repair, and later this had to be removed.

Many local people still remember with fondness seeing the likes of Elsie and Doris Waters, Harry Secombe, Tod Slaughter (on his farewell tour), Frankie Vaughan, Norman Wisdom, Russ Conway, Diverse Opera and Bruce Forsyth.

The theatre continued in private ownership until 1958 when, with declining audience numbers, the company was forced to look for a buyer. Around that time Southern TV were interested in purchasing the building for a TV studio but negotiations fell through and the building was bought by Eastbourne Borough Council.

In the 1970s it was the summer season for old Hollywood musical extracts, attracting many of the elderly residents and holiday makers, reminiscing of years gone by.

2000s - 2010s

At the end 2007 Eastbourne Borough Council took the lease back from Matthews Productions. In 2008 Eastbourne Borough Council spent a considerable amount of money on the theatre to bring it up to date with current legislation. The venue was completely rewired and numerous improvements were made backstage. It also had a brand new emergency lighting and fire detection system installed. Eastbourne Theatres brought in a new producer to stage a show for the summer season that year and due to the refurbishments opened slightly later than normal. The show's producer was That's Entertainment Productions who staged the show Those Variety Days.

In 2009, in an attempt to boost audience figures, Matthews Productions returned to the Royal Hippodrome as a production company, with Eastbourne Theatres continuing to operate the venue. [2]

For the summer Season 2012, Lee Moon Productions produced Sentimental Journey with headliner Jimmy Cricket, with the Eastbourne Hospitality Association as its promoter, advertising the show in the many hotels in the town. The season ran from May to September. The Royal Hippodrome Trust was supposed to be running the theatre from 2012, but owing to circumstances they were not in a position to run the season and so the local hoteliers persuaded the council to support it.

In 2013 the Trust were again asked whether they would be able to take over the running of the theatre, but they were unable to, so the council looked for an alternative solution. On 6 February 2013 the Cabinet of the council unanimously agreed a proposal led by two hoteliers to take over the running of the theatre on a licence for one year (RHT Management) with the aim of setting up a community interest company in 2014. The proposal also included a plan to relocate the Eastbourne Hospitality Association to the theatre so that a part-time tourist information centre could be operated from the building, giving it a more open presence.

Present day

The theatre is now run by local couple Alex and Debbie Adams, who took over the theatre in 2018.

The venue has since undergone major restorative works including a facade restoration in 2018, a foyer extension in 2019 and a major restoration of the theatre's auditorium which coincided with the theatre's 140th anniversary year.

Paul McCartney and Wings used the theatre for three weeks in 1979 as their rehearsal space before embarking on their 1979 UK tour.

The theatre featured as the setting for the opening sequence of the first episode of series 3 of French and Saunders in 1990. During a parody of The Sound Of Music, both the stage and the side path to the stage door are used.

In December 2008, Noel Edmonds and the television channel Sky1 used the theatre to record the programme Noel's Christmas Presents which was broadcast on Christmas Day.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Ballet and Opera</span> Performing arts venue in London, England

The Royal Ballet and Opera, formerly the Royal Opera House (ROH), is a historic opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The first theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal (1732), served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later, the first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel, began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hippodrome, London</span> Historic building and casino in London

The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survivors. Hippodrome is an archaic word referring to places that host horse races and other forms of equestrian entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavilion Theatre (Glasgow)</span>

The Pavilion Theatre is a theatre in Glasgow located on Renfield Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre Royal, Glasgow</span>

The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow and the longest running in Scotland. Located at 282 Hope Street, its front door was originally round the corner in Cowcaddens Street. It currently accommodates 1,541 people and is owned by Scottish Opera. The theatre opened in 1867, adopting the name Theatre Royal two years later. It is also the birthplace of Howard & Wyndham Ltd, owners and managers of theatres in Scotland and England until the 1970s, created by its chairman Baillie Michael Simons in 1895. It was Simons who as a cultural entrepreneur of his day also promoted the building of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and Glasgow's International Exhibitions of 1888 and 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawth Theatre</span> Theater in Crawley, England

The Hawth Theatre is an arts and entertainment complex located in 38 acres (150,000 m2) of woodland about 0.5 mi (800 m) from the town centre of the English town of Crawley. It is wholly owned by Crawley Borough Council and is currently operated by Parkwood Theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Opera House, Belfast</span> Building in Belfast, UK

The Grand Opera House is a theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by the most prolific theatre architect of the period, Frank Matcham. It opened on 23 December 1895. According to the Theatres Trust, the "magnificent auditorium is probably the best surviving example in the United Kingdom of the oriental style applied to theatre architecture". The auditorium was restored to its former glory, and the foyer spaces and bars were reimagined and developed as part of a £12.2 million project in 2020/2021, generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. [1]

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golders Green Hippodrome</span> Theatre in London

The Golders Green Hippodrome was built in 1913 by Bertie Crewe as a 3,000-seat music hall, to serve North London and the new London Underground Northern line expansion into Golders Green in the London Borough of Barnet, London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. J. Phipps</span> English architect

Charles John Phipps was an English architect known for more than 50 theatres he designed in the latter half of the 19th century, including several important ones in London. He is noted for his design of the Theatre Royal, Exeter, which caught fire in 1887, killing 186 visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre Royal, Bath</span> Theatre in Bath, England

The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audience of around 900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Theatre (Melbourne)</span> Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Princess Theatre, originally Princess's Theatre, is a 1452-seat theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1854 and rebuilt in 1886 to a design by noted Melbourne architect William Pitt, it is the oldest surviving entertainment site on mainland Australia. Built in an elaborate Second Empire style, it reflects the opulence of the "Marvellous Melbourne" boom period, and had a number of innovative features, including state of the art electric stage lighting and the world's first sliding ceiling, which was rolled back on warm nights to give the effect of an open-air theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Hippodrome</span> Former theater in New York CIty

The Hippodrome Theatre, also called the New York Hippodrome, was a theater located on Sixth Avenue between West 43rd and West 44th Streets in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater operated from 1905 to 1939 and was called the world's largest theater by its builders, with a seating capacity of 5,300 and a stage measuring 100 by 200 feet. It had state-of-the-art theatrical technology, including a tank built into the stage apron that could be filled with water for aquatic performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackney Empire</span> Theatre on Mare Street in the London Borough of Hackney, London, England

Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by The Guardian as "the most beautiful theatre in London" it is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Theatre, Edinburgh</span> Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland

The King's Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton</span> Theatre in Wolverhampton, England

The Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, commonly known as The Grand, is a theatre located on Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton. The theatre was designed in 1894 by Architect Charles J. Phipps. It is a Grade II Listed Building with a seating capacity of 1200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connaught Theatre</span> Theatre and cinema in West Sussex, England

The Connaught Theatre is a Streamline Moderne-style theatre and cinema in the centre of Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Built as the Picturedrome cinema in 1914, the venue was extended in 1935 and became the new home of the Connaught Theatre. The theatre houses touring West End theatre productions, musicals, thrillers, dramas and children's productions. Since 1987, it has been a dual use cinema/theatre with two screens, and has a seating capacity of 512. When it opened, it was a rare example of a conversion from a cinema to a theatre: the reverse was much more common in 1930s Britain, when many theatres became cinemas. The Connaught Studio, next door, was the venue for the short-lived The End of the Pier International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal & Derngate</span> Theatre in Northampton

Royal & Derngate is a theatre complex in the Cultural Quarter of Northampton, England, consisting of the Royal Theatre, Derngate Theatre and the Northampton Filmhouse. The Royal was built by theatre architect Charles J. Phipps and opened in 1884. Ninety-nine years later in 1983, Derngate, designed by RHWL, was built to the rear of the Royal. Whilst the two theatres were physically linked, they did not combine organisations until a formal merger in 1999; they are run by the Northampton Theatres Trust. The Royal Theatre, established as a producing house, has a capacity of 450 seats and since 1976 has been designated a Grade II listed building; Derngate Theatre seats a maximum of 1,200 and is a multi-purpose space in which the auditorium can be configured for a variety of events including theatre, opera, live music, dance, fashion and sports. The Northampton Filmhouse, an independent cinema built to the side of the complex, opened in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton Hippodrome</span> Historic site in East Sussex, United Kingdom

Brighton Hippodrome is an entertainment venue in Brighton, England. It was built in 1897 and closed in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Theatre Royal</span> Theatre in Portsmouth, England

The New Theatre Royal is a Victorian Grade II* listed theatre in the heart of Portsmouth, England, with a capacity of 648. The theatre building was constructed in 1854 as Landport Hall. It was converted to a theatre two years later. It was rebuilt in 1884 by Charles J. Phipps and again in 1900 by Frank Matcham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre in Birmingham</span>

Birmingham is an important centre for theatre in the United Kingdom. The earliest known performances in the city were medieval pageants and miracle plays. Birmingham's first permanent theatres and theatrical companies were founded in the 1740s, drawing both actors and performance styles from the fashionable theatres of London. During World War II, the Birmingham Blitz forced all performance venues in the city to close; most would stay closed throughout the war. The postwar introduction of television led to further theatre closures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard O'Donoghue (actor)</span> Actor, theatrical entrepreneur and administrator

John Christopher Richard O'Donoghue was an English actor, theatrical entrepreneur and administrator. After training as an actor he performed in repertoire before his call-up in World War II. He served in the British Indian Army and by the end of hostilities had risen to the rank of major. After demobilisation he briefly returned to acting before working for 15 years in management and production in the West End theatre in London, firstly with theatrical entrepreneurs Sir Bronson Albery and his son Sir Donald Albery and then in partnership with Gervase Farjeon. In 1967 he became Registrar and Administrator of RADA, a position of influence over generations of acting and theatre production students which he held for 20 years until his retirement.

References

  1. "Eastbourne Borough Council – Theatres" . Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  2. The Argus, 26 March 2010. "Hooked on Laughter". Retrieved 12 May 2013