Alhambra Theatre

Alhambra Theatre

:"This article is about the former theatre in London. Alhambra Theatres were located throughout the British Empire, significant examples were located in London, Bradford, Hull and Glasgow. See Alhambra (disambiguation)#Theaters for more disambiguation."Infobox Theatre
name = Alhambra Theatre



caption = The Alhambra Theatre dominated Leicester Square in 1874
address = 23-27 Leicester Square
city = Westminster, London
country =
designation =
latitude = 51.510278
longitude = -0.130278
architect = T. Hayter Lewis
owner =
capacity =
type = Music hall
opened =
yearsactive = 1854-1936
rebuilt = 1866 & 1881 Perry and Reed 1884 Reed 1888 Edward Clark 1892 Clark and Pollard 1897 W. M. Bruton 1912 Frank Matcham
closed =
othernames = 1854 Royal Panopticon 1858 Alhambra Circus 1864 Alhambra Music Hall 1884 Alhambra Theatre Also: Royal Alhambra Palace; Alhambra Theatre of Varieties; Theatre Royal, Alhambra; Great United States Circus and New Alhambra Theatre
production =
currentuse = Odeon Leicester Square (on site)
website =

The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was established in 1854 and demolished in 1936. Its name was adopted by many other English music hall theatres located elsewhere in the metropolis, in Bradford, in Hull and in Glasgow etc. The name comes from association with the Moorish splendour of the Alhambra palace in Granada.

History

Origins

The Alhambra was originally known as "The Royal Panopticon" and was built at 23-27 Leicester Square in 1854 by T. Hayter Lewis as a venue for scientific demonstrations and popular education. This was a commercial failure.

In 1858, the building was converted to the "Alhambra Circus", also by T. Hayter Lewis. It had a convert|104|ft|m|1 frontage and was very tall for the time. It was built in a Moorish style, with lavish fenestration, two towers and a dome, similar to the eponymous Bradford theatre in architectural style. It was a complete contrast with the neighbouring buildings. Inside there was a central rotunda convert|94|ft|m in diameter and convert|94|ft|m high. There was a secondary entrance to the rear on Charing Cross Road [http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Alhambra.htm "Alhambra Theatre" (Arthur Lloyd)] accessed 23 Oct 2007] .

The Leicester Square theatre's name was changed frequently, but usually reflected the building's (very loose) stylistic associations with the celebrated Alhambra in Granada, Spain. By 1864, the circus had become the "Alhambra Music Hall". Rebuildings occurred in 1866 and 1881, by Perry and Reed. From 1871, when it obtained a licence, an equestrian ballet was performed. The "Alhambra" was destroyed by fire in 1882 [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9800E3DA1530E433A25754C0A9649D94639FD7CF&oref=slogin "A London theatre burned: The Alhambra, the home of pageants, totally destroyed" 7 December 1882 ("NY Times")] accessed 23 Oct 2007] , and was rebuilt in a more restrained style by Reed, reopening in 1884 as the "Alhambra Theatre". Further rebuildings were in 1888 by Edward Clark, 1892 by Clark and Pollard, 1897 by W. M. Bruton, and in 1912 by the prolific theatre architect, Frank Matcham. Other names used during the life of the theatre were the "Royal Alhambra Palace; Alhambra Theatre of Varieties; Theatre Royal, Alhambra; Great United States Circus" and "New Alhambra Theatre".

Entertainments

London's Alhambra was predominantly used for the popular entertainment of the day, music hall. The usual music hall acts were performed, as well as the début of Jules Léotard performing his aerial act, above the heads of diners in May 1861. Other entertainments included "patriotic demonstrations" celebrating the British Empire and British military successes. The theatre also staged ballet and light opera. In the 1860s, John Hollingshead took over management at the Alhambra and made it famous for its sumptuous staging, alluring corps de ballet and the notorious front-of-house Promenade bar. [ [Stewart, Maurice. 'The spark that lit the bonfire', in "Gilbert and Sullivan News" (London) Spring 2003.] At its bars, the attractions of the Alhambra's ballet were not merely artistic:

The "Can-Can" as presented at the Alhambra by the 'Parisian Colonna' troupe proved so sexually provocative that in October 1870 the Alhambra was deprived of its dancing license.

Another example of the fare on offer was, this 1882 production, written by Dion Boucicault ["It may be that his diminutive son (Dion Boucicault Jr.) played opposite this statuesque woman.] and J. R. Planche :
[
right|thumb|upright|Programme_cover_from_The Bing Boys Are Here", 1916, with caricatures of Alfred Lester as Oliver and George Robey as Lucifer]

Early films were also a part of the entertainment, with Robert W. Paul, a former collaborator of Birt Acres, presenting his first theatrical programme on 25 March 1896. This included films featuring cartoonist Tom Merry drawing caricatures of the German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II (1895) [ [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/23159 "Tom Merry Lightning Cartoonist, sketching Kaiser Wilhelm II", Birt Acres (1895) (BFI)] accessed 3 Nov 2007] , and Prince Bismarck (1895) [ [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/565486 "Tom Merry Lightning Cartoonist, sketching Bismarck", Birt Acres (1895) (BFI)] accessed 3 Nov 2007] . Merry had previously performed his lightening fast drawing as part of a music hall stage act.

During World War I, a series of hit revues played at the Alhambra that included "The Bing Boys Are Here" (1916), which featured the first performances of the song "If You Were The Only Girl In The World", performed by Violet Lorraine and George Robey [http://firstworldwar.com/audio/Violet%20Lorraine%20and%20George%20Robey%20-%20If%20You%20Were%20The%20Only.mp3] . This was followed by the "The Bing Boys on Broadway" (1917) and "The Bing Boys are There" (1918). The music for the revues was written by Nat D. Ayer with lyrics by Clifford Grey, and the text was by George Grossmith, Jr. [ [http://firstworldwar.com/audio/ifyouweretheonlygirl.htm "If You Were The Only Girl In The World" (First World War)] accessed 24 Oct 2007] .

Like many other theatres, the Alhambra went into decline after World War I due to the increasing popularity of cinema and radio. It was demolished in 1936 to make way for the Odeon Leicester Square, which remains on the site. The entrance on Charing Cross Road has also been demolished and is now a modern office block.

Notes and references

* "Guide to British Theatres 1750-1950", John Earl and Michael Sell pp. 128 (Theatres Trust, 2000) ISBN 0-7136-5688-3

External links

* [http://www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/finding_city_map.asp Bradford Theatres] , incorporating the Alhambra website
* [http://www.victorianlondon.org/entertainment/alhambra.htm Contemporary articles concerned with the former London Alhambra at victorianlondon.org]
* [http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Alhambra.htm Alhambra Theatre History] Archive Material, Information, and Images on the Alhambra Theatre, Leicester Square.


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