Manchester Palace and Opera House Short Videos Collection (playlist)
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| Manchester Opera House in Manchester, England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The New Theatre, as it was named, opened on Boxing Day 1912. Struggling to compete with o
ther establishments, it was sold to United Theatre Ltd in 1915 and was renamed the New Queens Theatre.
Between the years of 1916 and 1920, Sir Thomas Beecham chose to perform there on several occasions and it was in honour of this great man that, in August of that year, the theatre was renamed The Opera House.
Over the years this building has ‘seen’ life change around her. Surviving the Second World War, it operated as a cinema for a time and later became a bingo hall.
In 1984 the Opera House became a theatre once more and over the years, has staged the most magnificent shows such as Barnum, Phantom of the Opera, Oliver and many more.
After major refurbishment in 2003 the Opera House continues to attract the best in entertainment, standing proud on Quay Street as a part of Manchester History.
Palace Theatre Manchester Overview
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| Palace Theatre, Manchester (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
In 1913, the interior of the theatre was renovated under the direction of architect Bertie Crew and re-opened after seven months with Harry Houdini - and a much reduced seating capacity of 2600! The Palace Theatre, always in tune to the taste of the audience, captured the heady atmosphere of the 1920’s and 1930’s with extravagant revues, full-length musicals and lavish pantomimes. The 1940’s brought the stars of radio whilst the 1950’s and 1960’s saw everything from ballet to be-bop, opera to rock ‘n’ roll, Hamlet to Look Back in Anger and The Dancing Years to Guys and Dolls.
In the late 1970’s the Palace Theatre underwent a major refurbishment, extending the stage and dressing room facilities to accommodate such high-profile companies as the Covent Garden Opera and the Kirov Ballet and restoring the auditorium and Front of House facilities to their Edwardian splendor.
The Theatre re-opened in 1981 with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar and has retained its position as the premier provincial touring venue with productions ranging from Nicholas Nickleby to Les Miserables; the Covent Garden Opera to Saturday Night Fever; Luciano Pavarotti to Victoria Wood and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast to King Lear.
Chronicling its great history, the Palace Theatre has an extensive programme archive, a 1,000 Hall of Fame named supplement, detailed prime source material from the 1890’s and a thirty-page history of the theatre.
More info: http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/manchester/
