Nottingham Empire - Programme, 1925
Title
Nottingham Empire - Programme, 1925
Date
21 September 1925
Description
Programme for variety show at the Nottingham Empire, the sister venue to the Theatre Royal Nottingham.
What's the story?
In 1897 Moss Empires the owners of the Theatre Royal commissioned renowned and prolific architect Frank Matcham to renovate the venue, as well as to build a new theatre next door on North Sherwood Street.
The Empire Palace of Varieties with its fine Anglo-Indian interior, opened on 28 February 1898 and played host to a variety of acts and performers over the coming decades, including such legendary figures as Charlie Chaplin, Houdini and Laurel and Hardy.
Comedian Ken Dodd made his first professional appearance on the Empire stage in September 1954.
With the rise of cinema and television during the 1950s, traditional music hall entertainment was soon dying out and the Empire played host to striptease shows in its final years. It closed its doors in 1958 and was demolished a decade later, making way for the Royal Concert Hall which took its place as the Theatre Royal’s sister venue in 1982.
Whilst this digital archive is predominantly concerned with the Theatre Royal, the Empire has an important role to play in that same heritage and so this Empire programme is displayed here as being the oldest one we have from that venue.
Amongst this Monday night variety line-up of comedians, performers and equilibrists is Robb Wilton, an influential comedian, who plied his trade during the hey-day of music-hall, with his dry Lancashire humour and his catch-phrase “The day war broke out …”
As you can see from the programme the Theatre Royal is acknowledged and promoted with its performances in the same week of The Dee Cee Company in Rain.
The Empire Manager is listed as C.B. Fountaine. His Christmas card from the previous year in 1924 is linked below.
The Empire Palace of Varieties with its fine Anglo-Indian interior, opened on 28 February 1898 and played host to a variety of acts and performers over the coming decades, including such legendary figures as Charlie Chaplin, Houdini and Laurel and Hardy.
Comedian Ken Dodd made his first professional appearance on the Empire stage in September 1954.
With the rise of cinema and television during the 1950s, traditional music hall entertainment was soon dying out and the Empire played host to striptease shows in its final years. It closed its doors in 1958 and was demolished a decade later, making way for the Royal Concert Hall which took its place as the Theatre Royal’s sister venue in 1982.
Whilst this digital archive is predominantly concerned with the Theatre Royal, the Empire has an important role to play in that same heritage and so this Empire programme is displayed here as being the oldest one we have from that venue.
Amongst this Monday night variety line-up of comedians, performers and equilibrists is Robb Wilton, an influential comedian, who plied his trade during the hey-day of music-hall, with his dry Lancashire humour and his catch-phrase “The day war broke out …”
As you can see from the programme the Theatre Royal is acknowledged and promoted with its performances in the same week of The Dee Cee Company in Rain.
The Empire Manager is listed as C.B. Fountaine. His Christmas card from the previous year in 1924 is linked below.
Type
Programe
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researcher: David Longford
