Under the spotlight

Words by Mark Langshaw

Theatre is as much a part of Merseyside’s illustrious history as Beatlemania and football glory, and 2016 is shaping up to be a milestone year for performing arts in the region. Many of the Liverpool City Region’s most historic venues, including the Empire Theatre, the Epstein and the Royal Court are busy celebrating landmark anniversaries and transformations in true thespian style.

Your Move is getting in on the act with a look at how the region’s theatres are marking a standout year and why they remain an important part of Liverpool’s renowned cultural offering.

A royal guest

A theatre has stood proudly on the corner of Lime Street since 1866 when the Alexandra opened its doors, passing the thespian baton onto the Empire in 1925.

Now one of Liverpool’s most important cultural landmarks, the venue will celebrate 150 years of performing arts at the site in 2016 with a visit from a special royal guest. Prince Edward will attend a Royal Gala performance of ‘Blood Brothers’ on 29 September, accompanied by a regal entourage.

This won’t be the first time the Empire has hosted royalty, with two Royal Command Performances and a Royal Variety Performance taking place at the Neoclassical building in the past.

Other highlights from its history include appearances by Laurel and Hardy and Frankie Vaughn in the 1950s and The Beatles at the peak of their popularity a decade later. These days, it’s a go-to place for hit stage shows, from ‘Les Miserables’ to ‘The Phantom of the Opera’.

The current incarnation of the Empire is larger than the Alexandra before it, but the original building’s proscenium arch was retained and remains one of its most recognisable features.

Since the turn of the millennium, renovation work has brought the building up to date by adding a glass atrium containing the box office, bar and three floors of multi-function space to its façade.

The Playhouse turns 150

Like the Empire, the Liverpool Playhouse also celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, having begun life as the Star Concert Hall in 1866.

Since becoming a theatre in 1912, the venue has played host to legendary thespians, including Anthony Hopkins, Michael Gambon, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen.

The Playhouse continued to attract big names into the 20th century, with David Scase, Leslie Lawton, and William Gaunt among those handed artistic tenures there.

In 2000, the Playhouse joined forces with the Everyman to form the Liverpool & Merseyside Theatres Trust under joint chief executives Gemma Bodinetz and Deborah Aydon.

The Everyman & Playhouse will soon be announcing their autumn season which will include details of how the Playhouse’s 150th anniversary will be marked.

Theatre history rewritten 

The Epstein Theatre became an unexpected addition to the 100 club in 2016 when a local historian discovered evidence proving it opened three years later than originally reported.

Dingle scholar Philip Mayer unearthed documents which indicate the Grade II-listed Hanover Street venue launched as Crane’s Concert Hall on 3 February 1916.

The Epstein has had turbulent history since being purchased by the Liverpool Corporation and renamed The Neptune Theatre in 1967. When the venue was threatened with closure in the early ‘90s, a number of high-profile performers including Dame Judi Dench fought its corner.

Following a stint as a comedy club, it was shut down in 2005 before a £1.2 million refurb brought it back into use as the Epstein, named in honour of former Beatles manager Brian Epstein.

Since then, it’s found success as a comedy, music and theatre venue, attracting big stars to a relatively small stage. Highlights from its back catalogue include Broadway show ‘Lennon Through a Glass Onion’, the Sound City music festival and a BBC shoot with Steve Coogan.

Beside the seaside

Theatre is a great tradition across the Liverpool City Region, with venues in areas like Southport and New Brighton also flying the flag for performing arts.

The Atkinson in Southport is just two years shy of its 140th anniversary, having launched as the Atkinson Art Gallery and Library in 1878.

Its current incarnation, which opened in 2013, plays a vital role in the community as cultural hub housing theatre space, a studio, cafe, shop, exhibition spaces, library and a museum.

New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion celebrated its centenary three years ago but the version which rose from its foundations during the town’s regeneration in 2008 is unrecognisable from the venue which drew international stars like Ben E King and Geno Washington during the seaside town’s heyday.

That isn’t to say the contemporary Floral Pavillion is any less important to New Brighton, however, now hosting a range of shows from theatre productions to comedy gigs, including sell-out performances from international acts like Russell Watson, John Bishop, and Marc Almond.

A Picture of the Past

Not one to be upstaged, the Royal Court Theatre is piecing together the past to create a complete picture of its history as it approaches its 80th anniversary.

The theatre’s documented history was patchy, with no written archive covering the period from 1943 onwards, so the Royal Court Trust made a call to anyone who’s seen a show, worked there or performed on its stage since to tell their stories at a special event last month.

The Our Stories campaign topped up the Royal Court’s archive and the materials gathered are due to appear in an exhibition organised in conjunction with Liverpool John Moores University later this year. Members of the public are still welcome to contribute artefacts and memories.

Although the site’s heritage stretches further back, the Royal Court as we know it opened in 1938 as a striking Art Deco venue for plays and concerts.

In the ensuing years, the theatre drew huge names such as Ivor Novello, Richard Burton and Judi Dench, who made her professional stage debut there, aged 22.

In 1980, the theatre was snapped up by two former Liverpool taxi drivers who took it in a radically different direction, positioning it as a rock and pop venue.

Highlights from this illustrious chapter of its life include Slade’s final concert with their original line-up, Def Leppard music video shoots and performances from REM, U2, Rage Against the Machine and George Michael, who have all achieved global stardom.

These days, the theatre is embracing its roots by hosting popular stage productions including ‘Brick Up the Mersey Tunnel’, ‘Slappers and Slapheads’ and Willy Russell’s ‘Stags and Hens’.

The building itself is also undergoing a phased transformation, with plans in motion to turn the neighbouring Penny Farthing pub into a pre and post-show drinks venue.