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Prince of Wales Theatre, Broad Street, Birmingham

Formerly The Royal Music Hall / Birmingham Music Hall / Prince of Wales Operetta House

Birmingham Index

Above - The Prince Of Wales Theatre, Birmingham From a Programme for 'The Terror' on March 11th 1929

The Prince of Wales Theatre, built on Broad Street, Birmingham at a cost of £12,000, opened on the 3rd of September 1856 as the Royal Music Hall with a production of 'The Messiah.'

Right - Early Programme for Wilson Barrett's Company performing 'Old Love and the New!' at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham in September 1880.

Above - The Vestibule of the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham - From a 1929 Programme.

When W. H. Swanborough bought the Theatre from its original owner, James Scott, in 1862 he renamed the building the Prince of Wales Operetta House which was so named after the marriage of the then Prince of Wales, Edward the VII. The Operetta House part of the name was dropped some years later in 1865.

Above - The Procenium and Curtain of the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham in 1901 - Compare this to the 1929 image below - From 'The Playgoer' 1901 - Courtesy Iain Wotherspoon

Above - The Proscenium, Stage, and some of the Boxes of the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham - Compare this to the 1901 image above - From a 1929 Programme.

James Rodgers took over the Theatre in 1866 and set about enlarging and enhancing the building, and later on his son too refurbished the building before selling it in 1898.

Left - The Saloon of the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham - From a 1929 Programme.

The Theatre was then managed by the actor J. F. Graham until 1911 when Philip Rodway, who was the managing director of the Theatre Royal, Birmingham, took over until his death in 1932.

Right - The Tea Room of the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham - From a 1929 Programme.

Emile Littler became a director of the Theatre in 1935 and put on several Pantomimes there in an attempt to revive the Theatre's fortunes.

The Prince of Wales Theatre was a casualty of one of the first air raids over Birmingham when it took a direct hit on the 9th of April 1941, completely destroying the auditorium and interior.

Left - Programme for 'The Terror' at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham on March 11th 1929. The images of the Theatre on this page come from this programme.

The building remained in this state but never reopened and was eventually demolished in 1987 to make way for its replacement, the New Birmingham Symphony Hall which opened in 1991.

Right - Programme for 'Crusoe's Adventures' at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Broad Street, Birmingham for Monday December 24th 1906 - Click for details.

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