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Theatres, Halls and Related Articles for Dublin, Ireland Queen's Theatre
Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed in Dublin at the Rotundo, The Queen's Theatre and The Star 1867, 1868, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1874, 1879, 1880, 1892 Mr. Arthur Lloyd. - On this side of the Channel "Comic" Concerts, or buffo singing of any kind, were almost entirely unknown, until Mr. Lloyd, some nine months ago, introduced them to this city, and met with the most marked and brilliant success. The concert on Monday evening was opened by "The Street Musician," given by Mr. Lloyd in his best style, and varied by his burlesque clarinet performance, which was really the best thing we have ever heard. Mr. Lloyd also gave "Beef, Pork, and Mutton," "Cruel Mary Holder," "The Millingtary Band," "Song of Songs," and finished with the renowned "Constantionople." It is needless to observe that he was encored and cheered in each till the large Pillar Room, crowded densely in every part, rang again with applause. Altogether the success of Mr. Lloyd and his petite company was both real, unequivocal, and deserved. More we cannot say, but must leave the endorsing of our opinion to our readers, who should not fail to visit Mr. Lloyd's salon during his twelve night's stay in the city. Dublin Shipping Mercantile Gazette, Oct 23, 1866. - Click here for the Arthur Lloyd Song Book which this review came from. For a detailed and fascinating look at Dublin's history click here... |
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Theatre Royal, Hawkins Street, Dublin, Ireland
Above - The Theatre Royal, Dublin - Courtesy McLaughlin &
Harvey Ltd From their 'Centenary booklet 1853 - 1953'
This first Theatre Royal in Hawkins Street was totally destroyed by fire in 1880. A new Theatre with the same name was built on the site of the old which opened on the 13th of December 1897. This new Theatre Royal presented every type of entertainment from Pantomime to Variety. The second Theatre Royal was finally demolished in the early 1930s and yet another new Theatre Royal arose in its place, opening on the 23rd of September 1935. Right - Souvenir Programme for the opening of the New Theatre Royal, Hawkins Street, Dublin on September 23rd 1935. - Click to see the entire programme with many articles about the Theatre. This Theatre was designed by the architect, Leslie Norton and had an Art Deco exterior and, in contrast, a Middle Eastern Moorish interior. The Theatre had a 40 foot stage depth and was fitted with a large screen for Cinema use. Sadly this Theatre succumbed to the pressures of other media such as Television and was finally closed on June the 30th 1962 and subsequently demolished. For a great deal more information on the Theatre Royals, Dublin with pictures and articles from the opening Souvenir Programme of the 1935 Theatre click here... There was also a Theatre Royal in Smock Alley, Dublin
which was the first custom built theatre in the city. It opened in
1637. The Theatre Royal, Smock Alley was demolished and rebuilt in
1735 but finally closed for good in 1787. |
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Queen's Theatre,
Brunswick Street, Now Pearce Street, Dublin
Above - The Queen's Theatre Dublin - From a postcard - Courtesy Ken Finlay The Queen's Theatre, Dublin was built on the site several previous buildings of entertainment. The first on the site was the New Olympic Circus built by John Scott, which opened in 1823 and was demolished only six years later in 1829.
Left - Exterior of Queen's Theatre, from the detailed book: 'The Lost Theatres Of Dublin' by Philip B Ryan. Click the cover right to buy the book at Amazon.co.uk.
Right - Programme for 'Friends and Relations' at the Abbey Theatre Dublin - 18th September 1950 In 1966 the Queen's Theatre was closed when the Abbey Theatre Company moved out. In 1969 the Rank Organisation who then owned the building set about its demolition and a new building called Pearce House arose on the site. The site is now occupied by Trinity College teaching and research facilities. If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact me |
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Arthur Lloyd at the Queen's Theatre, Dublin
The posters shown above are from a large collection of original Lloyd / King Posters collected since the mid 1800s by members of the family and found recently after being lost for 50 years. Click the posters to enlarge. To see all these posters see the Poster Index. Right - Clara and Wybert Rousby - ‘Conceive, ye pitiable beings who have not yet seen the original of our description, an actress possessing a charming presence - a fascinating manner - a voice clear, sweet, and resonant as marriage bells - wondrous power of pouring forth silvery peals of refreshingly natural laughter, and a graceful and unaffected style of acting - then you will have some idea of Mrs Rousby.’ The Era, London, Sunday, 8 October 1876 - Courtesy John Culme. |
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Above - From The Era Almanack of 1875:
Dublin - Queen's Theatre of Varieties. (Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr.
Arthur Lloyd.) Open every Evening with the best Company in Dublin.
Comedy, Concert, and Ballet. Always pleased to hear from first-class
Artistes, Ballet Troupes, Organised Companies, &c. Three days'
silence a courteous negative. The above is not a Music Hall, but a
first-class Theatre of Varieties, and the largest in Dublin. |
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Arthur Lloyd took a 3 year lease on The Queen's Theatre in 1874 and opened it on May the 3rd. The cutting below, showing just how enthusiastic he was for the venture, was printed in the Irish Times of 1874. The Irish Times of 1874
Right - Advertisement for Arthur Lloyd's Queen's Theatre of Varieties, Dublin from the Irish Times of 1875. To suit the taste of all classes (who now-a days prefer a light and amusing kind of entertainment to the usual heavy Drama, &c Mr Arthur Lloyd has resolved that the nightly programme consist of Comedy, Concert, and Ballet. The comfort of the visitors will not be a secondary consideration, as that will be as strictly looked after as the quality of Amusements. Mr. Lloyd is pleased to indicate that Cloak Rooms, and Refreshment Saloons, will be provided and presided over by civil and experienced Officials, whose business it will be to see that every Visitor is made as happy as politeness and attention will permit. In the Saloons, Mr Arthur Lloyd assures the public that he will guarantee the quality of the articles. Mr Arthur Lloyd, knowing the great assistance that first class Musicians can give to a first class entertainment has great pleasure in announcing that there will be an increased and thoroughly competent Orchestra, presided over by an able and experienced Conductor, who will introduce the best Overture and Dance Music, and also, each evening, perform a medley of the most popular Melodies of the day, both Comic and Sentimental. To Conduct the "Queen's Theatre of Varieties" in a First Class Style, and to render it as second to none in or out of London, Mr Lloyd submits to the public the following Prices of Admission:- Lower Circle, 3s; Upper Circle, 1s 6d; Pit, 1s; Gallery 6d; Private Boxes, 2 Guineas and 1 Guinea. Children under Twelve Years of age Half Price only to the Lower Circle, 1 6d and Upper Circle, 1s. No Second Price to any part of the Theatre.
Right - Advertisement for Arthur Lloyd's Queen's Theatre of Varieties, Dublin from the Irish Times of 1877. The Text above is from The Irish Times of 1874. Delarue Lloyd, Arthur Lloyd's brother, is also known to have performed at The Queen's Theatre, on the 26th of November 1881, and T. C. King, Arthur Lloyd's father in law, was playing Othello at the Queen's Theatre when the then relatively unknown Henry Irving was playing Cassio, in March of 1860. |
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Gaiety Theatre, St Stephen's Green, Dublin
Above - Auditorium of the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin in 1992 - Courtesy Ted Bottle
Right - Gaiety Theatre Dublin programme - 7th August 1950 In 2003 the Theatre was extensively restored at a cost of £2.15 million. For a complete history of the Gaiety and booking details for current productions you may like to visit the Theatre's own Website here... |
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The Olympia Theatre, Dame Street, Dublin Formerly The Star of Erin Music Hall / Dan Lowrey's Music Hall / Dan Lowrey's Palace of Varieties / The Empire Palace Theatre
In 1879 Dan Lowrey acquired the Hall and on the 22nd of December that year he opened it as the The Star of Erin Music Hall. In August of 1881 his son took over, Dan Lowrey Junior, and renamed the building Dan Lowrey's Music Hall, and in 1889 it was renamed again, this time to Dan Lowrey's Palace of Varieties. Dan Senior died the following year. Left - Dan Lowrey's Music Hall - From the detailed book: 'The Lost Theatres Of Dublin' by Philip B Ryan. The Music Hall closed in February of 1897 and was completely rebuilt and reopened in November of the same year as the Empire Palace Theatre. The Theatre was eventually renamed The Olympia Theatre and ran successfully for many years until it was forced to close after major structural damage to the building occurred in November 1974 when parts of the proscenium arch and the ceiling above collapsed during a break in rehearsals for a production of West Side Story, which was to have opened that night. The Theatre closed and that looked like it might be the end for the building. The local Council seemed to favour demolition, and the London owners of the Theatre were in agreement, but there was much local opposition and a restoration fund was begun. Tireless efforts by the staff of the Theatre and local people, organising raffles and sponsored walks, followed. The stalls bar was turned into a small theatre and performers from all over appeared nightly to swell the restoration fund. Eventually, after a huge sponsored walk by just about everyone in the profession brought so much attention to the Theatre's plight that people were queuing up at the box office to donate money, the City Councilors decided to back their efforts and placed a preservation order on the Theatre and added to the fund themselves. The Theatre was restored and redecorated at a cost of £250,000 and on the 14th of March 1977 it was reopened, and is still open today, thirty years later in 2007. Infinite Variety: Dan Lowrey's Music Hall 1879-97 Top of the year's Bill was Arthur Lloyd, (December). He was a Music-Hall man in a way that was new to Lowrey. He waved no flags. The speech and the attitudes of the common man everywhere, brilliantly delineated, were the themes of his art. He was expensive, taking a nice slice out of the fortnight's takings; but he did entice a little of Dublin's bon ton, and many who had never before ventured down the tunnel to Crampton Court now flocked to see the Face that had launched a thousand Song-Sheets. Lloyd sang in evening-dress, a Scots voice with London overtones:
He had been trained from childhood as an Actor in an Edinburgh Company in which his father was Comedian at £5 a week. Young Arthur discovered a gift for writing songs to be sung before the curtain while the scenery was being changed and, though he hankered to be a Great Actor, he went into Music Hall because, cannily enough, he felt there was more money in it. Having tried himself out at The Whitebait Tavern in Glasgow, he felt he was ripe for London. An unknown Scots boy doing the round of the Saloons and the Penny Gaffs, he was on the starvation list and to make ends meet he took a job with a hatter in the Strand. There he learned to shake off the trappings of the fustian Stage and to listen to how people really talked. (This is not correct, Arthur's father Horatio Lloyd was born in a shop on the Strand where his father was a hatter. This is often mistakenly attributed to Arthur being a hatter. M.L.) In the streets he came alive to attitudes and speech habits; he picked up catch-phrases, spotted a comic sense of pathos, a vocal delight in sheer nonsense, a knack of cutting pretension down to size; and he distilled something of all this into the songs he composed and presented. In his time he published more than two hundred of these ditties, all of them of considerable popular appeal.
The Pavilion was a new venture, recently renovated as a refreshment-cum-variety premises by a pair of Jewish restaurateurs, Loibl and Sonnenhammer. An air of champagne and the glitter of diamonds lingered there from the earlier establishment, The Argyll Rooms, while at the same time it had the aura of a tavern from its days as The Blackhorse Inn. Shrewd Lloyd seized the essential: combine the Argyll air with the Blackhorse aura, the diamonds with the beer, a place on the stage and in the bars and balconies for both the bon ton cravat and the New Cut coat of the fishmonger. Lloyd could in his own style combine both, and he engaged and trained artistes to do the same. He made a fortune and a name, and The 'Pav' became the Centre of the World. The face that came into the light at Dan's was heavy, homely and dimpled when he smiled. The voice was of a rich timbre with a wealth of comic tone. He was a bigger draw than the Chicks even, and with Ashcroft, Pat Kinsella and Old Dan himself, he established the Male Comic as the heart of the Night Rite. Text from 'Infinite Variety: Dan Lowrey's Music Hall 1879-97' - Courtesy John Grice. |
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'In 1897, the year in which Dan Lowrey's (Left) - (which had opened as The Star of Erin) was renamed The Empire Palace, there was no opposition from radio or cinema. The Gaiety and the Theatre Royal were not in direct competition as they presented straight plays which included Shakespeare, old classical comedies and grand opera which alternated with musical comedy. The Queen's Royal Theatre delighted its audiences with an endless diet of melodrama and nationalist historical plays. All three theatres presented a Christmas pantomime or Harlequinade (Harlequin's and the Clown's contribution became much reduced with the passage of time until eventually they disappeared entirely). The Round Room at the Rotundo specialised in concerts and musical evenings.' Text in quotes above from the detailed book: 'The Lost Theatres Of Dublin' by Philip B Ryan.
Reviews for Arthur Lloyd and Company at the Round Room of the Rotundo Review for Arthur Lloyd at the Round Room of the Rotundo from the Dublin Freeman's Journal
Right - Front cover of the Arthur Lloyd Song Book which this review was printed in - Click for more information. Speaking of encores, we might as well here remark that every song given during the evening was re-demanded. This is a great bore to the performers as well as to the great majority of a respectable audience, and the sooner it is put down the better. An occasional encore being complied with is nothing more than fair, but to repeat every song in the programme is too much of a good thing. Musicians, no matter whether they may be vocalists or instrumentalists, should be firm in resisting noisy demands for repetitions, and encores should not be given unless the desire for it was beyond doubt expressed by the great majority of those present, In the medley of "The Song of Songs," Mr. Lloyd's "make up" and style were "immense," and produced any amount of merriment. It is needless to say that he had to sing it a second time. And Mr. Lloyd's rendering of the comic song of "The Ballet Girl," was one of the best things in the serio-comic vain that we have heard. We have not space at our disposal to go into furthur details of last night's entertainment, which was one of the most attractive things of the kind that has been produced here for a long time. Text from Dublin Freeman's Journal, printed in an Arthur Lloyd Song Book. - Click here for more information.
Review from the Irish Times of 1867
for Arthur Lloyd and company Mr. Arthur
Lloyd deservedly has been, and will continue to be a favourite
with the amusement-seeking public of Dublin. The great popularity
he has attained in England for his many admirable comic
songs has extended itself in an equal degree to this country,
and the
name of Lloyd alone is sufficient to fill the largest room used for
concerts in the City. This was fully exemplified last evening when,
Text from the Irish Times of 1867 - Kindly sent in by David O'Connor, the Great, Great, Grandson of Mr James Dillon, manager of the Rotundo at the time.
Review from the Irish Times of 1868
for Arthur Lloyd and company Mr. Arthur Lloyd's Comic Concerts In The Round Room Of The Rotundo If one is melancholy and suffering
in the least degree from ennui, a remedy can be found by spending
an hour or two with Mr. Arthur Lloyd,
in the Round Room of the Rotundo. Many
persons from time to time have visited the City and given public concerts
of a comic character, not sentimental concerts which became comic
from painful failures on the part of the vocalists, but concerts Text from the Irish Times of 1868 - Kindly sent in by David O'Connor, the Great, Great, Grandson of Mr James Dillon, manager of the Rotundo at the time.
Review from the Irish Times of 1871
for Katty King, Mrs. Arthur Lloyd, and company Mrs. Arthur Lloyd (late Miss Katty King) has appeared in different places with Mr. A Lloyd in a comic entertainment with great success, and her charming manners have at once secured for her the attention of large fashionable audiences. During the sketch Mrs. Lloyd sings "Barney O' Hea" with great sweetness and animation. Mrs Lloyd, we are pleased to observe, will appear next Monday evening at the Rotundo, and we have no doubt that she will receive a hearty welcome from the crowds who always flock to "Two Hours' Genuine Fun" with Arthur Lloyd and his comic company. Mr. Dillon has promised a most interesting entertainment for next week, and when he makes a promise we may fairly say he keeps it. Text from the Irish Times of 1871 - Kindly sent in by David O'Connor, the Great, Great, Grandson of Mr James Dillon, manager of the Rotundo at the time.
Review from the Irish Times of 1872
for Arthur Lloyd and company Mr. Arthur Lloyd.
Right - Advertisement for Arthur Lloyd at the Round Room at the Rotundo, Dublin in 1870. The stage was arranged upon the model of a boudoir - canopied, tapestried, and elegantly upholstered. It was really cheering to witness the good taste displayed in this department, and to turn attention to the exquisite sense of appropriate ornamentation which the lessee has exhibited in the furnishing of his stalls by the introduction of fauticuls and fancy chairs. But the entertainment which Mr Lloyd produced was - detracted from mere adventitious surroundings - well deserving of patronage and support. With the coarse imbroglio garnishing the fare presented to coarse palates in many of the Cafos Chantant of Paris, with the mots a double entendre, which too frequently offend all sense of propriety at London music halls, and with the still more vicious system of presenting obscene songs, Mr Arthur Lloyd has no connection. Query, could an entertainment of an essentially comic character be found more pure: it is possible to realize one in which the lowliest as well as the most cultivated can enjoy a couple hours "genuine fun?" It is no flattery of Mr Lloyd to say that indecency finds no place in his entertainment, for, from the beginning to end the greatest purist can find nothing to make complaint of. A principle feature of the new entertainment is a charming little sketch entitled "Dolly Varden," in which Mr and Mrs Lloyd appear. The morceau is to some extent a burlesque upon Mr Gilbert's beautiful comedy of "Pygmalion and Galatea," but it has distinctive features which makes it a novelty, and bring into prominence the characteristics of the executants. It may be mentioned that Mr Lloyd's voice is as full and rotund as of old, and that of his esteemed partner (the daughter of the Dublin Favourite, T C King), is clear and resonant, and equal to any demand made upon the organ. In addition to participation in this comic sketch, Mr Lloyd sang a number of his world-renowned songs, highly mirth-provoking and enlivening to a genial entertainment. When it is added that Mr Frank Mordaunt, a really clever ventriloquist; Miss Nelly Dyoll, a pretty fair vocalist; and Mr H. F. Lloyd, the only bona fide successor of the late Mr Sam Cowell, contributed to the entertainment, and that Mr Mozart Wilson is pianist, an idea may be formed of an entertainment which is intrinsically good and meritorious. Text from the Irish Times of 1872 - Kindly sent in by David O'Connor, the Great, Great, Grandson of Mr James Dillon, manager of the Rotundo at the time, and a Theatrical Agent, Printer, Bill poster and Advertising Agent. He also printed and posted extensive posters around Dublin. |
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The
site was then used for the building of a new Theatre called the Royal
Adelphi Theatre which opened the same year, 
In
Extract
edited from The A.L. 
In
thanking the Nobility, Gentry, and inhabitants of Dublin and its vicinity
for the many great kindnesses accorded him during his Annual Visits,
with his Company, has the greatest pleasure in informing them that he
has secured a Lease of the Queen's Theatre, situated in Brunswick street,
and will shortly open it under the above title, Entirely re-decorated
and Embellished, and will show all that human energy and modern enterprise
can accomplish to this once popular Theatre to the highest vanguard
of first class Excellence.
As
Mr Arthur Lloyd has provided in every way for the comfort and convenience
of the Audience inside the Theatre, there will be no Pass-out Checks
and no Readmission without Repayment.
The
Gaiety Theatre Dublin was built by 
The
Olympia Theatre originally opened as the Empire Palace Theatre in November
Last
evening Mr. 
