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The Queen's Theatre, Leeds was built for Dottridge and Longden in 1898 by Hope and Maxwell and had an auditorium capable of accommodating 3,500. The Theatre, which was managed by Charles Bush and T. Harvey Jessop, and opened on the 24th of December 1898 with a production of 'Dick Whittington, also boasted refreshment rooms, sixteen drawing rooms, and two shops. The Theatre was home to many different productions over the years including pantomime, variety, and plays, and it is said that Gracie Fields made her first appearance in Leeds in the 1940s, during the war, in 'Mr. Tower of London' at the Queen's Theatre. The Theatre closed after the last Variety show, appropriately entitled 'The Last Week', on the 17th of July 1924 and was then converted for Cinema use, opening at the end of the year on the 1st of December. Although now used primarily as a Cinema the occasional Cine-Variety show was produced. In 1937 the auditorium was radically altered when the former gallery and boxes were removed, and the former circle was turned into a waiting area. The Queen's Theatre finally closed for good in 1957 and then stood empty for over a decade until it was demolished in 1968. Some of the above information was gleaned from the
website of the Leeds City Council who also have some images of the Theatre
on their page here. If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact me. |
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