Recommended Books

The Music Hall and Theatre History Website

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Recommended Books

The following books and magazines are highly recommended for anyone interested in Theatre architecture and the history of Theatres and Music Halls, past and present.

The Theatres Trust Guide to British Theatres

Please note that I have been generously granted permission to use some extracts from the indispensable book 'The Theatres Trust Guide To British Theatres 1750 -1950, John Earl & Michael Sell',on this website. However, these extracts are copyright and should not be furthur re-produced without the express permission of the Publishers.The book is available from the publishers, A&C Black (tel 01480 212666).

Click to buy the book at Amazon.co.uk.

British Theatres and Music Halls

This book outlines the history of theatres and music halls from the late sixteenth century to the present time, noting changing fashions in entertainment and evolving official attitudes to safety that have, at various times, influenced the architectural character of the buildings. Particular attention is given to the thirty-five years before the First World War, when music hall and variety entertainment developed rapidly, accompanied by a masive surge in theatre building. The account is enlivened with illustrations of theatres, their architects and their audiences.

Click to buy the book at Amazon.co.uk.

The Alhambra Glasgow by Graeme Smith

Famous for glamour and humour, variety, pantomime, musicals, ballet, opera, drama and dance the immense ALHAMBRA THEATRE stayed ahead of other theatres. Opening in 1910, at the corner of Waterloo Street and Wellington Street, and designed by eminent architect Sir John James Burnet, its managing director Sir Alfred Butt gave “the best of European and American Vaudeville attractions” in the “Resort of the Elite.” Its founders supported cinema, jazz, cabaret and ballrooms.

The complete history of the Glasgow Alhambra is told for the first time, in full colour, with 400 illustrations, in this new quality-bound softback book by Graeme Smith and is highly recommended.

The book is priced just £20 and can be found in all good bookstores and online at the book`s own website www.glasgowalhambra.co.uk

ISBN 978-0955942013

Graeme Smith is also the author of the book 'The Theatre Royal Entertaining A Nation' shown below.

The Theatre Royal Entertaining A Nation by Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith's book 'The Theatre Royal, Entertaining A Nation' - From Cowcaddens to the Colosseum, from Hope Street to Hollywood... for entertainment, drama, pantomime, music and song, this is the fascinating story, fully illustrated, of the Theatre Royal, Glasgow.

Available from www.glasgowtheatreroyal.co.uk for £19.95 Post Free.

Graeme Smith is also the author of the book 'Alhambra Glasgow' shown above.

A THEATRE FOR ALL SEASONS The History of the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

This new book by Michael Hasted with a foreword by Steven Berkoff will be published on the 30th of September 2011 by Northern Arts Publications, an imprint of Jeremy Mills Publishing Ltd.

Hardback, 196 pages, lavishly illustrated with more than 200 pictures, full colour throughout. Price £25

ISBN 9781906600617

Click to buy the book at Amazon.co.uk.

More information about the book is available at its website here.

Coventry's Forgotten Theatre: The Theatre Royal and Empire

Ted Bottle is the author of 'Coventry's Forgotten Theatre, The Theatre Royal and Empire' published by Badger Press, in which he describes the Theatre's fascinating history in detail and includes glimpses of other Coventry Theatres and Music Halls, with an informative background of nineteenth Century English Provincial Theatre.

Click to buy the book at Amazon.co.uk.

Mr Phipp's Theatre: The Sensational Story of Eastbourne's Royal Hippodrome

I highly recommend this new book by Mark Jones and John Pick which describes in detail "The Sensational Story of Eastbourne's Royal Hippodrome" - formerly Eastbourne Theatre Royal. The books sets the story against a social history of the town and contains a Foreword by Peter Longman, director of The Theatres Trust

Click to buy the book at Amazon.co.uk.

British Music Hall - An Illustrated History

Richard Anthony Baker's new 300 page illustrated book on British Music Hall comes highly recommended for newcomers and experts alike.

Click to buy the book at Amazon.co.uk.

Frank Matcham & Co

A New Book About The Famous Theatre Architect, Frank Matcham, edited by David Wilmore with an introduction by Alan Bennett and essays by John Earl, Görel Garlick, Iain Mackintosh, Andrew Saint, Michael Sell & David Wilmore. With 237 pages and over 100 illustrations in both colour and black and white the book is published by Theatreshire Books, Dacre Hall, Dacre, North Yorkshire, HG3 4ET. Hardback Price £30 + £5 p&p.

Scene/Unseen

This new book celebrates the working buildings at the heart of the British theatrical industry. Focusing on the theatres in the West End, it looks at their architecture and history as well as examining what it is that constitutes a West End theatre.

Apart from the expected wonderful pictures of Auditoriums, and the Grand Entrances and Bars, this book has a plethora of pictures of the hidden areas inside London's West End Theatres, including The Grid, Fly Tower, Understage, Wardrobe, Stage Management Areas, Dressing Rooms, Stage Doors, Lighting and Sound, even a Thunder Run. Highly Recommended. M.L. 2004.

Click to buy the book at Amazon.co.uk.

A Boy From Nowhere

David Mitchell has contributed a number of interesting articles for this site over the years and his book of memories detailing the life of a boy born to a poor family in London’s East End Docklands is a fascinating read and full of first hand information. Included are descriptions of the conditions of poverty which existed in pre-war times in the East End, what life was like then, and how the situation changed when war was declared on 3rd September 1939. There are also many mentions of David's favourite East End Theatres and what went on in them. More information on David's own website here.

David Mitchell's 'A Boy From Nowhere' is available from Melrose Books or online from various distributors. - Click to buy this book at Amazon.co.uk.

Old Theatres of the Midlands

Terry Kirtland's 'Old Theatres of the Midlands,' with a foreword by Ken Dodd, is a fascinating and well illustrated book looking at the many Theatres, past and present, that have been part of the Midland's Theatrical scene. Terry details each Theatre's history and illustrates them with a plethora of wonderful images you probably won't have seen before. Highly recommended.

Available from the Old Theatres Website for £10 plus P&P.

Old Theatres Magazine

Following the success of Terry Kirtland's book 'Old Theatres of the Midlands' a new thrice yearly Magazine edited by Ted Bottle is now available by subscription at only £6.66 including UK post and packing. This Magazine is a must read for anyone interested in Theatre Architecture, Lost Theatres, and what went on in them. Packed with fascinating information and interesting photographs of Theatres that have, for the most part, disappeared into history. Terry talks about the latest edition below:

AN ARCHIVE OF THE FUTURE

(Here’s what to expect from the current edition No. 10)

WE ARE DELIGHTED to welcome you to Edition 10 of your cherished magazine. We think you will agree that it is one of the finest we have published yet, honouring our Patrons: Ken Dodd OBE, Duggie Chapman, MBE, and Nick Thomas, Chairman of Qdos Entertainment, the world’s most prolific pantomime producers! It is also a great honour for us to know that our readers support everything that we do in the interests of drawing attention to Britain’s OLD THEATRES, a task which gets more and more important as the years go by.

We start with important news from Cheltenham Everyman theatre which is celebrating its centenary, now beautifully restored. Not only does it grace our front cover, but further colour pictures appear inside. Other centenaries are also reported from Crewe Lyceum and Bristol Hippodrome. And there is more joy as we show colour pictures of the first wedding on stage at the Kings Theatre, Southsea. We were amazed—we think you will be, too!

Again, we must not forget theatres which are in need of help, like Manchester’s stunning Hulme Hippodrome where a community group has been set up to ensure that it becomes a theatre for all. Amazingly we are also able to offer rare pictures and an exclusive article by John Lawson-Reay on the history of the Pier Pavilion, Llandudno, which was totally destroyed by fire in 1994. It seems fitting that we can show how the theatre looked at the very start of its existence, and then end its tale with colour pictures of its fiery departure. Raymond Dolling also returns to recall the destruction by fire of Liverpool’s Shakespeare Theatre. And another Theatre At Risk appears on our pages, again a study of vegetation taking over after the last audience departed, or in this case when the last snooker players ended their game.

There is joy, of course, as we discover that Bangor County Theatre is survivor, and we go into the auditorium and behind the scenes to show readers how it looks today. And, ‘Praise Be’, we have pictures and a splendid account of the history of Tunstall Prince of Wales Theatre in the Potteries, which ended its life as a Salvation Army Citadel. What is it used for today? You could be in for a surprise!

Following the re-opening of Leeds City Varieties where our Patron, Ken Dodd, did the honours (and at Cheltenham Everyman), we take a look at more of our country’s music halls and discover goblets which patrons once used as they enjoyed the entertainment. And we recall ghostly gatherings at a northern theatre, which has also been visited by lead thieves. Is it Britain’s most haunted theatre? You can be sure our readers will have more say about this!

It is certainly a packed edition as we uncover more treasures, like the lovely interior of Brighton’s Palace Pier theatre, a moment in time now, of course. This is made up for by a visit to Gorleston Pavilion Theatre and to Wilmslow Rex where we have a lovely tale from the daughter of its former manager, who certainly “Saw the Stars”. Equally amusing is an article by Mark Child about his experiences in Swindon Empire when at the age of six he was taken by his grandparents to see what they thought was a Variety bill starring Phyllis Dixey! So that’s it! But there is still much more! Don’t forget to order your copy!

To obtain your copy of this very SPECIAL EDITION please send a cheque for £6.66p (includes UK postage and packing) made payable to T.G. Kirtland, 20 Rife Way, Felpham, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 7BW. Extra copies have been printed.

Theatre managements should give details of their

Marketing Manager/Director along with E Mail details.

(We will be pleased to add reciprocal ‘links’ to our Web Pages.)

Just send us an E Mail to oldtheatres@googlemail.com to be welcomed aboard. Your input is very important to us.

All of us at OLD THEATRES magazine sent our warmest wishes to you, and look forward to hearing from you in support of our worthy magazine, so that we can maintain interest in Britain’s wonderful halls of entertainment so they can go forward to serve future generations of theatregoers.