Opera House

The first entertainment building on the site was the Royal Amphitheatre, a circus theatre adaptable for arena or stage performances. This building was destroyed by fire in 1899 and replaced by a new ‘Opera House’ designed by Adolf Curry, which opened with Lillie Langtry in ‘The Degenerates’.

Only the impressive stucco façade (a charming provincial interpretation of a Parisian commercial theatre of the 1880s) survives from 1900. The interior was almost completely rebuilt in 1921 after a fire, and was in the ciné-variety manner of the day: two simple balconies, surmounted by a fine panelled ceiling radiating out from a semi-circular dome. The slips of the dress circle dipped down towards the proscenium, while the gallery was nearly straight-fronted. Both had somewhat sparse gilded plaster festoons. In c.1960, when the building returned to theatrical use after post-war years as a cinema, six badly designed boxes were added to the side walls. Where they could have been a definite gain to the bleakness prevailing earlier. The simple proscenium frame, topped by a curious stepping-up to the ceiling, had a thirties flavour, but was in fact built when the opening was widened to 27ft in 1976. For a building of the period there are quite spacious foyers and bars at various levels, and these were improved in 1993 when the façade was also restored.

Works undertaken in 1999/2000 refurbished the interior, providing a new upper circle and boxes and a completely new stage house, with new dressing rooms and offices. Other improvements included a new entrance canopy and restaurant. The lantern was restored.