Palladium Theatre
Londres - Angleterre
Construction: 1910
Topologie du théâtre
Nombre de salles actives: 1
Salle 1: (2291) 1910 - Actif
Accès
En métro: Oxford Circus
En bus: 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 16A, 23, 25, 53, 73
Adresse: 8, Argyll Street, London, W1F 7TF
Evolution
Bâtiment: 1864. Argyll House, which previously occupied the site, is demolished / 1868. Corinthian Bazaar opens above commercial wine cellars / 1871. Hengler’s Grand Cirque opens / 1895. Lease sold to National Skating Palace Ltd / 1908. Lease passes to Walter Gibbons / 1910. Palladium Theatre, designed by Frank Matcham, opens on Boxing Day / The building closed in 1939 and was set to be demolished, but it was saved and converted into a Mecca Ballroom in 1951 and then restored to theatrical use in 1996 by Holohan Architects Statutorily Listed Historic Building: Grade II*
Nom: Corinthian Bazaar / National Skating Palace / The Palladium
Propriétaire(s)
Really Usefull Group
Remarquable
Classical temple-llke façade to Argyll Street - The interior, a triumph of design and decoration.
2291
1910 - Actif
Sir Anthony Eden was Prime Minister, and Dwight D. Eisenhower was 34th President of the United States when, at 7pm on 25 September 1955, Independent Television broadcast the first Sunday Night at the London Palladium show, hosted by Tommy Trlnder and staring Gracie Fields and Guy Mitchell. Post-war austerity lingered well into the 1950s, and the show’s quality and lavish presentation (even in black and white) caught the public’s imagination to a degree that ensured its continuation at intervals to the turn of the millennium. Here were stars who, until they appeared in those early broadcasts, had so often been heard only on gramophone records and seen only in publicity photographs and magazines. Compères succeeding Tommy Trinder, such as Bruce Forsyth, Norman Vaughan and Larry Grayson, were to become household names; and the weekly finale, as the cast took its curtain call on the stage revolve, made early television magic and ensured that the London Palladium would become probably the most famous variety theatre In the world.
Seeing the building on television, it would be difficult to imagine it as anything but a focal point in the heart of West End theatreland - but this is far from the case. The theatre Is situated on the east side of Argyll Street, a short, narrow link-road between Oxford Street to the north and Great Marlborough Street to the south, running parallel with Regent Street. The area was undeveloped until 1670, when houses started to spring up either side of nearby Kingly Street, but it was not until the 1730s that Argyll Street and Little Argyll Street (opposite the theatre), named after John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, were laid out. Little remains of the original development apart from remnants of No. 8 Argyll Street, and continuous redevelopment has left the east side of the street with an Irregular roofline in which a number of particularly tall buildings have reduced the visual impact of the theatre on the townscape. Close to the theatre two blue plaques, mounted by the Greater London Council, record the residence at No. 8 of the American writer Washington Irving and, at No. 10, Major General William Roy, founder of the Ordnance Survey.
Of particular architectural merit in the street is Palladium House (formerly Ideal House, 1928), which occupies the eastern angle between Argyll Street and Great Marlborough Street. Designed by Gordon Jeeves and Raymond Hood as a miniature of Hood’s National Radiator Corporation building in New York, it rises as a sheer black structure faced in Swedish granite, relieved only by the sparing use of cast bronze in yellow, gold, green and orange lotus and geometric patterns, mainly at a high level, resulting in an overall Egyptian feel.
On the site of the London Palladium stood Argyll House, home of the 2nd Duke until his death in 1743. The house remained in the family until 1808, when the 6th Duke sold it to the long-lived 4th Earl of Aberdeen. When he died in 1860, his family auctioned the house two years later, and it was sold again in 1863; the following year it was demolished and deeply excavated to accommodate a large commercial wine cellar owned by George Haig. Covering the cellar from 1868 was the Corinthian Bazaar, named after its columned façade on Argyll Street which now, although altered, still forms the principal façade to the theatre. The bazaar was a failure, and its successor, the Palais Royal Exhibition Rooms, was bought out around 1870 by F. C. Hengler. Hengler, an established circus owner and administrator, was being consulted on the conversion of the building to circus use, utilizing the Argyll Street frontage, with some rearrangement, as its entrance. In spite of its undisputed popularity Hengler’s Grand Cirque, along with Nos. 6 and 7 Argyll Street, failed to meet a reserve of £65,000 when they were put up for auction in 1883 by G. A. Haig & Co. When Haig was unable to sell, Hengler took part of the lease and engaged architect C. J. Phipps to improve his circus building, which was achieved by adding two galleries and a stage. After Hengler's death in 1887 the circus continued until 1895 when the National Skating Palace Ltd took over the building for four years.
In the early 1900s an attempt was made, with little success, to revive the circus, but in 1909 architect Frank Matcham was commissioned by lessee Walter Gibbons to design the Palladium, a variety theatre on a grand scale, at a final cost of some £250,000 (probably well in excess of £10 million In today’s terms), exceeding the original estimate by some £50,000.
The cream-painted seven-bay pedimented frontage to the theatre, retained from the Corinthian Bazaar, has a classical temple-like quality. Three central bays form the main entrance at street level, with an open loggia above. To step up into the building from the undistinguished street into the white, gold and marble of the vestibule and staircase with their prolific 18th-century and rococo detailing, Is in itself to experience a piece of true theatre. On the north side of the main entrance a corridor of nine cross-vaulted bays gives access to the advance-booking hall, which would amply accommodate a small bank.
The magnificent two-tier auditorium is a triumph of design, In a French rococo style, decorated originally In a delightful white, gold and pink colour scheme. Behind the proscenium arch, and under the stage was housed, until 2002, the framework of the revolve, which contributed so much to the Sunday- night magic, complete with its mercury- flask rectifiers, all dating from 1936. The space Is presently occupied by a set of 21st-century machinery.
In Great Marlborough Street, next to the former Marlborough Street Magistrates’ Court, and on the site of the Argyll Baths, are the untidy but spacious stage-door approach and the dressing-room block.
On Boxing Day 1910 this great variety theatre opened, with tea being provided in the Palm Court at the rear of the stalls, accompanied by ’lady musicians in Pompadour gowns’. A great Innovation was the installation of box-to-box telephones, early precursors to the mobile phone, plus the additional convenience of an in-house hairdresser's salon. This was the world of the Folies Bergères, the Crazy Gang, Barnum, La Cage aux Folles, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and The King and I. The list of stars who have performed here is endless, but It includes Judy Garland, Duke Ellington, Sammy Davis Jnr, Ginger Rogers and Margot Fonteyn.
1864. Argyll House, which previously occupied the site, is demolished / 1868. Corinthian Bazaar opens above commercial wine cellars / 1871. Hengler’s Grand Cirque opens / 1895. Lease sold to National Skating Palace Ltd / 1908. Lease passes to Walter Gibbons / 1910. Palladium Theatre, designed by Frank Matcham, opens on Boxing Day / The building closed in 1939 and was set to be demolished, but it was saved and converted into a Mecca Ballroom in 1951 and then restored to theatrical use in 1996 by Holohan Architects Statutorily Listed Historic Building: Grade II*
The large stalls section of the theatre is both wide and deep, with 50 seats per row towards the back. The seats are divided into three sections by aisles running the length of the auditorium, providing comfort for those on the end of each row and making the space feel less claustrophobic. The Circle overhang does not start until halfway back, meaning the back of the stalls has a limited view of the top of the stage; a factor which is reflected in the price structure, although doesn't take away too much from the performance.
Seat Plan recently sat in the front section of the stalls which did mean some of the show was not always visible, so if you are visiting with children we would advise to sit a bit further back. Staying as close to the centre aisle as possible is always advisable as due to the curvature of the auditorium you can feel quite angled.
The Royal Circle is the first tier and is divided into three separate sections by aisles running the length of the seats. This section is by far the best in the theatre and offers excellent views from most seats. The centre section provides the best all-around view of the stage and sets and feels most engaged with the production. The overhang of the Upper Circle doesn't cause too much of a problem, and you still feel connected to the show even towards the back.
The Upper Circle is slightly larger in size than the Royal Circle, but is laid out in a similar way in three distinct sections. It is in this section that the curve of the auditorium mostly affects; meaning seats towards the edge of each row can become restricted. The safety bar can obstruct the first two rows, and this is reflected in the price structure. The leg room towards the centre of these rows can also be a negative factor for some audience members. Having said that, the front row does feel connected to the action and despite the bar offer the best value for money in the theatre, and Seat Plan have enjoyed many a performance from these seats. After the first five rows the height and size of the theatre really start to show and you can feel disconnected from the action.
Corinthian Bazaar / National Skating Palace / The Palladium
Classical temple-llke façade to Argyll Street - The interior, a triumph of design and decoration.