The Opera House
The newly formed partnership of
architects A. E. Richardson and Lovett Gill along with
Farquarson received a commision to build a theatre on
Quay Street. John J. Parkinson-Bailey, in "Manchester An
Architectural History" says that the commision came from
Irene Vanbrugh. Vanbrugh was one of Britain's highest
regarded dramatic actresses. She had appeared in the
first production of Barrie's The Admirable Crichton and
the first production of Peter Pan in 1904. When the
theatre opened on Boxing Day in 1912 it was called The
New Theatre. ![]() The facade of the building is regarded
as a tribute to Cockrell, who designed the Bank of
England on King Street (See Below) and the Ashmolean
Museum in Oxford. ![]() The facade of the New
Theatre featured a bas-relief entitled "The Dawn of
the Heroic Age" and beneath it the inscription, "The
Play Mirrors Life".
![]() Beneath the
inscription are a series of Ionic columns and a pair
of roundels containing masks.
![]() The New Theatre struggled to compete with other theatres in the city and in 1915 it was sold to United Theatre Ltd and renamed the New Queen's Theatre. Sir Thomas Beecham performed there on several occasions and it was in honour of him that the theatre was renamed The Opera House. As with many theatres the Opera House has gone
through a number of changes. It managed to survive
the Manchester bombings during WWII but in later
years it was first a cinema and then a bingo hall.
It became a theatre again in 1984. Below it is seen in the
1980s.
It received a major refurbishment in 2003. Inside the Opera House has a very large auditorium with two cantilevered balconies. The Theatre's current capacity is 1,920. Outside on the Quay Street front you will find a number of commemorative plaques, see below. ![]() ![]()
*********************** 1946 Program Take a closer look at
the cast
April 1947
1948 Programme ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() *********** March 1949 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() *********** December 1949 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() *********** 1968 Programme |