NextBackThe Palace Theatre was I believe, first a theatre but over the years has been a cinema, bingo hall, roller skating rink and dance hall, and what was the “stalls” area was hired out for jumble sales, sales of work, fund raising events etc., until it was eventually restored as a theatre.
It became a cinema first and I think the very first film to be shown was the “Queen’s Coronation” in 1953. One of the first big movies was “The Greatest Show on Earth”, a circus film starring Charlton Heston.
After the cinema the seats downstairs were removed for the roller skating rink and so on!!!
The theatre was all plush red velvet and gold paint. The entrance was through the Box Office in Alcester Street (now boarded up). Mr Luty greeted everyone at every performance, dressed in a black suit during the day and a tuxedo at night. Mrs Luty sold the tickets and was usually dressed in evening dress and jewels for the evening performance. There was thick carpet on the floor and red velvet curtains to walk through into the theatre.
Many famous names of the day performed there and many might remember “Eve” the striptease artist who during the day wandered round the town in her furs and jewels and her small dog on a lead.
There was even a singing cowboy and his horse, Norman Harper and Starlight and during the day he rode around the town signing autographs – a photo hangs in the Palace theatre today.
Many local people also performed on stage, like Mavis Bennett, who married (Eric Robinson ?? the band leader) and Millicent Phillips. Every year a local dance teacher – Elsie Siddeley Downing, wife of Mr Biggs the greengrocer, put on a show to show off the talents of all her pupils, from tiny-
Many Redditch entertainers were included in the shows ie, Cliff Field and Jess Yoxall, Colin Wheeler, John Emms, Joe Brennan and Eddie Crumpton among them.
The local operatic societies have also performed there for many years; Redditch, Astwood Bank and Studley; and have also included local entertainers in their shows.
