Page 10 - Colin Wheeler's Memories

Redditch Heritage My Palace Theatre and other Memories

During the winter months circus acts would frequently appear in the theatres and

once when I was present a lion was led onto the stage on a lead and he ate a joint
of meat off a scantily dressed girl’s chest who was lying on the front of the

stage. On another occasion, a tight wire was stretched from the stage to the
lighting box and a trapeze artiste performed over the audience. A well

documented event was when an elephant refused to walk on stage until the stage
had been reinforced. Seals and performing dogs were a regular occurrence.

During one of these variety shows a clown appeared named Al Farrer, he liked the
town so much that he stayed and became manager of the recently built Danilo

Cinema, where, for many years, he became the very well known immaculately
turned out figure in a dress suit awaiting patrons in the entrance to the cinema
and stayed almost until the building was converted into a three screen venue

many years later.

Many years ago, long before the scourge of politically correctness entered our
society, Midget Town, came to the Palace. I recall my late father recounting a

tiny lady announcing to the audience that she had willed herself to the stage and
invited any man to come up on stage and she offered £5, a large sum in those
days, to any man who could lift her from the floor, none could

Page: 10 © Redditch Heritage 2018