Page 14 - Palace Memories Gerald Jervis

Redditch Heritage Palace Theatre Memories

has caused misgivings to some (including the writer) gave the impression (to the writer
at least) that a little ingenuity could make quite a reasonable “stalls” of it. And, of
course, the more the building can be used for non-theatrical purposes, the less
necessity there is to over- supply the public with stage entertainment, just to keep the
place open.

As this is being written, it has been confirmed that a display of plans etc., of the new
“Palace”, made available by the Development corporation, will be on show in the foyer
of the College, during the Drama Group`s performance of “An Inspector calls”, on April
th
15 – 17 .
th
The Redditch Theatre Club (Sec: Mrs. W. Pullan, 32 Twatling Road, Barnt Green) is still
providing a useful service by running coach parties to Midland Theatres. A recent one
was to the Nottingham playhouse Company`s excellent production of “The Rivals”, at
the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.

The Redditch Group of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Club (Sec: Miss V.L. Dolphin,
70 Poplar Road, Redditch) started operations for the season recently with a visit to a
“bargain price” club preview of “The Merchant of Venice”.

nd
The Redditch Society had its A. G. M. on April 2 . when hints of the next season`s
programme were given (Worcester Porcelain, the Bordesley Abbey Excavations,
Canals, Pollution, Art in Nature, Historic Embroidery…)

Memories of the Palace Theatre - (A further instalment)

The Midland Theatre Company, of the Arts Council of Great Britain, duly came for three
days in 1946. They had to be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I believe, so as not
to interfere with the profitable children`s Saturday film matinee. The play was James
Bridie`s “The Anatomist”, and caused a furore, although its macabre subject did not
appeal to some. It was directed by Beatrix Lehman, and the leading role of the
sardonic Scottish dissector, was played by John Blatchley, who now directs opera at
Covent Garden. Burke and Hare, the Murderers, were respectively Denis Carey, later
director of productions at Bristol Old Vic, and Harold Lang, while others in the cast were
Denis Carey`s beautiful wife, Yvonne Coulette, Alfred Burke and Robert Cartland, since
then another provincial director of productions.

This was followed at roughly monthly intervals by” The Maitlands” , and “Twelfth
Night”. “The Maitlands was directed jointly by Beatrix Lehman and Michael Langham,
a clever young man who had been a prisoner of war in Germany for six years. From
then on Michael Langham took over completely.

The fourth play to visit Redditch was J. B. Priestley`s “When We Are Married”, with
John Blatchley as the press photographer. His terse remark about Torquay (remod-
elled, I notice, from the original script) caused a laugh that nearly cleft the roof of the
Palace on the Monday Night, and the remaining two performances were packed.

“Pygmalion”, in September marked the M. T. C.`s removal of their centre of operations
from Coventry to the recently re-opened Kidderminster Playhouse, since then a victim
of the road builders. By then the Company`s fame had spread and all the seats for

Page: 14 © Redditch Heritage 2019