Quick Search
|
Search Results
You searched for: More Like: 'Treasure 26: Sweet Red Riding Hood, His Majesty's...
4 items
items as
Aberdeen Theatres: His Majesty's Theatre
3356 Seating more than 1400, His Majesty's Theatre is the largest theatre in North-East Scotland and is now a category A listed building.
Situated on Rosemount Viaduct, it was designed by the architect Frank Matcham and costed £35,000. It was originally built as a replacement for the former Her Majesty's Theatre (now the Tivoli), meeting the need for a larger venue and better staging facilities.
Robert Arthur, the theatre impresario, submitted the plans for the new theatre in 1901. Construction started in 1904 and it opened on the 3rd December 1906 with a production of the pantomime Little Red Riding Hood, of which you will see the programme next in this exhibition. The pantomime played to a full house on its opening night and ran until the end of the year to great success.
Arthur's company presented plays, opera and pantomimes until 1912, when it ran out of funds. Robert Arthur Theatres Ltd. sold the theatre in 1923 to Walter Gilbert, managing director of the Tivoli Theatre. It changed hands again in 1932, after Gilbert's death, when it was bought by Councillor James F. Donald. The new owner refurbished the venue and introduced new features such as a revolving stage and a cinema projector.
In 1975, Aberdeen City council bought the venue, then allocated £3.5 million to give it a new life. After being closed for 23 months, His Majesty's Theatre was reopened on the 17th of September 1982 by Prince Charles.
In 2004, the theatre was once again closed for refurbishment. It reopened in 2005, renovated and modernised with a new green room, a coffee shop and re-upholstered seating. Aberdeen Theatres: Sweet Red Riding Hood
3357 By selecting Red Riding Hood for the opening pantomime, the director of His Majesty Theatre, Mr Robert Arthur, made a happy hit as the traditional children's story attracted many people, young and old.
As a pantomime, the story of Little Red Riding Hood got somewhat lost in the musical and operatic melange but the performance was well applauded by both the public and the press. The pantomime, written by Frank Dix and composed by Jullien H. Wilson, was divided into two acts - the first in four scenes and the second in five. This "Book of Words" programme contains the script, photographs of the actors and some local adverts.
For the first two nights of the pantomime, bookings were reserved for debenture and preference shareholders only, of which there were a considerable number, as nearly all the money for the new building had been raised locally.
The pantomime, which ran till the end of the year, was greeted with whole-hearted applause from start to finish. His Majesty's Theatre: Sweet Red Riding Hood
3449 The opening show of the HMT was the pantomime Sweet Red Riding Hood which opened on 3rd December 1906. This is the cover of the "Book of Words" which contained the script and some photographs of the cast. [Image from the Aberdeen Performing Arts Archive.] Treasure 87: His Majesty's Theatre Posters
299 December 2016 marks 110 years since His Majesty's Theatre (HMT) was built on Rosemount Viaduct. The venue was designed by the renowned English theatre architect Frank Matcham (22 November 1854 - 18 May 1920) and opened with a production of Red Riding Hood.
His Majesty's Theatre is now operated by Aberdeen Performing Arts and remains an important part of the cultural life of the city. On its construction HMT replaced The Tivoli as Aberdeen's leading venue for plays and pantomimes. The Tivoli was sold two days prior to the opening of His Majesty's with the stipulation that it would not programme competing productions.
His Majesty's is the largest theatre in the north east of Scotland and continues to be a popular venue on UK's touring circuit. The venue's varied programme includes shows from London's West End and productions by Scotland's national arts companies.
Over the last 110 years Aberdeen City Libraries have collected a number of posters, flyers and programmes from throughout the history of our theatrical neighbour, some of which are on display here.
Take a closer look at posters from HMT's history on our interactive exhibition on the touchscreen. |