Cliffs Pavilion
Encyclopedia
Cliffs Pavilion is a live theatre
in Station Road, Westcliff-on-Sea
, Essex
, England
, which seats 1,630 and offers an assortment of variety
acts.
Work began on the original Cliffs Pavilion during the 1930s. It was intended to be a 500 seat theatre incorporating the art deco
style of the times. With the outbreak of World War II
, however, the building work halted. The site remained boarded-up until 1959, when the original building was leveled. It was then moved to one side and slightly closer to the edge of the cliff to form the basis of the present Cliffs Pavilion, which opened in 1964.
On July 19, 1991, Paul McCartney
performed one of his six "secret" shows at the Pavilion during his 1991 Unplugged Summer Tour
.
From July 1991 to December 1992, the building was closed to be redeveloped and enlarged, with the funding of Southend Borough Council and designed by Tim Foster Architects. The stairs were rebuilt, a new Foyer Bar added and a balcony added to the auditorium. Since re-opening, annual audience figures increased from about 200,000 to about 340,000.
On 31 August 1995, Oasis
played a concert, which was released on a VHS
/DVD
, titled Live by the Sea
.
In May 2008, 70's icon Gloria Gaynor
performed her greatest hits, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "I Will Survive". The Drifters
also performed their classics, on the same night, serving as Gloria's opening act.
Also in 2008, four-time Grammy award winning R&B/Soul quartet Boyz II Men
performed in front of a capacity crowd singing songs such as the classic "End of the Road" to the adoring crowd.
In June 2009, Blur
performed as part of a warm-up show for the Glastonbury Festival.
51.5352314°N 0.6969237°W
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Station Road, Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea is a suburb of Southend-on-Sea, a seaside resort in the East of England and unitary authority in Essex. It is situated on the northern bank of the Thames Estuary and about 34 miles east of London.-Geography:...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which seats 1,630 and offers an assortment of variety
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
acts.
Work began on the original Cliffs Pavilion during the 1930s. It was intended to be a 500 seat theatre incorporating the art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style of the times. With the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, however, the building work halted. The site remained boarded-up until 1959, when the original building was leveled. It was then moved to one side and slightly closer to the edge of the cliff to form the basis of the present Cliffs Pavilion, which opened in 1964.
On July 19, 1991, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
performed one of his six "secret" shows at the Pavilion during his 1991 Unplugged Summer Tour
Paul McCartney's Unplugged 1991 Summer Tour
The Paul McCartney's Unplugged 1991 Summer Tour by Paul McCartney was a European impromptu tour of six "secret" gigs scheduled to promote the release of the Unplugged live album.-Tour dates:-Typical set list:#"Mean Woman Blues"#"Be-Bop-A-Lula"...
.
From July 1991 to December 1992, the building was closed to be redeveloped and enlarged, with the funding of Southend Borough Council and designed by Tim Foster Architects. The stairs were rebuilt, a new Foyer Bar added and a balcony added to the auditorium. Since re-opening, annual audience figures increased from about 200,000 to about 340,000.
On 31 August 1995, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
played a concert, which was released on a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
/DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, titled Live by the Sea
Live By The Sea
Live by the Sea is a live video recording by the English rock band Oasis, released on DVD and VHS. It features Oasis' gig at the Southend Cliffs Pavilion on 17 April 1995, as well as the videos for "Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol"...
.
In May 2008, 70's icon Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
performed her greatest hits, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "I Will Survive". The Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
also performed their classics, on the same night, serving as Gloria's opening act.
Also in 2008, four-time Grammy award winning R&B/Soul quartet Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
performed in front of a capacity crowd singing songs such as the classic "End of the Road" to the adoring crowd.
In June 2009, Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
performed as part of a warm-up show for the Glastonbury Festival.
External links
51.5352314°N 0.6969237°W