Players' Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Players' Theatre was a theatre
in London as well as a theatre club for music hall
in the style of the BBC
programme "The Good Old Days
".
and Peter Ridgeway
, acquired premises from Dorita Curtis Hayward, on the top floor of 43 Kings Street, Covent Garden
, in what was once Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms
, founded in the 1840s by W. G. Evans. As the latter had acquired the premises from a Mr. Joy it became known as 'Evans Late Joy's'. This renowned 'song and supper' room was an immediate predecessor of the later music halls. It closed in 1880.
Ridgeway and Sachs rapidly established the Players' as a notable 'little theatre'. In 1937, seeking a Christmas show, they were persuaded to present an evening of music hall entertainment recreating as far as possible a night at 'Evans's'. This was the very first programme of early Victorian delights, offered under the title 'Ridgeway's Late Joys'. The show was an instant success, the original cast including Patricia Hayes
, Megs Jenkins
, Richard Haydn
and Harold Scott. The Late Joys was a play on the original premises name as the shows then began very late (around 11.00 p.m.) mainly because it allowed both members and performers, of whom many were on the stage, to get there for the start after their own performances.
Within a few months, subsequent editions had persuaded Ridgeway and Sachs that music hall was the club's future. Peter Ridgeway died shortly afterwards of TB, at the age of 34. Leonard Sachs continued on his own, his gift for discovering new talent being a major factor in his success. Among the new recruits came Robert Eddison
, Bernard Miles
, Alec Clunes
, and Frith Banbury
and Peter Ustinov
(auditioning at 11 a.m., onstage by 11 p.m.) in his professional debut. Apart from attracting gifted artists and musicians as performers, two artists destined to become famous in their own right added their talents to the mix. Rex Whistler
designed sets and scenery, whilst Felix Topolski did much to decorate the theatre with his wonderful draughtsmanship. A Rex Whistler backcloth was situated on the wall at the side of the stairs leading to the auditorium in the final Players' Theatre that was underneath the railway arches of Charing Cross.
The Players' was recognised by public and critics as 'The most original entertainment in London'. It was even endorsed as one of the clubs to which the subalterns of the Household Brigade were permitted to belong. The Churchill family were great supporters — Sarah Churchill helping as a programme seller. Sir Maurice and Lady Violet Bonham-Carter, together with their son, Mark, are to be found amongst the early membership, which included many leading members of London society. The club flourished, offering performances every night at 11.00 p.m. and at 2.00 a.m. on at least two evenings per week.
Leonard Sachs continued to recruit clever artistes. The scions of well-known Edwardian theatrical families (including Huntley Wright
, Sterndale Bennett, and later J. N. Maskelyne), added an inherited touch of authenticity to the proceedings. Later still, some of the performers from that earlier age returned to the music-hall stage via The Players' — including Ada Reeve
, Ruby Millar, Albert Whelan
and Billy Merson
, (who acted as Chairman).
in the former El Morocco
nightclub
. This was in a basement in one of the few concrete buildings in London. Thanks to this good fortune, the Players' (along with The Windmill
) 'never closed' throughout the War.
Leonard Sachs was called up for military service and (riding in a taxi to Waterloo to join his troop train) he made over the Players' Theatre Club to Jean Anderson
, already an established actress and Players' artiste. Jean contrived to keep the Club open and solvent for the next five years, before going on to a very distinguished career both on stage and on television in series such as 'Tenko' and 'The Brothers'. Under her management, the Players' became a haven for Londoners suffering the Blitz, as well as a home from home for many of the allied forces also living in London.
Americans, Australians, Canadians, Czechs, Danes, Dutch, the Free French, Indians, New Zealanders, Norwegians, Poles, Rhodesians, South Africans — all were to be found among the Players' audience. Indeed, to this day, every Players' audience usually contains a number of 'visitors from abroad' who are duly greeted and teased. In addition, nearly every Sunday saw a contingent of Players' artistes entertain in hospitals, at gun-sites and searchlight emplacements. James Robertson Justice
made his debut as Chairman and launched his film career at this time.
Station, when he faintly discerned the legend "Forum Cinema". Sending Bill Draper, the Stage Carpenter, round to investigate, they found that this 'arch and a half' had indeed been a theatre from 1910 onwards.
During the war, it had been turned into storage for the Army Corps of Cinematography. Of greater importance, was the discovery that here had originally been a music hall called "Gatti's-in-the-Arches
" created by the Gatti Brothers, Carlo Gatti
and Giuseppe Gatti. (The Gattis had owned two music halls, the other being called "Gatti's-in-the Road" in Westminster Bridge Road
). Although this provenance was very exciting, the building had been very neglected and lacked any theatre fittings or equipment.
Enquiries at the War Office
put Leonard in touch with a sympathetic Senior Officer who remembered the Players' company's visits to the sites and camps. Orders were given, and the building was released within a matter of days. Players' members and artistes rallied round and, incredibly, the building was open for business within three weeks. For a time, the membership lists over-subscribed, as the club went from strength to strength. New talent was discovered or returned to theatrical life.
, Bill Owen, Ian Carmichael
, Clive Dunn
, John Le Mesurier
, Ian Wallace
and John Hewer
appeared regularly on the bill. They provided a strong lead to the brilliant newcomers joining the company — Daphne Anderson
, Patsy Rowlands
, Maggie Smith
, Marian Studholme, Marion Grimaldi and Margaret Burton being but a few.
Leonard was asked to present a similar show at the Festival Gardens, for the Festival of Britain
. So favourable was the response, that the great theatre chain of the time, Moss Empires
, invited Sachs to undertake a long tour of all the major variety theatres in the United Kingdom. This triggered the interest of BBC Leeds, and in due course The Good Old Days
reached BBC
television. Originally only a few programmes went out, and Don Gemmel (Leonard's successor as Director of the Players') was Chairman. Such was public acclaim, that the show was scheduled for first four, then thirteen, then twenty-six weekly editions. It remained a part of the BBC light entertainment for 32 years and was frequently to be found in the 'top ten' in terms of ratings.
In 1954, the Players' commissioned a short 'end-piece' designed to fill the third part of the usual Players' evening. The author and composer was Sandy Wilson
— the work he provided was The Boy Friend
. From its first appearance, barely forty-five minutes long, the merit and charm of the piece was self-evident. After a triumphant four-week run, Sandy was asked to expand the piece. The full-length version again earned immense acclamation, but West End Management would not offer the play a transfer.
Courageously, Don Gemmel, Gervase Farjeon and Reginald Woolley arranged a short Christmas season at Swiss Cottage
's Embassy Theatre
. Once again, audience and critics were in total accord, and on the morning the reviews appeared, 'The Boy Friend' was offered five or six West End theatres. It eventually transferred to the Wyndham's Theatre
, where it played to more than 95% capacity for five years, and made a star of Julie Andrews
in New York
.
More recently, on the occasion of the Players' Diamond Jubilee
in 1996, Sir Peter Ustinov
was installed as Honorary President in front of a capacity audience. Many members of the Royal Family to have passed through the doors including the Prince of Wales
, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal
and the Earl of Wessex
.
The Players' was unique, however, in more ways than one. It was essentially a members' theatre. Relaxation of Britain's restrictive licensing laws made it possible for any casual visitor to buy a ticket for £15.00.
The evenings' entertainment continued to be billed as 'Ridgeways Late Joys': an evening of revival Victorian
music hall
and that is exactly what it was — a selection of professional artistes, past masters at putting over a minor musical masterpiece in costume. The simple accompaniment remained that of a grand Steinway pianoforte and the company combined at the end of the show for a rousing ensemble finale, concluding with 'Dear Old Pals' — sung at every performance for 64 years.
The whole evening was compered from the stage by a distinguished Chairman. This would often be the then Director of The Players', Dominic Le Foe, who dubbed himself "as British as the Flag" but could equally have been Alan Curtis
, Barry Cryer
, Michael Kilgarriff
, Johnny Dennis, Jim McManus or in earlier days Robin Hunter
, John Hewer, Don Gemmell, Fred Stone and many others. The sartorial elegance of the chairman was matched by the performers. The humour was strictly Victorian, but with astute observations on life, as relevant now as they ever were in Queen Victoria
's day. There were two short intervals during which the audience would be invited to visit the bars and help swell the coffers of this merry throng by indulging in a few libations, toasting the health of Her Majesty awhile.
Every year the Players' presented an original Victorian pantomime
, often by J. R. Planché or Henry James Byron
.
The Players' Theatre Club was unique and had survived unfunded and unsponsored since it was founded in 1936, until its misfortunes in 2002. A competing group tried to take over the club. Their attempt failed, but not without doing permanent damage to the club's relation to its landlord.
The Players' group is now once more delighting audiences in the West End, putting on shows at the Arts Theatre, and, shortly at the re-named Venue Theatre (in future, the Leicester Square Theatre). In addition, they work with Westminster City Council
for example by performing in the spectacular 'West End Live' festival, (second appearance in 2008), and by putting on a music hall show for the launch, at the Coliseum Theatre
of Westminster's innovative idea for a National 'Silver Sunday'.
A long lease of a building in Craven Street (the other side of the Charing Cross station tracks) has been purchased by another group of supporters, who have registered a property company with the tobacconistic name 'Craven Players Limited'. It aims to construct a completely new theatre, which will be 'friendly' to the elderly, disabled and the environment. A benefactor has given the club £100,000 towards the cost of the project.
Theoretically there are two Players' clubs operating in central London
. The original theatre premises under the Arches off Villiers Street were taken over by off West End Theatres. They renamed it 'The New Players Theatre'. After a short while they sold the theatre, bar and restaurant to Pure Management, who also own the nightclub Heaven, across the Arch. Pure Management continues to operate the theatre. A relationship with Soho Theatre was formed after the hugely successful sell out show "The Tiger Lillies: Seven Deadly Sins" a punk cabaret production. It therefore seems to have little relationship left to the music hall heritage of the old club.
'The Players' have concentrated on more frequent, smaller scale shows, plus the maintenance of awareness of music hall around London and the country by participation in local festivals and other events. The Players' Theatre club is an important part of British music hall tradition.
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 London as well as a theatre club for music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
in the style of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programme "The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days is a popular BBC television light entertainment programme which ran from 1953 to 1983.It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day...
".
Origins
The history of the Players' is a microcosm of British theatrical history, and many famous names have appeared on its stage. At its conception in 1936, the Players' was intended as a club, covering many aspects of theatrical entertainment. The founders, Leonard SachsLeonard Sachs
Leonard Sachs was a British actor.-Early life and career:Sachs was born in South Africa in the town of Roodepoort, Transvaal...
and Peter Ridgeway
Peter Ridgeway
Peter Ridgway is an Australian prosecutor and a former Deputy Director of Prosecutions in Fiji.Ridgway resigned on 3 May 2005 and was expelled from Fiji on 22 June by the government of then-Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, while investigating alleged links between members of the government and the...
, acquired premises from Dorita Curtis Hayward, on the top floor of 43 Kings Street, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, in what was once Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms
Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms
Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms, 43 King Street, Covent Garden, was a famous venue for music and singing in early nineteenth century London, providing the type of entertainment which later evolved into music hall....
, founded in the 1840s by W. G. Evans. As the latter had acquired the premises from a Mr. Joy it became known as 'Evans Late Joy's'. This renowned 'song and supper' room was an immediate predecessor of the later music halls. It closed in 1880.
Ridgeway and Sachs rapidly established the Players' as a notable 'little theatre'. In 1937, seeking a Christmas show, they were persuaded to present an evening of music hall entertainment recreating as far as possible a night at 'Evans's'. This was the very first programme of early Victorian delights, offered under the title 'Ridgeway's Late Joys'. The show was an instant success, the original cast including Patricia Hayes
Patricia Hayes
Patricia Lawlor Hayes, OBE was an English comedy actress.Hayes was born in Streatham, London. As a child Hayes attended Sacred Heart School in Wandsworth....
, Megs Jenkins
Megs Jenkins
Muguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins was an English character actress who appeared in British films and television programmes.-Life and career:...
, Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn was an English comic actor in radio, films and television.-Early life and career:Born George Richard Haydon in London, he was known for playing eccentric characters, such as Edwin Carp, Claud Curdle, Richard Rancyd and Stanley Stayle. Much of his stage delivery was done in a...
and Harold Scott. The Late Joys was a play on the original premises name as the shows then began very late (around 11.00 p.m.) mainly because it allowed both members and performers, of whom many were on the stage, to get there for the start after their own performances.
Within a few months, subsequent editions had persuaded Ridgeway and Sachs that music hall was the club's future. Peter Ridgeway died shortly afterwards of TB, at the age of 34. Leonard Sachs continued on his own, his gift for discovering new talent being a major factor in his success. Among the new recruits came Robert Eddison
Robert Eddison
Robert Eddison was a British actor, who is probably most widely remembered in the role of the Grail Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade...
, Bernard Miles
Bernard Miles
Bernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1959, the first new theatre opened in the City of London since the 17th century....
, Alec Clunes
Alec Clunes
Alexander "Alec" Demoro Sherriff Clunes was an English actor and stage manager.Among the plays he presented were Christopher Fry's famous play The Lady's Not For Burning. He gave the actor and dramatist Sir Peter Ustinov his first break with his production The House of Regrets. His film career was...
, and Frith Banbury
Frith Banbury
Frith Banbury, MBE was a British theatre actor and stage director.- Biography :Frith Banbury was born in Plymouth, Devon, on 4 May 1912. He was the son of Rear Admiral Frederick Arthur Frith Banbury and his wife Winifred...
and Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
(auditioning at 11 a.m., onstage by 11 p.m.) in his professional debut. Apart from attracting gifted artists and musicians as performers, two artists destined to become famous in their own right added their talents to the mix. Rex Whistler
Rex Whistler
Reginald John 'Rex' Whistler was a British artist, designer and illustrator.-Biography:Rex Whistler was born in Eltham, Kent, the son of Henry and Helen Frances Mary Whistler...
designed sets and scenery, whilst Felix Topolski did much to decorate the theatre with his wonderful draughtsmanship. A Rex Whistler backcloth was situated on the wall at the side of the stairs leading to the auditorium in the final Players' Theatre that was underneath the railway arches of Charing Cross.
The Players' was recognised by public and critics as 'The most original entertainment in London'. It was even endorsed as one of the clubs to which the subalterns of the Household Brigade were permitted to belong. The Churchill family were great supporters — Sarah Churchill helping as a programme seller. Sir Maurice and Lady Violet Bonham-Carter, together with their son, Mark, are to be found amongst the early membership, which included many leading members of London society. The club flourished, offering performances every night at 11.00 p.m. and at 2.00 a.m. on at least two evenings per week.
Leonard Sachs continued to recruit clever artistes. The scions of well-known Edwardian theatrical families (including Huntley Wright
Huntley Wright
Huntley Wright was an English stage and film actor, comedian, dancer and singer, best known for creating roles in many important Edwardian musical comedies....
, Sterndale Bennett, and later J. N. Maskelyne), added an inherited touch of authenticity to the proceedings. Later still, some of the performers from that earlier age returned to the music-hall stage via The Players' — including Ada Reeve
Ada Reeve
Ada Reeve was an English actress of both stage and film. Reeve began to perform in pantomime and music hall as a child. She gained fame in Edwardian musical comedies in the 1890s....
, Ruby Millar, Albert Whelan
Albert Whelan
Albert Whelan , was an Australian popular singer and entertainer, who was prominent in the English music hall during the first half of the 20th century....
and Billy Merson
Billy Merson
Billy Merson was an English music hall performer and songwriter. He began his career while working in a lace-making factory, and doing shows in the evenings. It took some time until he could make a living from his stage work. "For five or six years on the stage, I survived on a salary hardly...
, (who acted as Chairman).
Theatre in World War II
The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 inevitably caused serious problems. The Players' premises, on the top floor of an old building with a glass roof and a hydraulic lift, were not an ideal venue during an air-raid. Eventually, after two short-term arrangements (including a number of performances in a member's drawing-room in St. John's Wood), the Players' found a refuge in Albemarle StreetAlbemarle Street
Albemarle Street is a street in Mayfair in central London, off Piccadilly. It has historic associations with Lord Byron, whose publisher John Murray was based here, and Oscar Wilde, a member of the Albemarle Club, where an insult he received led to his suing for libel and to his eventual imprisonment...
in the former El Morocco
El Morocco
El Morocco was a 20th century Manhattan nightclub frequented by the rich and famous in the 1930s and 1950s. It was famous for its blue zebra-stripe motif and its official photographer, Jerome Zerbe.-History:In 1931, John Perona , an Italian...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. This was in a basement in one of the few concrete buildings in London. Thanks to this good fortune, the Players' (along with The Windmill
Windmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
) 'never closed' throughout the War.
Leonard Sachs was called up for military service and (riding in a taxi to Waterloo to join his troop train) he made over the Players' Theatre Club to Jean Anderson
Jean Anderson
Jean Anderson was an English actress born in Eastbourne, Sussex. She is best remembered for her television roles as hard-faced matriarch Mary Hammond in the 1970s BBC drama The Brothers and as rebellious aristocrat Lady Jocelyn "Joss" Holbrook in the 1980s Second World War series Tenko .She is...
, already an established actress and Players' artiste. Jean contrived to keep the Club open and solvent for the next five years, before going on to a very distinguished career both on stage and on television in series such as 'Tenko' and 'The Brothers'. Under her management, the Players' became a haven for Londoners suffering the Blitz, as well as a home from home for many of the allied forces also living in London.
Americans, Australians, Canadians, Czechs, Danes, Dutch, the Free French, Indians, New Zealanders, Norwegians, Poles, Rhodesians, South Africans — all were to be found among the Players' audience. Indeed, to this day, every Players' audience usually contains a number of 'visitors from abroad' who are duly greeted and teased. In addition, nearly every Sunday saw a contingent of Players' artistes entertain in hospitals, at gun-sites and searchlight emplacements. James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice was a popular British character actor in British films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:...
made his debut as Chairman and launched his film career at this time.
Rebuilding the club
With the end of the war, Leonard Sachs returned to take up the reins again and was immediately obliged to seek yet another location. Having rented a small flat in Craven Street, he was looking out of a rear window one day at the brick face of the Hungerford Arches under Charing CrossCharing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
Station, when he faintly discerned the legend "Forum Cinema". Sending Bill Draper, the Stage Carpenter, round to investigate, they found that this 'arch and a half' had indeed been a theatre from 1910 onwards.
During the war, it had been turned into storage for the Army Corps of Cinematography. Of greater importance, was the discovery that here had originally been a music hall called "Gatti's-in-the-Arches
Charing Cross Music Hall
The Charing Cross Music Hall was a music hall established beneath the Arches of Charing Cross railway station in 1866 by brothers, Giovanni and Carlo Gatti to replace the former Hungerford Hall...
" created by the Gatti Brothers, Carlo Gatti
Carlo Gatti
Carlo Gatti was a Swiss entrepreneur in the Victorian era. He came to England in 1847, where he established restaurants and an ice importing business. He is credited with first making ice cream available to the general public. He moved into music halls. He returned to Switzerland in 1871, leaving...
and Giuseppe Gatti. (The Gattis had owned two music halls, the other being called "Gatti's-in-the Road" in Westminster Bridge Road
Westminster Bridge Road
Westminster Bridge Road is a short, but busy, road in London, England. It runs on an east-west axis and passes through the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark....
). Although this provenance was very exciting, the building had been very neglected and lacked any theatre fittings or equipment.
Enquiries at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
put Leonard in touch with a sympathetic Senior Officer who remembered the Players' company's visits to the sites and camps. Orders were given, and the building was released within a matter of days. Players' members and artistes rallied round and, incredibly, the building was open for business within three weeks. For a time, the membership lists over-subscribed, as the club went from strength to strength. New talent was discovered or returned to theatrical life.
Start of famous post-war careers
Hattie JacquesHattie Jacques
Josephine Edwina Jaques was an English comedy actress, known as Hattie Jacques.Starting her career in the 1940s, Jacques first gained attention through her radio appearances with Tommy Handley on ITMA and later with Tony Hancock on Hancock's Half Hour...
, Bill Owen, Ian Carmichael
Ian Carmichael
Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE was an English film, stage, television and radio actor.-Early life:Carmichael was born in Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The son of an optician, he was educated at Scarborough College and Bromsgrove School, before training as an actor at RADA...
, Clive Dunn
Clive Dunn
Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn OBE is a retired English actor, comedian and author, best known for his role as Lance-Corporal Jack Jones in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army.-Early life:...
, John Le Mesurier
John Le Mesurier
John Le Mesurier was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army.-Career:...
, Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace (singer)
Ian Bryce Wallace OBE was a British bass-baritone opera and concert singer, actor and broadcaster of Scottish extraction....
and John Hewer
John Hewer
John Hewer was an English actor. He was born in Leyton, London.A stalwart of London's Players Theatre throughout his career, he appeared in many musical theatrical productions, including Sail Away and Six of One in London's West End theatre, but the highlight of his theatrical career was starring...
appeared regularly on the bill. They provided a strong lead to the brilliant newcomers joining the company — Daphne Anderson
Daphne Anderson
-External links:...
, Patsy Rowlands
Patsy Rowlands
Patsy Rowlands was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, as Betty in the popular ITV Thames sitcom Bless This House, and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Hallelujah!.-Early years:She was born in Palmers Green, London and attended a...
, Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith
Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE , better known as Maggie Smith, is an English film, stage, and television actress who made her stage debut in 1952 and is still performing after 59 years...
, Marian Studholme, Marion Grimaldi and Margaret Burton being but a few.
Leonard was asked to present a similar show at the Festival Gardens, for the Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
. So favourable was the response, that the great theatre chain of the time, Moss Empires
Moss Empires
Moss Empires was a British company formed in Edinburgh from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss and Sir Oswald Stoll in 1898. This created the largest British chain of music halls...
, invited Sachs to undertake a long tour of all the major variety theatres in the United Kingdom. This triggered the interest of BBC Leeds, and in due course The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days is a popular BBC television light entertainment programme which ran from 1953 to 1983.It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day...
reached BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television. Originally only a few programmes went out, and Don Gemmel (Leonard's successor as Director of the Players') was Chairman. Such was public acclaim, that the show was scheduled for first four, then thirteen, then twenty-six weekly editions. It remained a part of the BBC light entertainment for 32 years and was frequently to be found in the 'top ten' in terms of ratings.
In 1954, the Players' commissioned a short 'end-piece' designed to fill the third part of the usual Players' evening. The author and composer was Sandy Wilson
Sandy Wilson
Sandy Wilson is an English composer and lyricist, best known for his musical The Boy Friend .-Biography:Wilson was born Alexander Galbraith Wilson in Sale, Greater Manchester, and was educated at Harrow School and Oriel College, Oxford. During the war he served in the Royal Ordnance Corps in Great...
— the work he provided was The Boy Friend
The Boy Friend
The Boy Friend is a musical by Sandy Wilson. The musical's original 1954 London production ran for 2,078 performances, making it briefly the third-longest running musical in West End or Broadway history until it was surpassed by Salad Days...
. From its first appearance, barely forty-five minutes long, the merit and charm of the piece was self-evident. After a triumphant four-week run, Sandy was asked to expand the piece. The full-length version again earned immense acclamation, but West End Management would not offer the play a transfer.
Courageously, Don Gemmel, Gervase Farjeon and Reginald Woolley arranged a short Christmas season at Swiss Cottage
Swiss Cottage
Swiss Cottage is a district of the London Borough of Camden in London, England. Thedistrict is located north-west of Charing Cross. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and is the location of Swiss Cottage tube station.-Etymology:...
's Embassy Theatre
Embassy Theatre (London)
The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
. Once again, audience and critics were in total accord, and on the morning the reviews appeared, 'The Boy Friend' was offered five or six West End theatres. It eventually transferred to the Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by the actor/manager Charles Wyndham . Located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, it was designed by W.G.R. Sprague about 1898, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916...
, where it played to more than 95% capacity for five years, and made a star of Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
More recently, on the occasion of the Players' Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
in 1996, Sir Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
was installed as Honorary President in front of a capacity audience. Many members of the Royal Family to have passed through the doors including the Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
and the Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
.
An evening at the club
The Members of the Players Theatre Club, almost as well rehearsed as the cast, would join in with the performances, answering the Chairman and singing along with some of the most famous songs in music hall. These could be supplemented by any one of the some 30,000 lesser-known songs from the vast archive.The Players' was unique, however, in more ways than one. It was essentially a members' theatre. Relaxation of Britain's restrictive licensing laws made it possible for any casual visitor to buy a ticket for £15.00.
The evenings' entertainment continued to be billed as 'Ridgeways Late Joys': an evening of revival Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
and that is exactly what it was — a selection of professional artistes, past masters at putting over a minor musical masterpiece in costume. The simple accompaniment remained that of a grand Steinway pianoforte and the company combined at the end of the show for a rousing ensemble finale, concluding with 'Dear Old Pals' — sung at every performance for 64 years.
The whole evening was compered from the stage by a distinguished Chairman. This would often be the then Director of The Players', Dominic Le Foe, who dubbed himself "as British as the Flag" but could equally have been Alan Curtis
Alan Curtis (British actor)
-Background:He was born in Coulsdon, Surrey and he has led a long career in the cinema, television and theatre.He has also acted for the MCC as an announcer at Lord's Cricket Ground.Alan now lives in West London.-Cinema appearances:...
, Barry Cryer
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer OBE is a British writer and comedian. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie...
, Michael Kilgarriff
Michael Kilgarriff
Michael Kilgarriff is a British actor, born 16 June 1937 in Brighton. As an actor he is well known for two things: his rich voice, leading to much radio and voice over work; and his height. At six feet seven inches tall, he is sought for certain roles, the most notable of which has been The Cyber...
, Johnny Dennis, Jim McManus or in earlier days Robin Hunter
Robin Hunter
Robin Ian Hunter was an English actor, who was also a skilled and versatile performer and writer in the field of musicals, music hall and comedy.-Life and career:...
, John Hewer, Don Gemmell, Fred Stone and many others. The sartorial elegance of the chairman was matched by the performers. The humour was strictly Victorian, but with astute observations on life, as relevant now as they ever were in Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
's day. There were two short intervals during which the audience would be invited to visit the bars and help swell the coffers of this merry throng by indulging in a few libations, toasting the health of Her Majesty awhile.
Every year the Players' presented an original Victorian pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, often by J. R. Planché or Henry James Byron
Henry James Byron
Henry James Byron was a prolific English dramatist, as well as an editor, journalist, director, theatre manager, novelist and actor....
.
The Players' Theatre Club was unique and had survived unfunded and unsponsored since it was founded in 1936, until its misfortunes in 2002. A competing group tried to take over the club. Their attempt failed, but not without doing permanent damage to the club's relation to its landlord.
21st century rebirth
The remaining director, aided by a group of members, set up a restoration committee and after a phenomenal amount of work by many people, founded a new club. This was registered as a not-for-profit company - 'The Players' Joys Limited' and has charitable status.The Players' group is now once more delighting audiences in the West End, putting on shows at the Arts Theatre, and, shortly at the re-named Venue Theatre (in future, the Leicester Square Theatre). In addition, they work with Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
for example by performing in the spectacular 'West End Live' festival, (second appearance in 2008), and by putting on a music hall show for the launch, at the Coliseum Theatre
Coliseum Theatre
The London Coliseum is an opera house and major performing venue on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham , for impresario Oswald Stoll...
of Westminster's innovative idea for a National 'Silver Sunday'.
A long lease of a building in Craven Street (the other side of the Charing Cross station tracks) has been purchased by another group of supporters, who have registered a property company with the tobacconistic name 'Craven Players Limited'. It aims to construct a completely new theatre, which will be 'friendly' to the elderly, disabled and the environment. A benefactor has given the club £100,000 towards the cost of the project.
Theoretically there are two Players' clubs operating in central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. The original theatre premises under the Arches off Villiers Street were taken over by off West End Theatres. They renamed it 'The New Players Theatre'. After a short while they sold the theatre, bar and restaurant to Pure Management, who also own the nightclub Heaven, across the Arch. Pure Management continues to operate the theatre. A relationship with Soho Theatre was formed after the hugely successful sell out show "The Tiger Lillies: Seven Deadly Sins" a punk cabaret production. It therefore seems to have little relationship left to the music hall heritage of the old club.
'The Players' have concentrated on more frequent, smaller scale shows, plus the maintenance of awareness of music hall around London and the country by participation in local festivals and other events. The Players' Theatre club is an important part of British music hall tradition.
External links
- Official site of the Players Theatre Club Retrieved April 25, 2010
- Dominic Lefoe on IMDB Retrieved April 25, 2010
- Official website for the Players' Music Hall Company Retrieved April 25, 2010
- Official website for the New Players' Theatre Company at Charing Cross Retrieved April 25, 2010