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Unknown Theatre In Broad St

S

soulman

proper brummie kid
hello
i am trying to find out the name plus any information on a Theatre that used to stand in or very near to Broard St. I was told it was knocked down in 1984/5 time.From the outside i remember a large paved area to the front of the building, from the inside and from the stage there were three tiers and at the very front an orchestra pit.
The first name of the theatre director was Michael,sorry cant remember the surname, this was up to approx 1983/4 when sadly he died of cancer.
In 1982/3 there was a run for about 3 months of a Northern Soul show does any one remember this show? there must be some one who does!
Also at that time there used to be a paper which reported on the Theatre shows all over the country can any one recall its name and is it still running?
not much info to go on i know but if any one can name this theatre or show any pictures of it i promise to love you forever, thankyou
 
Alexandra, surely? But not Broad Street.

Many references to the Alexandra in this Forum, to be found via the Search function.

Chris
 
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Just found another picture of the Old Crescent Theatre - "a scanned negative in 1995" - which ties in with the date on your picture guilbert53.

The Gaumont closed 1983 and was knocked down in 1986 but that was a cinema - Is it possible someone is getting two buildings confused?
 
HI SOULMAN
I cannot tell you the name of the club at this precise time but i can tell you that small thearter was on the top end of broad street
and where the bus stops are now and the first opein of the walk way into behind the pubs and the shops that are there now
was where the club venue became for a while after the thearter closed down it became a soul club for a while
then changed to a strip club for a short while and beleive me it was a short while then the first start of changing broad stret commenced
and that was the start of things to comefor a new broad street they built auckneck square shopping precinct
which was built as a new dezign and years later they started to redel; broad stret one end to another
there costume wardrobes was a little way down the broad street on the oppersite side by the old church and it was the road where we had the motor car taxation office it was a big ware house wich covered all costumes for all the other remaing thearters around the city and also the tv film stars
was kept the soul club strted at the venue which on seeing for the first time i did not think it would take off but it didfor a period i think about 12 to 18 months then it was closed down for reasons we are all aware of druggs and trouble
then with in six months it openend as a clip joint i think it was called top hats or some think like that butit did not survive
they closed it down and layed empty for a long time then the properyy tycoons and the planning department got there way and redel ; broad stret to what it is today ; but may b some-one can take over and tell you the name of the orinional clubas it was called then
it was called soul some think but whati just cannot think at the moment but alls well some one on our great team at the forum will recall it
have a great day best wishes astonian
 
hi moss
what i had in mind was further up the road on broad street on the opersite side
where your picture shows you the crown pub on broad street you can se the church well that rd just as you approach it was
the rd for the motor taxation office but pass that rd for about 500 yards may be a little more thats where i think it was the front entrance had a shape to it but down that side rd by the church was the ware houseing for the thearteracticle clothing was kept and also they would have to have bought there make up creams and powders from the little thearter would have been up the rd from the cresswell
have a great day mossy will be coming to weston next month hope to met up astonian
 
soulman, I remember a weekly paper from that time called The Stage, that covered events, shows and auditions been held throughout the country, is that the one.

Colin
 
Astonian, the road you are trying to recall was Oozells Street, when I was at school we used to hire costumes from there for our school plays, which were entered into competitions for Birmingham Schools.

The Prince of Wales Theatre was bombed during the war. I can't think of any other theatres apart from the Crescent, but wasn't the West End Cinema
previously a theatre, near Broad Street.
 
Hi Sylv;
yes you are quite correct and thanks for putting the name back into my head
yes indeed it was oozells street taxation and i beleive you are right on the thearter; nice one sylv;
best wishes astonian
 
soulman said:
hello
i am trying to find out the name plus any information on a Theatre that used to stand in or very near to Broard St. I was told it was knocked down in 1984/5 time.From the outside i remember a large paved area to the front of the building, from the inside and from the stage there were three tiers and at the very front an orchestra pit.
The first name of the theatre director was Michael,sorry cant remember the surname, this was up to approx 1983/4 when sadly he died of cancer.
In 1982/3 there was a run for about 3 months of a Northern Soul show does any one remember this show? there must be some one who does!
Also at that time there used to be a paper which reported on the Theatre shows all over the country can any one recall its name and is it still running?
not much info to go on i know but if any one can name this theatre or show any pictures of it i promise to love you forever, thankyou
Click to expand...



Soulman and anyone else who is interested I posted before on BHF but can't find it in Search:)

https://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Birmingham.htm


https://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Birmingham/PrinceOfWalesTheatreBirmingham.htm

Photo's here
 
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Soulman says the show "Northern Soul" ran for 3 months - I don't think the Old Crescent put on long-running shows such as this. Also, he says the theatre he's trying to identify had 3 tiers and the Old Crescent did not. Plus, the Old Crescent didn't have a large paved area at the front.

Couldn't have been The Prince Of Wales either, as this was demolished long before 1984/85.

A puzzle.

Big Gee
 
not sure if you mean me getting confused but i remember the theatre well as it was me who was the singer in the Northern Soul show i almost lived in that theatre for 12months, bloody strange i cant recall the name thats what is driving me nuts!!!!!!
pollypops said:
Just found another picture of the Old Crescent Theatre - "a scanned negative in 1995" - which ties in with the date on your picture guilbert53.

The Gaumont closed 1983 and was knocked down in 1986 but that was a cinema - Is it possible someone is getting two buildings confused?
Click to expand...
 
I think it was Bingley Hall. That burned down in 1984 or 1985, and in its later years did put on musical productions. But I don't recall the 3-tier interior you refer to....

Have you tried Birmingham Musical Archives website?

Big Gee
 
wow thankyou that just may well jog some ones memory, one thing i have remembered is that as you walked out the theatres main doors there was a large paved area and to the right was a place where every one went to eat it had all glass walls pretty smart place, the reason i am so desperate to find out info about this theatre is that in 1982/3 i was the singer in the Northern Soul show i mentioned and it did very well in ticket sales and the reviews were amazing, then as TV became interested in me the theatre director died , who was my closes friend, and i just walked away from it all!!!!!! mad to think of it at that time i was 19yrs old and being paid £2,000 per wk had a brand new Merc and all the trappins that that wealth and life brings. AAAh youth is wasted on the young what a hot head i was back then, but now cant even remember the name of the place crazy bloody life life is .
 
Dek,

if you actually read the link, it will tell you that the Prince Of Wales was destroyed by bombing in 1941.

Big Gee
 
thanks to all there is a small explantion on the last page as to why i am so keen to find this theatre, and have remembered as you walked out the main doors there was a large paved area and to the right a road and on the direct oppersite ,to the right, of the thatre was a place where everyone from the theatre would eat althou is was open to anyone, it had all glass walls i remember we got pi**ed in there many times so it had a bar, my god this is driving me to dispair but plz keep your thinking caps on and thankyou all
 
Colin B said:
soulman, I remember a weekly paper from that time called The Stage, that covered events, shows and auditions been held throughout the country, is that the one.

Colin
Click to expand...
that may just be the paper i will try google and see if it is still about, thankyou
 
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