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Unknown Theatre In Broad St

Hi Soulman: Was it the New Repertory Theatre on Broad Street. Don't think it had three tiers though. This wasn't demolished though so it can't be that one. Soulman, you mentioned that you had found one photo of the theatre on Google did you mean the Alexandra?
 
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Hi Alf: My post is an offshoot of trying to find the theatre that Soulman refers to in Brum. I had a look on the Arthur Lloyd website you posted and saw the huge painting of many of the stars of the theatre after the turn of the century. My Mother's Aunt Minnie Barton, stage name Edna Cragge, appears in this painting. This is totally amazing. I have some photos of her in mostly Principal Boy panto rolls. She played many of the theatres and concert halls all over Britain and made a trip to Australia as well. I also found some sheet music of a song she sang called "Abel and Mabel" which I have ordered. Aunt Minnie appears on the cover. She looks so much like my Mother in this painting. She ended her life in Wyrley Road, Witton and is buried in Witton Cemetery. My mother inherited some of her stage costumes after she passed away in 1948, two of which I have here in Canada...l920's flapper dresses with sequins and beads stitched on by hand. Also, in these large woven baskets was quite a lot of Leichner stage makeup, wigs and some silver presents from admirers. Thanks Alf for the mention of this website. What a find!
 
soulman said:
, 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,.
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This surely has got to be the Rep - A large paved area (Centenary Square - Broad Street)
to the right...a place...to eat.....glass walls -- The Rep restaurant and bar
 
Or could it be The Night Out? Not Broad Street I know, but that had a large paved area outside.
 
DavidGrain said:
This surely has got to be the Rep - A large paved area (Centenary Square - Broad Street)
to the right...a place...to eat.....glass walls -- The Rep restaurant and bar
Click to expand...
i am going to have a look at the Rep Theatre on google now will let you know
 
well i have tried to look for pics of The Rep but only a few about of the outside and to be honest the paved area is about the size i remember from 1982/3 time has it always been that size? also there is a BBC site which says it has a 360 degree view but it wont let me look at it just says " forbidden Access" and i really do need to see it from the inside from the stage if poss also more of the exterior my god what a pain in the ass i must be to you all, so as i am let me ask some more, in Broadr St where the big wheel is or was what is the name of the theatre just there or is that the Rep? What stood there before the building as it is now?
 
The Rep opened on its present site in 1971. Before that I think there was a motor showroom, possibly Leslies' Garage (or Lyles Garage?) right on Broad Street. The present Centenary Square was not so named until I think 1992 but there was an open space in front of the theatre since the building of the Rep. Centenary Square was an extention of the old Hall of Memory Gardens
 
View attachment 69729
This is the Rep taken from Google Street View. The main entrace to the Theatre is behind the tree in the centre of the picture. The large windows to the left (as you look at the picture) are to the Rep Restaurant and Bar which would be to the right as you leave the theatre.

(Replacement but from c2015)
 

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i will admit it maybe but only maybe the Rep but it looks so different, one way to nail it would be some one on this site who maybe has contacts who can find out if this theatre ever had a director called Michael ,again sorry cannot remember his surname, he died of cancer approx 1984 .Again thankyou to you all for all your help and input.
 
The Old Rep when it was in Station Street had a director called Michael Simpson, who was married to Jane Freeman the actress from Last of the Summer Wine, but I don't know if he moved when the new rep was built in Broad Street or went elsewhere.
 
Maryd said:
The Old Rep when it was in Station Street had a director called Michael Simpson, who was married to Jane Freeman the actress from Last of the Summer Wine, but I don't know if he moved when the new rep was built in Broad Street or went elsewhere.
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should have mentioned Michael was gay as a box of silver string, never married and never had any childeren, come to think of it i was in theatre circles for over a year and in that time i never met a man who wasnt gay and that goes double for any man who was in any way a manager or director my god they used to pamper everyone, and always had the best of every thing.
 
soulman said:
should have mentioned Michael was gay as a box of silver string, never married and never had any childeren, come to think of it i was in theatre circles for over a year and in that time i never met a man who wasnt gay and that goes double for any man who was in any way a manager or director my god they used to pamper everyone, and always had the best of every thing.
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Funny, I was in theatre circles for 40 years in an amateur and semi professional way, and found plenty of straight men (I'm glad to say :D) Maybe something about musical theatre circles.
 
Ray Griffiths said:
It was bombed in 1941 near open-ed again but wasn't pulled down till 1987.

Regards Ray
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That,s interesting info Ray I thought I was losing it as I can remember the outside of this building from the 60s-70s.Was it still in use in some other capacity?? Dek
 
is this crazy or what how can a theatre just fall off the face of the earth, i made a mistake saying it may be the Rep as i found a pic of the outside in 1983 and it was different to my memory , which is ok believe me, i really dont think that this will ever be answered which is a real pity for me and for the memory of that theatre and all who worked there so here are all the little bits and pieces of that time and theatre which i can remember, as well as Michael being the theatre director his second in command at the theatre was Tony a major shareholder in the the theatre group who owned that and many other theatres, sorry cant remember the groups name before you ask, tony again a man who was so gay if you looked up gay in the dictionary it was just a pic of Tony, short dark curly hair, again he died of cancer in approx 1986.
The theatre had its own in house singers/musicians who became my friends the only persons name i can recall from all 28 of them was Ray the piano player he was in his 70s tall and a blues player, i got him alot of work in ablues club not far from the theatre he became well know around that area, sorry no surname!!!
At my peak the theatre directors would take me to the most expensive and exclusive restaurant which again was not that far from the theatre to show how expensive this place was the wine they ordered all the time was £4,200 a bottle yes i do remember being shocked to my core at the price as i was just a young man,dinner was £400 each ,so which restaurant would you say matches up to that sort of cost and standard remember this was 1982/3 any one give me an idea of a name?,
Dont think i have any more info for you at all but thanks again for every thing.
 
In 1982/3 there were only two theatres in Birmingham that could have handled a show like you are talking about and they were the Alex and the Hippodrome neither of those match the description that you have given. As for the restaurant, at that time the most I ever paid for a meal in Birmingham was £60 per head which I paid at the Plough & Harrow in Edgbaston which in those day was probably the best restaurant in Birmingham. We did not have Michelin starred restaurants in Birmingham in those days.
 
HI BIG GEE;
You want to beleive it alright it was true at the plough and harrow in them days they was the high spots of brum for resturants
and hotels go ; my friend patrick worked there many years ago in the seventys and i can recall him telling me this of talk
about all the tops stars staying there ; the plough was the bees knees for the hoteliers bussiness and for resturant s go in brum
the midland hotel lost its touch and stanndards way back in years but getting back saying that in the early eighties the plough lost its trade very badly for there stannards also dropped in and out side the building even the show bussines people dropped off and stayed at the bristol court hotel next to the BBC; or the Albany Hotel at small brook ring way ; i met many show biz stars at the bristol hotel ; over the years
but getting back to that bottle of wine at the ploughyou can beleive it as it was true
have a great day gee best wishes astonian ; alan ;
 
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I agree with Astonian about the Plough & Harrow. I used to see top show business personalities there and the England test cricket team when they were playing at Edgbaston. I used to be a regular there and am surprised how the trade has fallen since those days. However I still can't get my head around a meal at £400 per head and a bottle of wine for £4,200 in the early 1980s in Birmingham. I just never saw it.
 
In the 70's and 80's I worked for companies that liked to entertain customers, and I enjoyed being wined and dined at someone else's expense at various city-centre and out-of-town restaurants around Brum, including The Plough & Harrow, where I also attended a posh wedding-reception in about 1985. I agree it was top nosh, but I also agree with David Grain that it was never £400 a head nor that there was wine at £4200 a bottle on the list!

If it's so important to Soulman that he identify both the theatre and the restaurant, then I'd politely suggest that he pays a visit to Brum to see for himself.

Big Gee
 
The average wage then was about £150.00 per week,
And your boss took you out for a £400.00 meal- Pull the other one!
 
I'm just wondering whether the "theatre" you are trying to recall was actually Ronnie Scott's Club which was at the top end of Broad Street.
 
soulman,it is clear that this thread is going around in circles.
As the singer in this show ,are you not in contact with other musicians who were colleagues at the time( I know that artists always try to keep in touch
'for old times sake')
Every venue in the vicinity has been explored now and I feel that there is really no point in your trying to find the info from us but you may have more luck amongst your fellow musicians.
Curious to know that why when the show ran for 3 months you spent 12 months at the theatre,did the show not move on?
 
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Alberta said:
soulman,it is clear that this thread is going around in circles.
As the singer in this show ,are you not in contact with other musicians who were colleagues at the time( I know that artists always try to keep in touch
'for old times sake')
Every venue in the vicinity has been explored now and I feel that there is really no point in your trying to find the info from us but you may have more luck amongst your fellow musicians.
Curious to know that why when the show ran for 3 months you spent 12 months at the theatre,did the show not move on?
Click to expand...

well at the time i was 19 and the youngest fellow musician after me was i her late forties so sadly alot of them have passed away and the rest seemed to have dissolved but yes i agree i dont think this thread will be able to help but i do want to thank you all for your help, god knows ive pulled my hair out trying to remember but owell never mind.
 
I think it was called "The Palace of Varietys" and it became the BBC Radio Studios were the "Send for Paul Temple" Programmes were broadcast from. Len.
 
A couple of years ago I had mentioned my Mother's Aunt Minnie, a stage actress who was a singer and acted in many pantomimes as a Principle Boy, on this thread. Her stage name was Edna Cragge. I am posting her photo which is on a music song sheet. The song she sang was "Abel and Mabel". The year 1909-1910. She looks so much like my Mother. I am happy to now own a copy of this song sheet. Hoping to find more mentions of her in the future.
I have her beautiful inlaid make-up box with silver topped bottles and a set of silver servers from a Stage Door Johnny! Plus two of her stage
costumes. I would love to have met her. She died in 1948 in Birmingham.

Click on image to enlarge

​
 
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Oh Jennyann how wonderful you now have this extra info and a song sheet on your Mother's aunt. You are so lucky to have the items you mention. I have to say there is a strong family resemblance having met you. I don't think you see it yourself. What a lovely piece of family history thank you for sharing it.
 
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