Di.Poppitt
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
It seemed that almost every corner you turned in Town you bumped into a Theatre. My favourite was The Theatre Royal in New Street, it was majic to me to watch the curtain go up. The orchestra in the pit below the stage had a sound of it's own. I saw musicals, ballet, and those wonderful pantomimes. In one the unforgetable Max Miller in his gaudy suit, and in another the long forgotten Nat Jackley who was so funny that I'm smiling as I type this.
The Alexandra, the Alex to us brummies, I discovered as a teenager working at ICI. Our Youth Club were given an allocation of tickets which we could buy for a shilling each. They were for the Tuesday night show, I suppose it was a quiet night, but it filled the theatre. The touring shows were great and there were lots of actors who in later years I saw on TV. Leslie Sands and Elspeth Grey are two I can recall.
Then there was the Rep, where every jobbing actor learned his or her trade in those days. Most of the famous ones passed through our Rep.
I saw Johnny Ray at the Hip, that was a night never to be forgotten, and Al Martino. When he sang 'I can't give you anything but love Baby' my friend Joyce yelled 'Who want's anything else', just about bringing the house down.
Lastly but not least, because he was always my favourite, Franky Vaughan, not in town, but at the Aston Hip. That would be in the mid 50's, and ten years later we were living in Cyprus and I saw him again when he came out with ENSA. I was lucky enough to sit a few seats away from him at a fund raising dinner we gave for him, he was very involved with Boys Clubs. The next time I saw him Brian took me for a mystery trip on a wedding anniversary, to a local theatre. I had no idea, and it was a lovely surprise.
The Alexandra, the Alex to us brummies, I discovered as a teenager working at ICI. Our Youth Club were given an allocation of tickets which we could buy for a shilling each. They were for the Tuesday night show, I suppose it was a quiet night, but it filled the theatre. The touring shows were great and there were lots of actors who in later years I saw on TV. Leslie Sands and Elspeth Grey are two I can recall.
Then there was the Rep, where every jobbing actor learned his or her trade in those days. Most of the famous ones passed through our Rep.
I saw Johnny Ray at the Hip, that was a night never to be forgotten, and Al Martino. When he sang 'I can't give you anything but love Baby' my friend Joyce yelled 'Who want's anything else', just about bringing the house down.
Lastly but not least, because he was always my favourite, Franky Vaughan, not in town, but at the Aston Hip. That would be in the mid 50's, and ten years later we were living in Cyprus and I saw him again when he came out with ENSA. I was lucky enough to sit a few seats away from him at a fund raising dinner we gave for him, he was very involved with Boys Clubs. The next time I saw him Brian took me for a mystery trip on a wedding anniversary, to a local theatre. I had no idea, and it was a lovely surprise.