The Empire Theatre (c1884 - 1920) (London)
Dates
- Existence: c1884 - 1920
- Usage: c1887 - 1920
Biography
The Empire opened on 17 April 1884 as a West End variety theatre and ballet venue on Leicester Square, London.
In 1887 it was renamed The Empire Theatre of Varieties and reopened as a music hall. In 1893 an extension providing secondary access from Leicester Street via a new foyer was added.
From 1896, The Empire Theatre started to incorporate films to its programme. In the 1920s as film became increasingly popular the theatre was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1927 the theatre was demolished and rebuilt into an American style movie palace, offering ballet and dance performances, which opened the following year. The Empire continued showing a mixture of live shows and moving picture until it was sold to Mecca in 1961, who turned it into a cinema and dance hall. During the following decades the building was used as a discothèque and nightclub, until in 2007 it was reopened as the Casino at the Empire, which still operates today.
Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:
Empire Theatre Morning Performance in Aid of Funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Programme, 25 February 1897
Black and white illustration of a sinking ship and a boat rowing away in rough seas on the front cover and black type on white background, inside programme listing; The Adolphi Trio, Lumiere Cinematographe, Miss Connie Ediss, Les Minstrels Parisiens, Mr Edmund Payne & Miss Katie Seymour, Mr Norman Salmond, Miss Marie Tempest, Mr Arthur Roberts, Miss Letty Lind, Semmel's Hungarian and Russian Troupe and Monte Cristo, 2p.p.
Empire Theatre Programme, 16 July 1906
Blue type on white background and embossed crown in gold on the front cover, inside commercial advertising and programme in the centre listing Venus, Australian Ladie's Quartette, Morris Cronin & Truoe, Coppelia and The Biograph, 8p.p.
The Empire Programme, 23 March 1896
Black and white illustration of a female dancer on the front cover and black type, inside programme listing La Danse, Cincinnatti juggler, Twins Marco, Mdlle. Junior, Cinematographe, The Schaffers, The Eight Welshmen, Faust, During's Swedish Quintette and Les Freres Dumond. Contains commercial advertising, 2p.p.
The Empire Programme, 20 July 1896
Black and white illustration of a female dancer on the front cover and black type, inside programme listing La Danse, Dayton Family, Dutch Daily, Elz a & Kate, Les Minstrels Dumond, Taffary's performing dogs, Lumiere's cinematographe, Ducreux & Geralduc, Monsier Grais, Sisters Abbot, Faust and Larsen Family. Contains commercial advertising, 2p.p.
The Empire Programme, 26 October 1896
Black and white illustration of a female dancer on the front cover and black type, inside programme listing Filli's Dogs, Solerno, The Three Harveys, Jenny Mills, Lumiere's Cinematographe, Miss Ruth Davenport, Bale Troupe, Mdlle. Nixau, Monte Cristo, Sisters Don, The Joscarys and The Pantolinos. Contains commercial advertising, 2p.p.
The Empire Programme, 17 April 1884, 19 August 1902
Colour illustration of woman in Regency style dress and golden type on white background on front cover inside illustrations of the theatre, history of the theatre and programme for 1884, 1897 and 1902 listing cinematographic picture shows, 14p.p.