Hope burns still for City Varieties
Bosses at venue famed for hosting The Good Old Days remain determined that it has a future after virus crisis
A RICH and vivid tapestry of theatre has been witnessed within these walls over the course of more than a centuryand-a-half at the nation’s longestrunning music hall.
A young Charlie Chaplin was to tread the boards at the Leeds City Varieties in a clog dancing troupe, while it would go on to host escape artist Harry Houdini at the peak of his career.
Now, as this “national institution” prepares to mark its 155th anniversary this weekend, its doors remain involuntarily shuttered for the first time in its history.
Despite the challenge it’s a “war horse” of a machine, say those at its helm, as it attempts to endure a cultural crisis not seen in living memory.
“The Varieties is a Leeds, if not a national, institution,” said chief executive Chris Blythe.
“A hidden gem with a warm Yorkshire welcome.
“Whilst we’re all working towards and looking forward to the day that we can reopen our doors and welcome our audiences back, we must face facts. Venues like ours will be the last to open.
“And when we do reopen – notice the omission of the word ‘if ’ – the future is going to be much changed. But however daunting, I am certain we have a future. We must.”
First formed in 1865 as a ‘fashionable lounge’, the City Varieties saw entertainment for the working people of Leeds, in comparison to its more affluent sister venue Leeds Grand Theatre.
A popular saying at the time was ‘wear your flat cap to the Varieties and your top hat to the Grand,’ and even today it’s seen as the more audacious young Dame.
Despite unsettled times in the 1920s with the advent of cinema, it has endured more than any other, being the only music hall of its era to have remained in business throughout.
Gifted a ‘new lease of life’ in 1953 with the BBC’s The Good Old Days, for which it’s best known, it hosted stars
Les Dawson, Barbara Windsor, Bruce Forsyth and Ken Dodd.
Following a £9m restoration which was officially reopened by the Queen and Prince Phillip in 2012, it has since attracted the likes of John Bishop, Russell Crowe and Michael McIntyre.
Despite its success, there are challenges ahead. Reserves are dwindling, yet no date is set for the reopening of England’s theatres, nor guidance given on socially distancing.
As it marks 155 years of existence, as the Guinness World Record holder of the UK’s longest-running music hall, it is determined to survive. “It is a war horse, in some respects,” says
Amy Sanderson, head of communications. “It’s really wellloved, by a lot of people, and with every generation, people find it again.
“That does make it really special.
“It has come to the brink several times, and been saved so many times, and that is because of the place that it holds in so many people’s hearts.
“It’s going to be a very strange time, but we want to make sure that we do everything we can so that people are happy to come back.
“It is about adapting. We hope to be back soon, and to continue for another 155 years or more.”
The Varieties is a Leeds, if not a national, institution...
Leeds City Varieties’ chief executive Chris Blythe.