The play’s the thing – and Derby has seen so many great venues
Bygones regular Brian Stubbs looks at the chequered past of theatreland and its great characters
BEFORE 1773, theatre in Derby was rather spasmodic, with occasional visits from travelling groups of actors, with performances on temporary stages. This was usually a barn at the rear of one of the town’s best-known coaching inns, The George, on the corner of Irongate and Sadlergate.
It was in 1773, that a famous theatre manager, James Augustus Whiteley (known as Jemmy), decided Derby should have a permanent theatre. Jemmy was from Ireland but, after marrying and moving to Liverpool, he set up his own company and began touring provincial towns. He had built a theatre in Nottingham, where he was described by a local historian as “a jovial, entertaining companion”.
He was also known to be slightly eccentric from his willingness to accept food as an entry fee in a bid to interest as many locals as possible to try an evening at the theatre!
In Derby, he bought and converted an old malthouse on Bold Lane into a 90-seater theatre, where, on September 13, 1773, the Theatre Derby as it was called, put on its first production, Oliver Goldsmith’s comedy “She Stoops To Conquer”.
In a prologue on that first night, by Whiteley himself, he ended with: “To your decision we our trial trust, Conscious a DERBY audience will be just,
And, if hereafter we deserve applause,
Be yours the praise, whose candour was the cause”!
Theatre Derby would have a sixweek season after Easter and also after Christmas, with several special performances throughout the year, to coincide with the Derby race meeting weeks, when star names from London’s Drury Lane would be engaged to appear.
As well as classical plays and dramas, varieties were often included. In one 1789 production, you could have seen “The Clown Doctor performing a dance between eggs, blindfold, without breaking them”, or be amazed by the four-year-old prodigy “Signorina Riccardini” who performed a dancing act on the low wire.
In 1807, the finest Shakespearean actress of her generation, Sarah Siddons, came to Derby to perform her famous role as Lady Macbeth.
Mrs Siddons, a tall, beautiful actress, mesmerised audiences with her portrayals of tragic characters. She often played the role of Hamlet, to great acclaim, too.
In 1819, the Bold Lane theatre was renamed the Theatre Royal, probably in honour of the visit to Derby that year of Prince Leopold, of Saxe-Cobourg, recently-widowed husband of Princess Charlotte.
Edmond Kean, although short in stature, was regarded as one of the greatest actors in the country and appeared at the Theatre Royal In 1817 and 1824, playing Richard III, Othello, and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.
Kean died at the early age of 45, mainly due to his wild lifestyle and dependency on stimulants.
One of the Theatre Royal’s most respected managers was TH Manly, who ran it for 30 years, before his retirement in 1840. In May of that year, a benefit was held for himself and his wife, an actress who appeared many times at the theatre.
As well as bringing many of the London stage’s finest performers to Derby, he engaged many top musicians. Among them, in 1833 was the one-night appearance of Italian violinist and composer Paganini.
TH Manly died later that year, at the age of 68. It marked the end of an era for the theatre as, over the next two decades, its fortunes began to decline, with a succession of managers, and audiences dwindling as the fabric of the building deteriorated and it started to gain a reputation for rowdiness and bad feeling among casts.
The theatre ceased productions in 1860 and had even been let for religious services in 1861. Although seating had been increased over the years, with the addition of galleries, its demise was probably due to its comparatively small size; other venues were starting to appear in Derby. An application to the magistrates in 1863 for the proposed reopening of the Bold Lane venue, was rejected on the grounds that, “Bold Lane was not a proper locality for a theatre”. The theatrical torch had been passed on as the New Theatre Royal and opened in the Corn Exchange in March 1862.
retirement in 1840. In May of that year, a benefit was held for himself and his wife, an actress who appeared many times at the theatre.
As well as bringing many of the London stage’s finest performers to Derby, he engaged many top musicians. Among them, in 1833 was the one-night appearance of Italian violinist and composer Paganini.
TH Manly died later that year, at the age of 68. It marked the end of an era for the theatre as, over the next two decades, its fortunes began to decline, with a succession of managers, and audiences dwindling as the fabric of the building deteriorated and it started to gain a reputation for rowdiness and bad feeling among casts.
The theatre ceased productions in 1860 and had even been let for religious services in 1861. Although seating had been increased over the years, with the addition of galleries, its demise was probably due to its comparatively small size; other venues were starting to appear in Derby. An application to the magistrates in 1863 for the proposed reopening of the Bold Lane venue, was rejected on the grounds that, “Bold Lane was not a proper locality for a theatre”. The theatrical torch had been passed on as the New Theatre Royal and opened in the Corn Exchange in March 1862.
Designed by Mr B Wilson, it had offices and a large hall for the tenant farmers and corn merchants who gathered there each Friday to transact business, and incorporated a large cupola roof above the tower that led up from its entrance. There was also an extravagant drinking fountain, inset into the wall facing the market place. Beneath a marble plaque dedicated to the then-mayor Mr W Cox, was a lions head spout which poured water into a bowl of red, polished Aberdeen granite! This ornate fountain became neglected and the water was switched off in 1881 – and the entire fountain was removed in the 1920s.
At the Corn Exchange’s inauguration concert, in 1861, 1700 people watched a performance by
Jenny Lind, known as “The Swedish Nightingale”.
A theatrical licence was granted to the Exchange and, after part of the main hall was converted into what the Derby Mercury described as a “Pretty bijou theatre” its first performance, of Victor Hugo’s Ruy Blas took place on March 3, 1862. For a decade, the little theatre was very popular but, after 1871, performances seemed to cease, possibly for financial reasons as several other places of entertainment began to take much of its audience. One of these venues was just across the street – the recentlyopened Star Theatre of Varieties.
Opened in 1869, this curious, half-brick, half wooden building was built on waste ground opposite the Corn Exchange, on Princes Street, (later renamed Exchange Street). It was classed as a temporary structure, as its owners intended to run it for five years then rebuild the upper half in stone!
The aim was to put on popular variety and dramatic productions, but keep the admission prices low. Fifty feet in height, with a metal roof, it was spacious, with a capacity of 1500 people. There was a large gallery, stage and a blue canvas ceiling, cheaply but effectively decorated with golden stars.
The Star became very popular, with local favourites appearing such as Joe Storer, who combined the positions of stage manager, scenic artist, general odd-job man and master of ceremonies, with actually performing on stage as a very good comedian.
The theatre went from strength to strength, putting on variety, drama and of course pantomimes at Christmas. Tragedy struck during the early hours of Sunday, May 1873, when fire broke out inside. The fire brigade was quickly on the scene but there was little they could do. Within an hour, the galvanised roof crashed to the ground, followed soon after by the walls. No one was inside at the time but valuable scenery, performers’ wardrobes and band
At the Corn Exchange’s inauguration concert, in 1861, 1700 people watched a performance by Jenny Lind, known as “The Swedish Nightingale”