Apollo Victoria Theatre
17 Wilton Road,
London,
SW1V 1LL
17 Wilton Road,
London,
SW1V 1LL
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I worked the New Victoria together with the Metropole MU under Ted Carter with Trevor Catlow under another name Martyn Butler OBE don’t ask lol
Hi Roger04, do you have any recollections of Horror Hospital and The Corpse Grinders playing there in spring 1973, as organised by Antony Balch?
I saw advertisements displayed on the tube system today advertising “Bridget Jones Diary – Film with Live 60 Piece Orchestra” on Sunday 4th November. Tickets are available from £39.80.
Ken Roe tells me it was just announced the film “Bridget Jones’s Diary” will screen at the Apollo Victoria Theatre with Live Orchestra on Sunday 4th November. The Stage show “Wicked” plays Monday – Saturdays. 1st film at the theatre which hasn’t show a film for 43 years.
Ken Roe: many thanks! I’m co-writing a book on Psychomania and trying to track its UK and US release. Not difficult for London (it seemed to start at the New Victoria on about 23 March 1973, but trickier for the rest of the country.
Moonzerotwo: “Psychomania” & “The Baby” had an Odeon/Rank release on the first week of May 1973 (selected theatres).
Does anyone remember the cult George Sanders film Psychomania playing there in a double bill with The Baby in March – April 1973? Apparently it was where it opened in the UK, and I’m trying to find out.
I Managed the New Victoria together with the Metropole across the road in Victoria Street 71 to early 74 including in addition to the regular one nighters and dance seasons the last London Run of the Black and White Minstrels for which the Theatre was redecorated, I hesitate to say lavishly, in a colour scheme similar to that on opening. I also introduced in this time the closure of the FOH doors except for exit only on the Vauxhall Bridge Road side of the building having got fed up with the public using the foyer as a short cut to and from the station particularly at afternoon rush hour. It is nice to see on a recent visit that this is now a firmly established practice. The New Victoria is a great theatre, wonderful auditorium and not known to the public, spacious back stage production and dressing space. There is a complete set of properly lite architects photographs taken at the time of the theatre opening held by and available for view, at the National Photo Archive in Saville Row.
markp: No, this is the Apollo Victoria Theatre, located in the Victoria area of central London.
The Apollo Theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End district was the theatre in the news last night which had a large section of its main auditorium ceiling collapse into the orchestra level, which also caused damage to the front of the dress circle. Luckily no one was killed although there were seven admitted to hospital with serious (though not life threatening injuries) and 79 others were injured. The Apollo Theatre, was built & opened in 1901 and has seating for 771 in orchestra, dress circle, balcony and upper circle levels. The upper circle is the steepest in London’s West End. It is a Grade II Listed building has always been a playhouse/live theatre, so is not eligible for inclusion on Cinema Treasures.
The accident happened around 40 minutes into a performance of the National Theatre’s hit production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” which had been playing to sell out capacity audiences since opening in March 2013. The cause of the ceiling fall is being investigated, and one possible cause is that London suffered a violent thunderstorm with 15 lightning strikes in one hour and 8mm of rain and hailstones fell! All performances at the theatre have been cancelled until at least 4th January, 2014.
Is this the theatre that was on the news last night about the ceiling falling onto patrons during a performance?
In 1982 met the late Australian soprano June Bronhill in her dressing room after a performance of ‘The Sound Of Music’ (The Petula Clark production). A wonderful experience. Recently visited this fabulous building to see ‘Wicked’. Always great to sit in this wonderful atmospheric auditorium.
2005 auditorium photos, 18th & 19th photos here:
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This theatre makes an unusual cameo appearance of sorts in “The Return of the Pink Panther” by clearly serving as the inspiration for the theatre setting for the opening animated credits sequence.
More photo’s here:–
Exterior:
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/269192729/
Foyer (after 2006 restoration):
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/269192728/
Auditorium:
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/269192727/
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/269192726/
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/269192725/
Two vintage photographs oh the New Victoria Theatre:
The Wilton Road entrance in September 1949 playing the Gaumont release:
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The Vauxhall Bridge Road entrance seen undergoing restoration in the same week;September 1949:
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What a fabulous cinema this was! You really did feel that you had entered an underwater cavern especially with the blue/green lighting effects. I visited many times in the early 1970’s when it was showing double bills of mainly horror films. A couple I remember being ‘What’s The Matter With Helen?’(Debbie Reynolds & Shelly Winters) and ‘Blood and Lace’ (Gloria Grahame). The place was always virtually empty but how incredible it was just to sit in such splendour! There were many cinemas in the Victoria area even in the 70’s – The Metropole, The Classic, The Biograph, The News Theatre, now I guess this is the only survivor.
A night view of the Wiltern Road entrance as “Starlight Express” nears the buffers on its 20 years run at the Apollo Victoria:
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A view across the stalls of the New Victoria Theatre at opening in 1930:
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The Wiltern Road facade of the Apollo Victoria Theatre with “Saturday Night Fever” on stage in October 2005:
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The auditorium of the New Victoria Theatre from the circle in 1973 here:
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A vintage 1949 photograph of the Wilton Road entrance to the New Victoria Theatre here:
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More history and photographs of the Apollo Victoria here:
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Ian Grundy’s exterior view photo above, shows the slightly less ornate entrance on Vauxhall Bridge Road.
Two years ago I went a second time to the Apollo Victoria to see a musical. The building is now renovated, especially the wonderful auditorium. When they played Starlight Express, they painted a lot of the walls black. But now you can see the cinema in its former glory.
Albert Knapp, Frankfurt/Main, Germany