Metropole Theatre

Located in the north Liverpool district of Bootle. The Metropole Theatre was opened on 20th February 1911 with a production of the pantomime “Little Red Riding Hood”. The theatre was built by the Pennington Estate Co. who operated the Muncaster Theatre in Liverpool, and employed Liverpool architectural firm Havelock Sutton & Sons to design the Metropole Theatre. Seating was provided in orchestra stalls, dress circle, upper circle and gallery levels, and there were a series of large boxes, each of which could hold 12 patrons. The proscenium was 36 feet wide, and the stage 27 feet deep. It operated as a legitimate stage theatre, rather than as a music hall.

New owners took over in 1922, and the theatre was refurbished and improvements were made. It re-opened on 17th April 1922 with the musical comedy “To-Night’s the Night”. The theatre then presented revue and vaudeville.

It was closed on 27th June 1931 to have internal alterations, which included the addition of a projection box, and the installation of a Western Electric(WE) sound system. It re-opened on 3rd August 1931 presenting Jeanette MacDonald in “The Lottery Bride” on the screen and on stage a continental revue “Le Grand Revuette at Cie”. The Metropole Theatre then presented Cine-variety until April 1934, when films were dropped in favour of variety shows.

Films returned again from 7th October 1940 with George Formby in “Keep Your Seats Please” plus a variety bill, but this proved to be short lived, as the Metropole Theatre closed 23rd November 1940. It had a ‘Gala Reopening’ on 5th May 1941 with a variety show named “Rations”, but two nights later on 7th May 1941, the theatre was destroyed by a German bombing raid.

After the war, the rubble was cleared and the site stood empty for many years, and was eventually redeveloped in the early-1980’s when a café and amusement arcade became the first occupiers of the new building.

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