The Theatre Royal in Exeter - 1889-1962

The third Theatre Royal is still remembered by older Exonians as it was only demolished in 1962. For more than 70 years, the theatre entertained Devonians with a mix of variety, revue, stage plays, concerts, pantomime and film. The theatre replaced the second Theatre Royal which was destroyed in the disastrous fire in September 1887 with the loss of 186 lives. This was not the only theatre in Exeter to be destroyed in a fire, for in 1820, the New Theatre in Bedford Street was lost in a fire, and the first Theatre Royal on the same site was also lost in 1885 to fire, with luckily, only a pig belonging to a clown perishing in the blaze.

A new theatre

The poor standard of safety features in the second Theatre Royal was a lesson that was at last learned, and a combination of new safety regulations and sensible design ensured that the replacement would provide a safe environment for its patrons. It was not such an ornate interior as the previous theatre, with none of the elaborate plaster relief designs along the circle and on the ceiling. The new theatre was built on the Irving-Darbyshire (Henry Irving and the architect Alfred Darbyshire) safety principal at a cost of £15,000.

The theatre was opened in 1889 on the existing Longbrook Street site that had seen so many deaths. The stage was the first to have a safety curtain after it was made mandatory for all theatres of more than 500 seats; the curtain had to be raised and lowered for each performance to test its efficacy, and to show the audience it was there for their safety, it had Safety Curtain painted across its front. There was more use of brick and concrete to hold the flames back, and outward opening fire exits. The theatre was also lit throughout with 510 electric lights, being one of the first customers for Exeter's first generating station situated further down New North Road. It was a gas light that had caused the disastrous fire, so the introduction of electricity was a great improvement.

The first production opened on October 7th 1889, with the Yeomen of the Guard, performed by the D'Oyly Carte Company. When the safety curtain was raised for the first time it revealed a picture of Dartmoor by Mr William Widgery, father of FJ Widgery, who became Mayor of Exeter in 1903. The painting formed the Act Drop, which was lowered between acts to hide scene changes.

In 1905, Sir Henry Irving appeared on the stage and was just one of many well known actors to tread the boards. The local born sisters, Violet and Irene Vanbrugh played the Theatre Royal, with Violet playing the lead in The Woman in the Case in 1911. Irene's last appearance was in 1945. The 1914 production of Mother Goose was from the Fred Karno studios, even though Karno at that time ran the Hippodrome, opposite, in London Inn Square.

A who's who list of actors that appeared at the Theatre Royal include Noel Coward, Alistair Sim, Tommy Trinder, Henry Hall, George Formby, Dame Anna Neagle and Arthur Askey.

Not only were there famous actors appearing at the Theatre Royal, but occasionally animals would be brought onto the stage through the specially constructed elephant doors. The stage was specially strengthened to remove its natural bounce before the elephants were let on to it. The elephants were often borrowed by Maudes Garage next door for promotional work.

Pantomime...

The first pantomime at the theatre was Jack and the Beanstalk in 1889 and the last, Ali Baba in 1961. It is interesting to note how the cover of the programme for the pantomime seemed to burst out in colour after the war, a reaction to the more formal pre war period, and the austerity of the forties. See 1950s for examples of covers. Coaches full of excited children and anxious parents would pull up at the theatre from all over Devon during the pantomime season - for many it was their only visit of the year to Exeter. From 1909 until his death in 1940, Percy Dunsford produced the annual pantomime. From 1945, the cigar smoking, portly, Cliff Gwilliam, the former manager of the Odeon in Sidwell Street, was responsible for the theatre until it closed.

...and film

The first known film shown at the Theatre Royal was in February 1901, three weeks after the death of Queen Victoria, when the theatre presented film of her funeral, along with 60 animated scenes of army life and the opening of Parliament.

After the Second War, the theatre continued to double as a cinema. In 1954 an agreement was made with the Rank Organisation and 20th Century Fox to show stereo sound, Cinemascope films in the theatre, the first being the biblical epic, The Robe. The flyer on the right shows a demonstration of 3D as well as a range of variety and speciality acts for one week in 1954. However, as the fifties drew to a close, the competition from the other cinemas in the city, and from television brought about a reduction in audiences. Among the last performers to appear on the stage in the late 1950's include Harry Secombe and Morecambe and Wise.

The final closure in 1961

The last show to run, in 1962, was Twinkle, a summer show by Clarkson Rose, which ran for eleven weeks. One afternoon there was a shareholders meeting, and then the theatre closed for the last time at the end of the run. Some of the projection equipment was saved at closure, and ended up in the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden, although that too, sadly, recently closed.

In 1962, the building was sold for £85,000, and replaced in 1963 by an ugly office block. The planners and architects should hang their heads in shame!

Source: Various sources including the Northcott Theatre website and The Story of the Theatre Royal by Dick Passmore. © 2005 David Cornforth - not to be used without permission