History

A (brief) history of the New Theatre Royal
For images please see our Gallery

1854

Henry Rutley, a circus proprietor brought the Swan Tavern and the adjoining Landport Hall. The licence to turn the hall into a theatre was granted providing all communication doors to the tavern were bricked up.

1856

On 29 September the refurbished hall, now called the Theatre Royal, opened with a comedy called ‘A New Way to Pay Old Debts’.

1874

Henry Rutley died

1876

John Waters Boughton became the manager and a little later the owner (he also built the Prince’s Theatre and the Kings Theatre, the latter was opened in September 1907 and is still a working theatre).

1884

Boughton commissioned C J Phipps to design a new, bigger theatre. C J Phipps was the architect of Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. The New Theatre Royal opened on 4 August with Princess Ida. The stage was 40ft deep with a proscenium of 30ft! Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt and Henry Irving graced the stage.

1900

Boughton decided to enlarge the stage. He engaged Frank Matcham to redesign the theatre. It re-opened on 6 August with a 65ft stage. Opera seasons lasted a month and at the spectacular annual pantomime a “stage roller” enabled horses to gallop across the stage.

1920

Due to the increased costs of the war and the development of cinema and radio, theatres all over the country were closing. The Prince’s Theatre and The Kings were screening films whilst The Denville Players, a repertory company, moved in until 1932 when the Theatre Royal too became a cinema.

1948

Films continued until 1948 when the Theatre Royal became a variety theatre but tottered to closure in October 1955.

1957

The theatre re-opened as a repertory theatre under Kim Peacock and Hector Ross.

1960

The theatre was used for wrestling and bingo.

1966

The Portsmouth Theatres Company – the owners of the theatre – asked the council to demolish the now listed building. They gave permission for the destruction as it was “an eyesore in the centre of our fine city.”

1968

Squatters camped in the theatre; thieves walked in and stole all the valuable brass fittings and roof lead.

1970

The Theatre Royal Society was founded and opposed the destruction of the theatre.

1971

Ken russell filmed his critically acclaimed musical film, The Boy Friend, here at the New Theatre Royal starring Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Barbara Windsor, Murray Melvin and Georgina Hale with music by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

1972

Children entered the building and played with fireworks on the stage which started a fire that caused the destruction of the stage, fly tower and technical block. The safety curtain fell protecting the main auditorium from the fire.

1975

Volunteers were allowed to enter the building and attempt to prevent further damage. The Theatre Royal Society set up a Trust Company to protect the theatre.

1980

The Trust purchased the theatre from Portsmouth Theatres Company when it went into liquidation.

1984

A temporary thrust stage was erected and performances were presented over the orchestra pit.

2004

The theatre was refurbished, re-opening with the capacity of 525; the rear stalls removed and a false wall built creating a ground floor bar and increased foyer space. The re-furbished upper circle re-opened and the front of the building restored to its former Victorian glory.

2008 & Onwards

Fundraising began to restore the stage house and to build a creative learning space based on that designed by C J Phipps in 1884. In collaboration with the University of Portsmouth it is hoped to restore the New Theatre Royal to its creative role in the heart of the city of Portsmouth.