Pavilion Variety Theatre

by Yvonne Johnstone

Title

Pavilion Variety Theatre

Artist

Yvonne Johnstone

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The Pavilion Theatre opened at the corner of Renfield Street and Renfrew Street, Glasgow on the 29 February, 1904. Designed by Bertie Crewe for Thomas Barrasford. The facade was designed in the French Renaissance style and finished using glazed buff coloured terracotta.
Performances in the early days were mainly variety, melodrama and pantomime. Many of the leading music hall artistes of the period appeared at the Pavilion, including Harry Lauder, Will Fyffe, Sarah Bernhardt and a then unknown Charlie Chaplin.
In 1920 the Pavilion started producing pantomimes. From 1919 to 1957 the theatre and its productions and management were led by Fred Collins and his son Horace Collins and family. The Fred Collins Variety Agency was next door to the theatre in Renfield Street.
The theatre continues to produce pantomime and also functions as a receiving house for plays, alternative comedians and touring bands on the 'nostalgia' circuit.
Lulu from Dennistoun (real name Marie Lawrie) broke box office records in 1975 with her irrepressible vitality and joyous personality. Billy Connolly, Hector Nicol, Glen Daly, Freddie Starr and Andy Cameron portrayed their own distinctive brands of humour while Scottish songstresses Lena Zavaroni, Sheena Easton, Lena Martell and Barbara Dickson also scored heavily with Pavilion audiences.
The Pavilion Theatre is now the only privately run theatre in Scotland and one of a few unsubsidised independent theatres left in Britain outside London.
It is now protected as a category A listed building.

Uploaded

March 17th, 2019

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