History
Leisure
and Entertainment of 100 years ago
Do you recognize this building?
Music
Halls Before Film
Before movies at the cinema, Music Halls and Variety
theatres were popular places for people to see live entertainment 100 years
ago. These shows involved a mixture of popular
songs, comedy, and specialty acts – even acrobats and magicians!
100 Years of History at the Alhambra
Theatre Bradford
An impresario is a person who arranges different types of public
entertainment, such as theatre, musical events, plays, operas and dance events.
The beginning...
The Alhambra Theatre, the jewel in
Bradford’s crown, was the vision of Francis Laidler, a
local impresario.
Laidler was born 1867 in Thornaby on
Tees, the son of a doctor, and moved to Bradford to work as a cleric for a wool
trader. He then worked for Hammonds Brewery and was quickly promoted to
management. In 1902, aged 35, while still at Hammonds, Laidler went into
partnership with Walter J Piper at the Prince’s Theatre; Piper died six months
later and Laidler left Hammonds to take on the Theatre… Laidler had the idea
and vision to build a brand new theatre in Bradford in 1912 and it was two
years later that his dream was realised. It was built from designs and
supervision by Messrs Chadwick & Watson of Leeds; the general contractor
was Mr J T Wright of Leeds; and plaster and decorator’s work was by Messrs F
DeJong & Co Ltd, London.
The Alhambra Theatre was
officially opened at 2pm on 18 March 1914. Five days later, it opened its doors
to the general public on 23 March for a Variety show, which ran for a week. The
show included various acts and also a Revue called A Year in the Hour.
Performers included principal boy performer, Alice Wyatt who opened the show
with the National Anthem, Yeadon-born comic Sydney Howard, Mamie Watson, Leslie
Barker, Nellie Wallace and the Benedetti Brothers (acrobats).
The Alhambra opened during the height
of Variety, offering twice nightly shows. Just after the 1914–18 war, Moss
Empires Ltd, the country’s most respected and effective Variety organisation
approached Laidler to work together. They remained the booking agent for the
Alhambra for more than 40 years during which time every big-name variety
performer had been booked to appear at the Alhambra.
Famous faces... The
Golden Age of Variety
The theatre prospered throughout the
1920s and attracted many greats, including George Formby, Florence Desmond, George Lashwood and Randolph Sutton who wowed Bradford audiences.
Who started this amazing theatre?
When did it open?
What were some of the first acts that
took place here?
Have you ever been to an event there? What did you see? What did you notice about the building?
What else
can you find out about The Alhambra, starting
with: How did it get its name?
Happy researching
your own facts – don’t forget a Did you
know…?
