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26-THE STAGE and TELEVISION TODAY, March 8, 1990 THE STAGE ._ ; ,.-: .~ .... I - I II'": - - • " "' ~'-"-' - " Curtain rises on a bright new future RADFORD-once the bun of music haJl comedians - i now By GEOFF MELLOR Bbouncing back as a (ouri t centre. The ciTy is near to Haworth, home of came the muCh travelled Peter Tod, the Br ntes; die Dales are but a bus who resigned last year to become bo ride away, and die Worth Valley of the re-vamped Birmingham Hip- Railway gets endlu iasts from a wide area all teamed up. ~~~~o~~k~;;: ;:s~ein~~ In die ciry iu;clf the National her last year, fresh from die hot seat at Museum of Photography attracts many the 0 w Towngate Tbeatre in Basil­ visitors with its historic exhibit, don, where she was Theatre Director. camera obscura and 1max cinema with Married, with a young family, Ana­ its gmnt screen. maria wa the only woman n the bort Next door to the Photography Museum Lands the Libr.u-y Tbeatre, a list j~t n' ~rci~::!t a~:e~. fB~~~~ rasildon she wa head of the marketing =~;:5-S:;~a~:ti~:s tI~u~sedn:X department a1 the National Theatre in apparently earmarked for Cinerama fUm bow . (I alway thougbt Ciner­ ~~~fntb~n~~ ~~ as%dw.::! ama had its chips wben die Lond n o rthern base. Casino closed, but curator Colin Ford Anamaria welcomed m to her smart jand his camero! crew seem intent on office high up in the Alhambra Theatre reviving it in Bradford as a museum and told me of her ambitious plans for piece.) theatre in Bradford. (I knew from I What to do wuh the displaced previous press statements that he amateurs is posing problems. The conSIdered the Alhambra to be ' the mod mise<! St George' HaU which, mo t important regional theatre in together with the Albanlbra, is part of Britain'.) the central theatres complex, with its 1also knew that she con idered Peter 1,911 M!.IIts, is Car t big. Other Tad 'a hard IIct to follow', but the Lady solutions are to be expl red. is gelting down to organi ing exciting But the jewel in Bradford's crown i events for the nineties. She is delighted :~oA~~hrath;'h':~~:f~~~~~ at the refurb· hed Alhambru and fec- at a t of £9.5 million and re-opencd Ogni~ o~eili~'fi:~u!in~ ~~nJr5~ in 19 6. The first ever suprem of Bradford's ~~ ~~~on:~ w:a:~ed:,in~: central theatres complex was Ang la m tive being to build upon the com­ HiD hcliffe, wbo quit after three mercial poJi begun by h r predeces­ The Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield undergoes 8 complete transformation as the builders get to work. months 'for ~sonal reason '. Next sor. "Not 001 ns rship, but also Business erviees providtng s~ial fa iliti.es for corporate entertatning, conference , etc, wiU be an important part of the brier', said Anamaria. Mrs Wills pprove of the joint campaign between bu iness in the cities and the council, 'Bradford claim Bouncing Back'. She said: "I am responsible ~ r both the Alhambra Theatre and the t Georg '5 Concert HE CLAIM of the PETER HEPPLE reports from Sheffield where a bold initiative Hall and together the will make II Leed West York­ fu~~~Ii::f~~ o~~etl!~~nacrit~ ub rantiaJ contribution to the cultural city with which many local businesses and life of Bradford. That in tum h a shire Playhouse for aims to propel the on to the centre stage of European culture industries have responded to his !llea major impact on tbe resurgence of this the title of "National ment and paved terraces at different take up his appointment at both more has to be done, for in addition to for ponsorship, including providlJlg a lcity. Along with an increasing number T levels, Tudor Square is intended as a theatres in May, will be intriguing, but the internal work, under the upervi­ hand me hospitality room, the of dt:i in the UK, Bradford under- Theatre of the North" is being magnet not only for the people of speculation i fruitless. Despite the ion of leading theatre architect Nick theaO'e boxes and individual or row of disputed in heffieJd, for the heflield, England's fourth ory in fact that both Clare Venables, the Thompson of Renton Howard Wood seats. q:~ &~::p~~ : f?A ~~;n~ ~~}.~ same description is being ap­ population, but for the rest of York­ artistic director, and administrator Levin and his interior designer wife ne major windfall h been a grant dence in our own cu lture and society"'. plied to the deveJopments tak­ hire and the North Midland and Geoffrey Rowe, wbo bas been heavily Clare Fcrraby, consid cable addition She continued: "Over the next few ing place in the centre of the British and overseas visitors. involved in the restoration of the have been made. ~!lU~Ot~e ~~~est~ive;~~ years 1 bope to develop certain areas of It is due to be completed in time for The Slage is being enlarged to 144 a theatre in the UK. The rest is being the programme: opera and contempor­ Steel City. the 1991 World Student Games, Uni­ :&'~ ~f lili:m&~bl: :;~; square metres, a new fly tower is being provided chiefly by Sheffield City ary dance, particularly, at the Alham­ Actually there is plenty of justi­ versiade, for which the city bas been downmarket, destroying the reputa­ coo trUcted, and there are larger nd Council and is administered by the bra. For the t Geo~e 's, a maj r fication in both cases, for whereas preparing for severa! years, construct­ tion for innovative and exciting theatre better dressing rooms, scenery st res Lyceum Tbeatre Tru t. re-launch to re-establish It as one of the the West Riding Playhouse may ing a new tadium and swimming pool which Clare Venables bas brought to it and orchestra pit. What Sbeffield has taken on board country's most sucees ful concert have more surface similarities with restoring existing facilities and getting over the past ten years. The exterior will, however, preserve to its fullest extent i the idea that the hill " . the South Bank, the Sheffield ready to convert the massive blocks of But there is no doubt that the two the Victorian appearance of the. arts have the ability to generate interest Mrs Wills added: "I have a driving project i possibly the more auda­ sixties flats whicb are oot one of theatres will have to be com­ theatre, which was d igned by W. G. in the ciry. Conscious of the fact that need to establi h the creation of new Sheffield's beauty spots into accom­ plementary. The Lyceum, which was R . Sprague. The Lyceum is in fa. this Sheffield lacked a city centre of sta­ work in the theatres and am talking to a cious, the creation of an "artS modation for the contestantS. an old-style touring theatre, taking in only surviving work out ide London, ture, the arts com!llex is also cen as number of producing companies. square", which is aimed to rival In all the scheme bas made Sbeffield musicals, West End successes and though in the West End he is repre­ actively creating Job, both in the Another preoccupation is to develop any in Europe, incorporating the the envy of several other Northern drawing crowd from miles around to sented by Wyndham's, the Strand, the 1,ZOO-seater Lyceum itself but also in our work in mulu-culrural arts, and to ·17 -year-old Crucible, which has its cities and will do much to upgrade its its pantomime, has been substantially Albery, the Aldwych and the Ambas- the ancillary activities in Tud r create SO'ong links with our varied own 200-seat tuelio, the Graves image as an industrial, cultural and dors. Square, not forgetting the nearby Art Gallery, the Library Complex, poning centre. u~~id people, who for years have Like some of Sprague's London hotel. ~:n=:SOf ~:~~ :or~ii:~~~~ which has a theatre used mainly by But in many way the Lyceum will had to travel 40 or 50 miles to see theatres, the Lyceum is notable for its It is hoped that at least 300,000 we bope Yorkshire Arts will also be amateurs, the award-winning Rus­ be the centrepiece, standing proud opera ballet and big mu 'cal , will corner entrance under a doomed tOW­ involved". kin Museum and what its appeal after !he games are over and indeed now have them brought to their door- er, which was formerly topped by a ro:>~~ t~c~::~~n~~~~ :~~/:~ I pressed her about pantomimes-an aiming to open shordy before this gilded Mercury, this too being re­ another 1,ZOO seats to fill each night in important feature of theatre bere in director Peter Johnson describes Christmas, not with a pantomime, for I:~~ ~dai:~~a! ~;abl~~; pla.ced. It is desi~ned in conventional the Crucible's two auditoria. A daunt­ West York hire - as she has already a "a brand new Victorian which the theatre was formerly re­ the other major arts organisations. sryle with stalls, arcle and gallery (into ing task indeed, but one which is being discovered. theatre", the completely restored nowned, because the Crucible bas now As restorations go, the Lyceum is which a thousand people were cram­ Sbe said: "This is a new field for me. Lyceum Theatre, empty since established its own highly profitable probably the most expensive yet car­ med in the old days), and one of its fac~eftfel~ ~s~e~=~ed the While Cinderella has been running 1%8 after a period as a rock venue.

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