(name that Pet Shop Boys song)
Things to do in Victoria part 4
Go and see a show. There are two theatres in Victoria and one is currently filled to the brim every night for Billy Eliott and the other is currently dark in preparation for Wicked (September 2006). Wicked will run at The Apollo Victoria Theatre which was built by E Warmsley Lewis and WE Trent and first opened in 1930. It was originally built as a massive cinema but luckily a stage was built in front of the screen "just in case the talkies don't take off". The building is a highly distinctive and prime example of Art Deco architecture (now grade II listed) and seats more than two thousand. The cinema at the Apollo closed in 1975 and remained closed for six years. In 1981 the venue reopened exclusively for stage productions the first of which was a spectacular Shirley Bassey season. The following years saw productions of The Sound Of Music (Petula Clarke), Dash (Wayne Sleep), Fiddler On The Roof (Topol) and Starlight Express (18 years!!). Inbetween these productions various 'stars' such as Shirley Maclaine, Liza Minelli, Dean Martin, Cliff Richard, Johnny Mathis, Bucks Fizz and Nick Cave stroked their egos in 'an evening with...' type shows. Wicked will be a huge hit and I am going to get some tickets to see it.
*worries about flying monkeys*
Cinema Treasures fan site for the Apollo.
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