Music Hall

Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:

Surviving Music Halls

• An outstanding example of the late Music Hall period is the Hackney Empire. This has been restored to its moorish splendour and now provides an eclectic programme of events from opera to Black Variety Nights.
• A mile to the south is Hoxton Hall - an 1863 example of the saloon-style, unrestored but maintained in its original layout, and currently used as a community centre and theatre.
• Collins Music Hall still stands on the North side of Islington Green, sadly it currently forms part of a bookshop.
• The Grand, in Clapham, has been restored, and is used as a music venue.
• Greenwich Theatre was originally (1855) the Rose and Crown Music Hall, later Crowder's Music Hall and Temple of Varieties. The building has been extensively modernised and little of the original layout remains.
• In the nondescript Grace's Alley, off Cable Street, Stepney survives Wilton's Music Hall. This 1858 building survived use as a church, fire, flood and war intact, but vitually derelict. It has been rescued by the Broomhill Opera and is used for opera and theatrical productions.
• The Venue is a basement theatre, located beneath Notre Dame Church in Leicester Place, off the north side of Leicester Square. Every Sunday afternoon, the Players' Theatre Club performs a Victorian style Music Hall show in this theatre.

Many of the above buildings can be seen as part of the annual London Open House event. Outside London, music halls include the following examples:

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• the Leeds City Varieties
• The Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man
• the Britannia Music Hall, Glasgow (still standing, but there is a restoration appeal).

One of the only (if not the only) fully functional music hall including dinner and music hall performances is at the Brick Lane Music Hall which has relocated to an old church in the east end of London (ie: no longer on Brick Lane). For information, go to http://brick-lane-music-hall.co.uk/

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