The Metropole Theatre started as the Scotia and was built in 1862 at 116, Stockwell Street, Glasgow , Scotland . Built to the designs of architect Robert Black for James Baylis , who later built the Theatre Royal in the Cowcaddens area of the city, it opened as the Scotia Hall, holding over 3000 people, with stalls and two galleries, reputed to be the first purpose built commercial music-hall in Scotland. Due to fire in 1875 it was rebuilt to the designs of architects Campbell Douglas and James Sellars and renamed The Scotia Variety Theatre, claiming to be the largest and best variety company in Scotland.
10-501: The Baylis family headed by Christina Baylis continued to run it until 1892, selling it on her retiral to Moss Empires who ran it until 1897 when they opened their new Empire Palace in Sauchiehall Street. At this point Edward Moss leased the theatre to HH Morrell and F Mouillot who named it The Metropole and presented plays, usually melodramas. Successive lessees included Arthur Jefferson who reintroduced variety. In 1926 it
20-454: A Royal Variety Gala jointly with Scottish Television but found itself in an area which Glasgow Corporation was depopulating to peripheral housing schemes. The musical Hair opened in 1970 and ran for 10 months, its first outing outside London. Despite this success the theatre now drained money and closed in 1972. It lay derelict for many years before finally being demolished for a new housing development in 1990. When Arthur Jefferson took over
30-645: A separate business. The first Royal Command Variety Performance was planned for Sir Edward Moss's Edinburgh Empire in the Coronation year 1911 but it burned down and instead was held at the London Palace Theatre in 1912, owned then by Sir Alfred Butt , a competitor of Moss, who later joined its alliance; with many subsequent performances being given at the London Palladium . In 1932, impresario and producer George Black oversaw
40-460: The Moss and Stoll companies reunited. The company ended its promotion of music halls during the 1960s, due to increasing competition from other entertainment media. In 1964, Stoll Moss was acquired by Lew Grade ; it later became part of his Associated Communications Corporation . ACC was acquired by Robert Holmes à Court in 1982. The company continues as Really Useful Theatres , formed from
50-488: The management of the Metropole in 1906 he employed his son Arthur Stanley Jefferson (then aged 15 or 16) to collect tickets at the box office . In 1917, Arthur Stanley changed his name to Stan Laurel , going on to become one half of the famous double act, Laurel and Hardy . 55°51′20″N 4°15′00″W / 55.85556°N 4.25000°W / 55.85556; -4.25000 Moss Empires Moss Empires
60-538: The merging of GTC (General Theatre Corporation) with Moss Empires variety circuit. Black became in charge of the new company Moss Empires Group and controlled a chain of 53 theatres all over the UK. In 1938, Black became the joint managing director of Moss Empires making him one of London's most powerful producers before his death in 1945. In 1945 Val Parnell became managing director of Moss Empires until 1958. Prince Littler became chairman in 1947 and after some 30 years
70-758: The sale of the Stoll Moss theatres by Janet Holmes à Court to RUG Theatres, during January 2000. They continue to manage six theatres, the London Palladium , Theatre Royal, Drury Lane , the Gillian Lynne Theatre , the Adelphi , His Majesty's and the Cambridge Theatre . Robert Holmes %C3%A0 Court Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
80-609: Was a company formed in Edinburgh in 1899, from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss , Richard Thornton and Sir Oswald Stoll . This created the largest chain of variety theatres and music halls in the United Kingdom. The business was successful, with major variety theatres in almost every city in the UK and Ireland, and was advertised as the largest group in the world. The group had grown to over 50 theatres when Stoll withdrew his in 1910 to run them as
90-551: Was not available for an extension and proposed performing Arts Centre and instead it was purchased by Alec Frutin in 1962 as a replacement for his former theatre in Stockwell Street. The St George's Cross building now opened as the New Metropole. In 1964 Jimmy Logan , by agreement with Alec Frutin, bought the theatre, renaming it Jimmy Logan's Metropole . It prospered with variety, comedy plays, winter shows, and
100-647: Was sold to Bernard Frutin whose family continued to present variety, summer shows and winter shows for four decades, until fire destroyed the building on 28 October 1961. Thereafter the Frutins bought the former Empress Theatre in St George's Cross in the West End of the city which in 1960 had been renamed The Falcon Theatre run by the Falcon Trust who staged plays and hoped to extend the building. The funding
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